WikiLeaks takes on Bollywood

New Delhi: As Julian Assange's WikiLeaks continues to cause embarrassment to governments across the globe, its latest target is the world's largest maker of movies Bollywood, the reference of which appears in several of the leaked embassy cables made public by the whistleblowing website.

Many of the cables are surprisingly succinct and contain detailed analysis of the Indian film industry that churns out almost 1000 films a year and generates billions of rupees in revenue.

The documents look at different aspects of Bollywood, including its profitability, connections to organized crime, growth opportunities, and the Bollywood-Hollywood partnerships. India's movie industry generated an estimated Rs 10,700 crore in revenue in 2008, and that is expected to increase by an average of 11.5 per cent a year to 2013, PricewaterhouseCoopers said in a study.

Hollywood-Bollywood partnerships
Two documents that analysed the Hollywood-Bollywood partnership are critical of the Hindi film industry and the scope of US film studios in the second fastest growing economy.
"Hollywood film studios, amongst the world's highest revenue earners, are increasingly beginning to stake their claim in Bollywood," a document said. "Though not without challenges, major US studios have started to try to capture a piece of this potentially lucrative market. US studios ranging from Sony, Disney, and Warner Brothers have co-produced Hindi movies attracted by the growth potential and opportunities in Indian cinema," it said.

The embassy cable said while big budget Hollywood action films - dubbed in vernacular languages - have done relatively well in India, success has eluded Hollywood-Bollywood co-production partnerships so far.

Black money
A leaked diplomatic cable also said that Bollywood welcomed funding from gangsters and politicians, known in India as "black money."

While there is no direct reference of Dawood Ibrahim which allegedly financed a number of movies, the cable said that in recent decades, Bollywood has been associated with the notorious Mumbai underworld, at the nexus of gangsters, money, and politics.

According to Jehil Thakkar, Head of Media and Entertainment for (KPMG), this association stemmed from the financing needs of the industry; until 2000, by government fiat, the film industry was ineligible for bank credit, private equity, and other means of legitimate commercial financing.

Bollywood and US visa
Following intensive investigation which also included a visit to the shooting site of 'My Name is Khan' the US Consulate in Mumbai in 2009 concluded that Bollywood generally does not misuse the US visas issued to its crew. Home to one of the largest entertainment industries in the world, Mumbai sends many stars and production crews to the US on O1 and O2 visas, it said, adding that the investigation was based on reports of fraud in other categories of visas.

"The study found that O2 travelers have a low overstay rate of 1.6 per cent. Site visits to major Indian production houses and no evidence of fraud for O2 applicants further suggests that most entertainment companies in Mumbai do not intend to misuse their US visas," said the US Consulate in Mumbai its cable dated December 14, 2009, which was released by WikiLeaks on August 30.

Chiranjeevi's political foray
A fan who committed suicide citing actor Chiranjeevi's indecision about entering politics, may have helped the "distraught" Telugu film star make up his mind, according to a leaked embassy cable made public by WikiLeaks.

The March 5, 2008 cable that was published August 8, 2011 said Chiranjeevi was toying with the idea of floating his own political party at that time. According to the cable, the actor appeared distraught and explained that one of his fans had committed suicide. The fan left a note saying he killed himself because he could no longer stand waiting for his hero to decide whether to enter politics. Source

Assange life story at theatre in Australia

WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange will have his life story immortalised in a stage play in his home country of Australia, a report said Sunday.

Rehearsals are due to start this week for "Stainless Steel Rat" by award-winning Melbourne playwright Ron Elisha, which will tell the story of a director making a film of Assange's life.

Key players in the Wikileaks drama, including US President Barack Obama and the Swedish woman who has accused Assange of sexual misconduct, will be depicted, the Sun-Herald said.

The newspaper called it the world's first "wikiplay", opening in Sydney ahead of several Hollywood films which are reportedly in the pipeline.

Director Wayne Harrison said it would be "quirky, funny and controversial".

"This is a compelling story of an Australian who is changing the world right now. It can't wait. It has to be produced as quickly as possible," he said.

