AT THE COST OF CRORES OF VIEWERS?
Does Star Plus want to make Crorepatis in the big cities only? Going by the ten contestants selected by random computer draw to play everyday, one gets the impression that this novel game is open only for the viewers of Mumbai, Calcutta, Delhi and Bangalore. For, out of ten finalists everyday, atleast eight are from these mega cities.

In a way, it is not surprising either. Because the lucky people of these metros have the facility to contact the competition number by local phone, whereas, all the other aspirants have to try their luck via STD. This is also very costly (one phone call from my town can cost me as much as Rs 88!), and the lines are also busy most of the time. Hence one needs to have a lot of patience to persistently try the concerned number and even then he is not assured of a berth as the outsiders’ entries are far fewer.

May I suggest that Star Plus and Siddhartha Basu, the producer, kindly make some phone lines open for outsiders at each of the four centres? This will give an all-India look to the game. Even State-wise contests can be arranged by asking a particular State or Zone to participate and while doing so the aspirants from Delhi, Mumbai, Calcutta and Bangalore can be excluded, as they have had more than their share of luck at the game in the initial episodes.

The novelty of Amitabh Bachchan hosting the show or the lure of one crore rupees will also not last too long, whatever the TRPs may say. Soch lo Thakur!
HB Thakkar
VV Nagar, Anand

ALL ABOUT JOSH
The letter "Still a huge draw" by Sheikh Zabi (SCREEN, July 28) says that Josh is a superhit. There can be differing view points on whether a movie is good or bad, but whether it is a hit or not cannot be a matter of opinion, it is a question of facts and figures. According to trade magazines and India Today which depends on trade magazine reports, Josh is just an average earner. The box office reports in film-based programmes on various TV channels say that Josh has collected just about 50% in the fifth week. So it is clear that it is not even a hit, let alone a superhit. So why should SCREEN publish letters that make false claims about the film?
V Srinivas
Ashok Nagar, Chennai

RAFIANA REMEMBERED
THE death anniversary of Mohammad Rafi was on July 31, and not July 17, as was stated by a reader in the issue of SCREEN (dated July 21). The great singer of our times (or we the lucky lot of music lovers of his time) may be dead, but he is still alive in memory with his melodious songs and will continue to live for ever. My tributes to the great singer’s memory
C Suresh
Sion, Mumbai

GREAT NOSTALGIA
I enjoyed your profile on Goldie Hawn (SCREEN July, 24). A fine actress she performed roles with gusto. Her comedy instincts were always good because she knew where the punchline was in a Joke. I loved her in Butterflies Are Free, Cactus Flower and Swing Shift.
Ashok Shenoy
Camp, Pune

AN ANMOL KHAZANA
Through SCREEN, I would like to take this opportunity to convey my birthday greetings to my favourite actress Manisha Koirala (August 16). Her graceful beauty combined with her glamourous image makes her one of the Anmol Khazanas of Indian filmdom. As her ardent fan, I feel her best performance is yet to come. She is a treat to watch in films like Bombay, Khamoshi, and 1942- A Love Story. Of late, she was outstanding in Dil Se and Mann and was exceptionally cute and lovable in Lal Badshah and Kartoos.

I anxiously await her films like Raja Ko Rani Se Pyar Ho Gaya, Chhuppa Rustom and Champion.
Riyaz Khan
Vasco do Gama, Goa

WAHEEDA MUSINGS
Waheeda Rahman has always been my darling among actresses. In fact I have always been taken in by her lopsided smile and haunting eyes. My question is, how come today’s actresses, with all the advanced make-up techniques, cosmetic surgery and the like, don’t have the charm of Waheeda Rahman?
Milind D More
Trimurti Chowk, Nashik