SUNDAY, JUNE 8, 2014 (PAGE-4)

BOLLYWOOD BUZZ SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY "I will only do comedy films" End of the road for the amby? Sajid Khan is one creatively mad man. He will be Zafri Mudasser Nofil Hindustan Motors itself was set up as Its time-tested, tough, accommodating and practical the country’s first car market in 1942, introducing three sets of Saif Ali Khan, Riteish characteristics made the Ambassador a truly Indianised Deshmukh and Ram Kapoor in his upcoming car. Its dependability, spaciousness and comfort factor just a few years before Independence. made it the most preferred car for generations of Indians. film Humshakals. Sreya Basu chats up with the The first car to be manufactured in India, Ambassador minister Shahnawaz Hussain, film star-turned politician ruled the Indian roads ever since its inception in 1948. Shatrughan Sinha and party’s Darjeeling MP S S filmmaker in Mumbai Originally based on Morris Oxford (United Kingdom, Ahluwalia. Among Congress leaders, former Union minis- 1948), the car underwent a series of changes, adapting to ter Kamal Nath, as also at least two party candidates from What made you make a film on mad men? customer expectations. Delhi — J P Agarwal and Ramesh Kumar, had Ambas- I made Humshakals on mad people because at that time I myself went And now with Hindustan Motors Limited deciding to sador cars in their lists. mad. shut down its factory at Uttarpara in West Bengal, where Others with Ambassadors included J&K National Pan- Was it that maddening an experience? it has been making the Ambassador, it is feared that it will thers Party candidate from Udhampur Prof Bhim Singh, We have seen one actor's triple role before in films like John be the end of the road for the only automobile to ply on JD-U candidate from Jhanjharpur (Bihar) Davendra Jani Janardhan (1984) where Rajinikanth saab did a triple role. Indian roads for more than five decades now, carving a Prasad Yadav and RJD’s Karakat candidate Kanti Singh. Amitabh Bachchan saab did a triple role in Mahaan (1983). In special niche for itself in the passenger car segment in the Ambassador models produced all these years includ- Bairaag (1976) Dilip Kumar saab did a triple role. But three process. In 1948, CK Bir- actors having triple roles in the same film, sharing the same la Group firm Hindustan names, and that too living in the same city before screen- Motors Ltd began the pro- play makes them live in the same house … is something duction of the Ambas- that has never happened before. It took me quite some sador at Uttarpara in time to write the screenplay and I even had to visit a psy- Hooghly district. chiatric ward to get my tests done because it was becom- The company, howev- ing very confusing on how to balance it all, how to open er, is scouting for new the cards one by one in the second half and take the investors to revive the movie to a climax which even a 5-year-old will be able loss-making Uttarpara to understand easily. plant. Can we call this film as your comeback to comedy? With the resignation of I don't know about comeback as I never went any- Uttam Bose as managing where to be back. I was very much in Mumbai. It's not that director and chief execu- I went to live in a desert and I came back. But then, this is tive officer of HM in May, what people expect from a Sajid Khan film and I will never Moloy Chowdhury has ever disappoint them again. They want comedies from me been appointed as acting and I will only do comedy films. MD and CEO of the com- We mainly have three male and three female lead actors pany, which owns assets in the film. Who is paired opposite whom? at Uttarpara and Indore. We have Tamannaah (Bhatia) and Esha Gupta opposite two The company was pro- Saifs and Bipasha Basu opposite one Riteish. Ram Kapoor is ducing 700 to 800 Ambas- basically a character actor who is the bad guy, mad guy and sador cars per month a also the sad guy in the film. few years ago. But at Do you expect the film to cross Rs. 100-crore mark? present, production has Well, like everyone else, we too have worked very hard on this film. This is the first film in my seven-eight years fallen to low levels owing old career as a director that instead of putting on weight, I have lost many kilos. But eventually, the result remains to lack of funds. In April, the plant manufactured 100 cars. The plant has been fac- in the hands of God and the people. ed Mark 1 to IV series, Nova, 1800 1SZ, Avigo, Classic, ing losses to extent of Rs 7 to 8 crore per month. But you always talk figures before the release of your films. Grand and Encore. In the early 1990s, the old Austin- The brand considerably lost its edge on roads in 90s This time I will not talk about figures. But I will tell you what the best figure I have got. I was 108 kilos before designed BSeries OHV straight-4 BMC 1.5L petrol engine and the company has been trying hard in the past few was replaced in favour of an Isuzu 1.8 litre engine and making the film and I became 73 kilos by the time shooting was over. years to re-launch it to reclaim its lost glory though with- Are you nervous this time? became the fastest production car in India, beating Fiats, out much success. and the Maruti Suzuki cars at that time. The engines cur- I never get nervous, but I tend to get very anxious for audience reactions. It's something like an examination. Last year, the Ambassador was voted as the world’s rently available are the 1500 DSL (1.5L 37 bhp diesel You give the exam and wait for the results. You get nervous about passing only when you have not studied hard. best taxi by global automotive programme Top Gear. In a engine), 1800 ISZ (1.8 L 75 bhp MPFI petrol engine), 2000 But when you have worked hard, you get anxious about what grades you will pass out with. I know people will show, aired on the BBC, Top Gear’s executive director DSZ (2.0 L 50 bhp Isuzu diesel engine) and 2000 DSZ Tur- enjoy Humshakals as it is at my comedy best. But I am anxious to know how much will they like it. Richard