Mixing with Masters and Living Legends
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Monday, June 27 / Sunday, July 3, 2011 7 News BUSINESS ASIA Mixing with masters and living legends Alexander Evans Amitabh was presented with a much deserved Lifetime Achieve - The ultimate celebration of Asian ment Award at the Asian Awards excellence, the Asian Awards in 2010. partnership with Lebara dazzled Yash Chopra, one of the most with the calibre of those honoured. powerful men in Indian cinema, Across all spheres of endeavour, sits at the helm of India’s biggest from business to philanthropy and production house, Yash Raj Films, sport to the arts, legends and mas - with offices in the US, UK, UAE, ters from across the globe gathered and South Asia. to celebrate Asian excellence. The first Indian to be ho - Recognising the power of Asian noured by BAFTA in its cinema, at home and abroad, the history, and a recipient of Asian Awards honoured excep - France’s highest civilian laborated with leading Asian Awards as a “soul-stirring The Asian Awards Ceremony on tional talent in front of the camera award, the Legion of musicians and film - artist who embodies the universal - the 18th October in London, hosted and behind it. Honour, Yash Chopra makers all over the ity of music”, AR Rahman set the by Lord Coe, provides a unique op - Amitabh Bachchan, a world joined a host of cul - world and bar high as the first recipient of the portunit y to network with the renowned actor named ‘Star of tural icons to re - has gar - award for Outstanding Achieve - world’s most affluent decision- the Millennium’ by the BBC, has a ceive his award nered ac - ment in Music. makers, sporting stars, music leg - distinguished career stretching for Outstand - colades As the Asian Awards 2011 draws ends, business tycoons, Bollywood back over four decades in Hindi ing Achieve - including ever nearer, excitement, curiosity celebrities and political leaders. cinema. ment in Cinema a Golden and speculation is intensifying. Having won numerous acco - at the Asian Globe, a BAFTA, Once again, in 2011, we will Tickets to the ultimate lades for his art - including three Awards. two Academy welcome some of South Asia’s most celebration of Asian excellence National Film Awards, over 10 Another legend of In - Awards, and India’s highest exceptional cultural, business and are available now at Filmfare Awards, and the Padma dian cinema crossing cultural honour, the Padma Shri. community leaders from around www.theasianawards.com or Shri honour - the charismatic boundaries, AR Rahman has col - Described by one judge of the the world. +44 (0) 207 234 8732. InKPahkistaan’sncommerciaal khere?” ssaidcKhainv. ilianwoulddcosrt aroounnd $1e0,0s 00 Air India struggles to hub, a Pakistani is develop - The U.S. drone campaign to $15,000. But he runs a ing his own drone technology is hugely unpopular in Pak - risky business. A few years despite security challenges istan, surrounded by criti - ago he had to go into hiding arising from the current po - cism and controversy, and after receiving copies of cir - survive in fast mended ian Marrchk2010e, thet last litical climate and the public considered flagrant viola - culated emails, which ac - Wasim Khan year for which it posted fig - anger over the U.S. use of the tions of sovereignty. cused him of making Air India, a relic of state own - ures. Its domestic market unmanned aircrafts. “One of the major areas is Predator drones. His com - ership threatened by losses, share has dropped to fourth Located in a narrow in - the misconception people pany is now spread out bloated costs and more nim - from third, behind private dustrial lane in Karachi is the might have about drones be - throughout Karachi so he ble rivals, needs to secure a sector rivals Jet Airways, 90,000 square-foot research cause the media has propped cannot be targeted in one lo - massive debt and operational Kingfisher Airlines and facility called Integrated Dy - up the drone as something cation. overhaul if it is to survive in a budget carrier IndiGo. namics. There, Raja Sabri which is a completely differ - Part of Khan’s business is market growing at 20 percent A recent 10-day pilot Khan, the company’s chief ent animal from what I do,” trying to create more aware - a year. strike forced it to cancel 90 executive, makes unmanned said Khan. ness about civilian drones The airline has not posted million in interest costs. percent of domestic flights, aerial vehicles (UAVs), com - Khan’s markets are pri - despite the security chal - a profit since merging with Even if it can persuade costing it nearly $56 million, monly known as drones. But marily the government, lenges. “With the civilian and former duopoly partner In - banks to revise a payment further denting an already his are for civilian and scien - armed forces and also foreign scientific application, you can dian Airlines in 2007 and re - schedule for $3 billion in battered image and prompt - tific research. exports for search and rescue change lives.” But there is no lies on handouts from the local currency debt due on ing it to lure back customers But when he tells Pak - operations, and agricultural government support for de - government to survive. It is June 30, Air India needs a with costly discounts. istanis what he makes, the monitoring among others. veloping indigenous drone behind on its payroll obliga - drastic revamp or privatisa - Air India, which is sched - initial reaction he gets is one There are two other Pakistani technology, he added. tions and was forced one day tion that may require more uled to take delivery of the first of shock. Pakistan is ob - drone companies, Satuma and He now works on using last month to cancel a hand - money and political will than of its 27 Boeing Dreamliners sessed with just one kind of East West Infiniti, both based drones for insecticide spray - ful of flights because it had the government can muster. by the end of the year, may drone - the Predator - that is in Islamabad, but they mostly ing on crops, an operation not paid its fuel bills. With New Delhi opposed defer some deliveries, accord - used by the United States to service military clients. Khan’s that would cost less than Air India and 26 banks to privatisation but unwilling ing to people familiar with the kill militants in the country’s is the only one specialising in using a conventional aircraft are in talks to restructure $4 to put it out of business and matter. The carrier itself says northwest. civilian applications. and could cover large areas billion of working capital debt banks poised to agree to a re - the orders are on track. “The usual reaction I get Khan supplies 12 to 18 quickly - something that in a deal that would force structuring for lack of a more Rivals are investing heav - when I tell people I make drones a year on average, would be useful for Pak - lenders including State Bank attractive option, Air India ily in an Indian aviation mar - drones is: Are you the guy along with two to three sup - istan’s agricultural-domi - of India to accept equity in may well limp along in its ket growing nearly 20 percent who is making the drones port systems. He declined to nated economy. the carrier and cut lending current zombie state. a year. Budget carrier GoAir and supplying to the Amer - comment on his total rev - Japan has been using re - rates to about 8 percent from Air India lost more than said it ordered 72 Airbus icans so that they can come enue, but said a typical sys - motely piloted helicopters for 11-13 percent, saving it $133 $1 billion in the year that planes worth $7.2 billion. back and bomb them over tem for a small civilian UAV years for crop spraying..