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Just a few months ago any talk of Sachin’s retirement or of his being told to retire would have been sacrilege in a country where he has demigod status. But his performance in the ongoing series against the Australians has marred the near-perfect track record. That and the fact that cricket lovers are now pointing out that this inconsistency and his near-obsession with achieving his 100^th century is damaging India’s performance in the field. Last week, at least two former captains, world-cup winning captain Kapil Dev and Saurav Ganguly, both went on record that his career in limited over cricket is over and that he should consider quitting that to make way for the younger lot of cricketers, to focus on his test career.

The senior batsman has only managed to score 90 runs in five ODIs in the current tri-series in Australia.We are not sure how Sachin is reacting to these public statements but knowing how professional he is, we are sure the Little Master will take a very informed and considered plan of action.

Meanwhile, former Australian captain Ricky Ponting had lesser luck with his poor form in the recent months and found himself dropped from the ODI team after a string of games in which he failed to contribute meaningfully to the team’s performance. Ponting, one of the best cricketers that the country has produced, has been dropped for the next two games in what, many say, is a shocking action on the part of the selectors.

Back in India, many are using this to point out that where the country’s credibility and performance is concerned, there should be no holy cows who are above all and protected from any kind of action for non-performance. If Ponting can face the axe, so should Sachin, is how the popular refrain goes just now.

The artist

SOMETIMES DREAMS do come true and how! Hollywood actor Antonio Banderas, an avid art collector, has always been fascinated by fellow Spaniard and one of the world’s most admired artists, Pablo Picasso. Banderas, who was born in the same town as Picasso, has been in awe of the famed artist’s life and work but never thought he would get to be the man in reel life.

But now, that is a reality and he has been confirmed as the man who will star in a new biopic on Picasso, 33 Days. The 51-year-old Puss in Boots star who commands a multi-million dollar fee is so delighted that he is taking a fee cut for the privilege of playing his idol at a time when he was going through an emotional phase while working on his monumental anti-war symbol, Guernica. The movie will be directed by award-winning director Carlos Saura on a budget of some $7.9 million.

“He is a character that followed me for a long time, but had always rejected it. He deserves a lot of respect because I am Malagan. I was born four blocks from where he was born. It has always fascinated me,” he said recently. The biopic will also touch on the relationship that the founder of Cubism shared with his French lover, Dora Marr.

The biopic will go on the floors in Paris and Guernica next summer.

It’s a dog’s life!

HE MIGHT BE the most talked about and celebrated dog in the world just now but Uggie, the Jack Russell star of The Artist, will not need to worry about what to wear on the red carpet for the Oscars this weekend. He might have been the canine star of the hottest probable movie to walk away with the Academy Awards but he won’t hear the champagne bottles pop at the after-party because the organizers have forgotten to invite him for the mother of all awards in Hollywood!

Uggie lovers are whining and bitching about the fact that their favourite and much-awarded friend—he was named best dog in a theatrical film at the Golden Collar awards and snapped up the Palm Dog accolade at last year’s Cannes Film Festival, where The Artist had its world premiere—being meted out a shabby treatment.

The film’s distributors have said the 10-year-old terrier had “not been asked to participate or appear at the Oscars” on 26 February and that has put an end to speculation that he is actually rehearsing a sketch with host Billy Crystal.

We think it is unfair too and are hoping that the powers that be who organise the event actually pull out a “canine surprise” for us on Oscar night. Every dog, after all, has its day, remember?

Lasting attraction

ONE OF OUR favourite Hollywood stars, Michael Douglas of Fatal Attraction, is meanwhile all set to make a comeback to the Oscar stage, this time not to pick up an award but to present one.

Douglas, who has two Oscars in his kitty — one for his sterling lead performance in Wall Street and a Best Picture award as a producer of Jack Nicholson starrer One Flew over the Cuckoo’s Nest, has been requisitioned to join the line-up of Hollywood’s A-list who will be presenters at the 84^th Academy Awards, this Sunday.

We know there will be lots of friends who will cheer him on as he makes one of his first appearances in public after he went through a traumatic fight against throat cancer last year. Douglas and his family also suffered a terrible setback when his son from his first marriage was sentenced to long imprisonment for dealing in drugs. Douglas had at that point admitted to being severely affected by the developments but went on to win the fight against cancer itself.

Douglas will join other celebs such as Tina Fey, Halle Berry, Cameron Diaz, Tom Hanks, Angelina Jolie, Tom Cruise, Jennifer Lopez and Melissa McCarthy, who will present awards at the event.

—sudhamenon2006@gmail.com

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