Hammond organised a world taxi shootout in bo (2.0 L 75 bhp turbocharged intercooled Isuzu diesel Do you believe in giving messages through your films? which Ambassador emerged a winner, beating competi- engine. I only send messages through SMS. There are no messages in my films. But on second thoughts, if you are tors from all over the globe. In the late 1970s, a limited batch of Mark III Ambas- able to make a person forget his sorrows and make him smile with your film, then it is also a message of sorts. In “The winner was India’s virtually indestructible Hindus- sador cars were produced with 1,700 cc engines. They fact, it will be the best message for a filmmaker to give his audience. tan Ambassador,” UK-based motor museum Beaulieu, were fitted with Constant Velocity SU side-draft carbure- What if there is your humshakal out there? Would you like to meet him? where the ‘World of Top Gear’ featuring vehicles from tors of an earlier era instead of the more common indige- No, never. Let me tell you an incident here. One of my friends from the media started calling the film Sajid some of the most ambitious challenges are also show- nous variable velocity Solex down-draft units. The engine Khan's Humshakals. I told him please do not write that because I don't have a very good face. Instead write cased, said in a statement. blocks of these cars had “1700” etched on them instead Humshakals, a film by Sajid Khan. (TWF) This particular example proved just how enduring the of the usual “1500”. Ambassador really is when it saw off rivals from Britain, These were probably produced to handle the extra load America, Germany, South Africa, Mexico and Russia to be of the piston-driven air conditioner compressors available named the world’s best taxi, it added. HEALTHLINES in those days. The trim (metal beading) of these cars was “It’s (Ambassador) so tough that, although it now lives in World of Top Gear, with a quick wash and brush up, it a throwback to the sixties because they were chrome plat- could be back in service tomorrow probably,” the state- ed instead of aluminum. Blue Baby ment said. The car was briefly imported to the UK in 1993 (as the Till the arrival of the Maruti in the early 80s, the Ambas- Fullbore Mark 10).The cars were retrofitted with a heater Dr Vikas Kohli outlook of children with hole in heart is very good, irre- sador was the status symbol in India. Gradually it lost out and seat belts in order to comply with European safety leg- spective if it is closed by surgery or intervention. to various global competitors when it came to personal islation, but only a tiny number were ever sold, and the The commonest birth defect seen in infants and new- Many conditions now can be treated without surgery. borns are related to the heart. The abnormality is seen usage but continued to be the favourite vehicle for gov- importer went into liquidation. The closure of such defects can be done by an angio- ernment officials and also in the taxi segment. According to the Independent newspaper, finished in in almost 1 in 100 pregnancies. The diagnosis maybe plasty technique similar to the one in adults to place The Amby found a place among the prized possessions gloriously 50s-style red, blue, green, ivory or black (two- made during pregnancy if an ultrasound detects the prob- stents. of a few leaders who contested the recent Lok Sabha elec- tone paintwork is available on request), the Ambassador lem early. The common problems in children include a hole tions. Interestingly, Ambassador’s journey almost equals is the automotive equivalent of a High Church, C of E vic- After birth, the diagnosis usually involves a pediatric between the lower chambers called Ventricular Septal ar: dignified, upright, staunchly conservative. It goes well doctor hearing a heart murmur. A heart murmur happens Defect (VSD). The wall between the upper Atrial Septal that of the Indian democracy and the brand almost became because the chaps at Fullbore have replaced the Ambas- to be an abnormal heart sound. Once this is suspected, Defect (ASD) and lower VSD chambers separates the synonymous with the power-class in the country. a cardiologist performs an echocardiogram and a con- red from the blue blood. Ahole would result in extra blood Hindustan Motors itself was set up as the country’s first sador’s original engine (the venerable BMC B-series 1.5- firmation of whether the murmur is from an abnormality flow to the lungs. This makes the child have more chest car market in 1942, just a few years before Independence. litre jobbie) with an 86bhp, 1.8-litre engine designed by in the heart or is an innocent murmur can be made. Inno- infections, child gains weight with difficulty and feeding Ambassador remained the preferred vehicle for politi- Isuzu for oriental delivery vans. cent murmur is a murmur which though present is not also becomes a problem. cians, bureaucrats and other ruling-class members for The advantage of Japanese automotive power is that associated with a heart abnormality i.e. The heart is inno- On the other hand the child could be blue when in years and it enjoyed an almost-monopoly till 80s, when the car starts at the touch a of Bakelite button, refuses to cent and normal though there is a murmur. This is a fair- addition to a hole in heart there is a blockage of blood other brands began coming in. overheat or breakdown and runs for 12,000 miles (or 12 ly common situation. If an abnormality is noted, often it flow to the lungs. This is the commonest condition in Those who declared Ambassador in their assetsheet, months) between services, which cost around pounds 100 is a condition of the heart which does not require imme- which the baby becomes blue. Such conditions always included former BJP President Nitin Gadkari, former Union a shot. diate treatment or surgery. Occasionally the abnormali- require surgery to be done. Other defects in which the ty may warrant intervention or surgery. child becomes blue includes where the red blood from lung (with oxygen) drains abnormally into the