Local actor Darren Weller will play Assange, head of the whistleblowing website that has published thousands of cables in which US diplomats give their often candid views on world leaders, to Washington's acute embarrassment.

It has also leaked countless secret documents about the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq. (AFP)

Wikileaks: World leaders, as United States see‎

Among hundreds of thousands of documents released on Sunday night by Wikileaks, the whistle-blower website, are US embassy cables detailing private impressions of a host of world leaders written by ambassadors and ministers across the globe.

Here is a round-up of what the documents say about some of the world's most influential figures, as reported by the newspapers given advanced access to the material.

Dmitry Medvedev, Russian President
Medvedev is officially the senior partner to Vladimir Putin in the Russian government, but American documents painted the balance of power in Moscow as quite different.

According to one diplomat's cable in late 2008, shortly after Medvedev assumed power, Mr Putin behaves like "Batman" while Medvedev "plays Robin".

Vladimir Putin, Russian Prime Minister
Vladimir Putin was described as "alpha dog", while diplomats suggested his macho and authoritative image had helped him develop a "remarkably close" relationship with his Italian counterpart, Silvio Berlusconi.

The pair reportedly exchanged "lavish gifts" and US officials were concerned that Berlusconi was becoming "the mouthpiece of Putin" in Europe.

Silvio Berlusconi, Italian Prime Minister
Mr Berlusconi was described as "physically and politically weak" at home, and "feckless, vain, and ineffective" European leader. His "frequent late nights and penchant for partying hard mean he does not get sufficient rest", one observed.

US diplomats in Rome also raised concerns over contracts between Italy and Russia and a "shadowy" Russian-speaking Italian who acted as a go-between.

Angela Merkel, German Chancellor
A leaked American cable claimed that Merkel "avoids risks and is rarely creative". She was also repeatedly referred to as Angela "Teflon" Merkel because nothing sticks to her. Memos betray the American perception that Merkel approaches international relations with the aim of making as much domestic profit as possible.

Hamid Karzai, Afghan president
Mr Karzai was painted as paranoid and feeble in a dispatch from Kabul. It portrayed Karzai as "an extremely weak man who did not listen to facts but was instead easily swayed by anyone who came to report even the most bizarre stories or plots against him".

Nicholas Sarkozy, French President
The French President was referred to as an "emperor with no clothes" in an American memo.

The diminutive leader was seen as "thin-skinned", and "authoritarian" in his personal style, with a tendency to rebuke his senior team repeatedly for their alleged shortcomings, according to the US embassy in Paris.

Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, Iranian President
Concerns over Iran were a major theme in the cables, one of which compared the Iranian President, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, to Adolf Hitler.

The documents report that King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia repeatedly urged America to take military action against Iran so as to destroy its nuclear programme and "cut the head off the snake".

Kim Jong-il, North Korean leader
The ailing dictator of North Korea was portrayed as a "flabby old chap" who had suffered "physical and psychological trauma" as a result of his stroke. Documents also disclose that American and South Korean officials have discussed the potential for a unified Korean nation, in the event the North were to collapse.

Robert Mugabe, Zimbabwean President
The controversial Zimbabwean leader was caricatured as "the crazy old man" by a minister in the South African government, according to a US report from Pretoria. A dispatch from the embassy in Harare entitled "The End is Nigh" describes Mugabe as "ruthless" and "a brilliant tactician", but adds that he is hampered by "his ego and his belief in his own infallibility".

Ali Abdullah Saleh, Yemeni President
The leader of Yemen was viewed by diplomats as "dismissive, bored and impatient" during a meeting he held with John Brennan, a senior adviser to the US President on national security.

In a meeting with General David Petraeus, the former American commander in the Middle East, Saleh reportedly said: "We’ll continue saying the bombs are ours, not yours".

Muammar Gaddafi, Libyan leader
Gaddafi "cannot travel" without what one diplomat described as his "voluptuous blonde" Ukrainian nurse. The report, from the US embassy in Tripoli, disclosed that Colonel Gaddafi appeared to be afraid of staying on upper floors and disliked flying over water.

He enjoyed horse racing and flamenco dancing and was upset when he was refused permission to pitch his Bedouin tent in New York City.