blue blood; HEALTHLINES or, the tubes coming out of the heart carrying red and blue blood get switched whereby the body receives blue blood wrongly and the lungs get red blood. These con- Fertility preservation in Cancer Survivors ditions usually require a single operation and the child becomes normal. Finally, it is the condition when one of Dr Richa Sharma the valves or of the pump is not normal that the child requires more than one operation in lifetime of a patient "If you believe in yourself and have and may affect the quality of life or the life span. Children may present in many ways when they have dedication and pride-and never quit, you'll a birth heart defect, which parents may recognise or not as being abnormal. Commonest presentation in congen- be a winner. The price of victory is high ital heart disease includes: but so are the rewards" Paul Bryant * A child may take too long to feed. A child may sweat should be prepared to discuss the fertility with patients while feeding, or may not gain weight in spite of feeding. As we all aware that cancer of any part of the body car- regardless of their age and marital status and their families The child also may have a faster breathing rate. ry with it various medical,psychological and ethical issues. * The child may appear blue. Sometimes they may before initiation of therapy to make them understand the Its more so a concern when it unfortunately happens to be possible reproductive consequences of cancer treatment gradually become bluer and reach a point where toddler in a younger fertile age group(be it male or female). and know the alternatives available to preserve fertility may not be able to walk. So as here in comes the much ignored aspect which lat- *. Occasionally the child may present as an emer- er on doesnot give option to recover irreparable loss of fer- Psychological Concerns: gency. This may happen more so in the new born age tility. * Fear of not being able to procreate. group when the presentation may vary between: Yes dear friends here through his article I am trying * Fear of dying * A very blue baby enlighten common people about the concept of Fertility * Fear of passing disease to the offspring *. A baby with low blood pressure or in shock Preservation in cancer patients which needs awareness and * Fear of genetic diseases after chemotherapy or radio *. A baby with very rapid breathing or breathing diffi- multidisciplinary approach to do the best possible for a suf- therapy-problems in offspring culty ferer. * Fear of not being able to see their children growing *. Older children may present with fainting episode Fertility preservation- is a key component of cancer Fertility Options in Males: which may be the only indicator of a major underlying management in young patients.Cancer treatment often * Conservative management heart problem. These conditions can occasionally be results in reduced fertility. Cancer patients should be * Surgery fatal and that may be the next time it may come to med- There are 2 main types of heart disease: one in which informed of options for fertility preservation and future repro- Limitations of Semen Cryopreservation: ical attention. This is referred to as an acute life threat- duction prior to cancer treatment. the baby turns blue and the ones in which the baby does * Physician's failure to discuss the options ening heart problem. These are electrical problems of Reproduction in the context of cancer raises a number not turn blue. Almost all conditions in which the baby * Time limitation the heart. A small child may not be able to verbalise what of ethical issues related to both patient and offspring wel- turns blue require surgical treatment. For others there * Age of the patient the problem is. fare.Evidence suggests that cancer treatment often com- may at times not be a requirement for surgery or it may * Severity of illness * Sometimes the heart disease may not be picked up mences without adequate consideration of fertility preser- be treatable by balloon angioplasty or device closure. * Lack of facility Both these methods are non-surgical methods. All major till late in life and such presentations are called adult pres- vation and that current services could be much improved. * Refusal by patients defects require surgery to be done. In the other condi- entation of congenital heart disease. Early referral of patients to a fertility specialist will allow Strategies For Fertility Preservation in Females: tion the more common defect of the heart involves a "hole With the current technology the early diagnosis can consideration and discussion of the full range of fertility *Oophoropexy in the heart". An isolated hole in the heart (which could be made of heart disease in the 18th week of pregnan- preservation options.It's a multidisciplinary approach which *Cryopreservation be a ventricular or atrial defect), will require treatment. cy. This test is called Fatal Echocardiogram. Specialised involves specialists in oncology, assisted reproduction, heart ultrasound machines are used for this test with *Embryo The hole is between chambers carrying red and blue embryology and clinical genetics. advanced features like STIC or FETAL NAVIGATION. *Oocyte blood (red signifying with oxygen and blue signifying The diagnosis and treatment of cancer often poses a without oxygen). The condition of isolated hole in heart Once the diagnosis is made the family can be counselled *Ovarian tissue-cortex and even whole ovary threat to fertility. Methods of fertility preservation are evolv- should not be confused with conditions where hole is for future treatment. *Isolated follicles for IVM ing quickly, yet little has been published in the medical oncol- present associated with many other abnormalities in the (The author is Director and HoD BLK Children Heart Institute *Pharmacological protection with anti-apoptotic agents heart, which have varying treatment and outlook. The New Delhi) ogy literature regarding this topic.Health-care providers (The author is IVF Consultant Bournhall).