Director Goldie Behl Talks about the Movie ‘Drona’

Abhishek Bachchan and Priyanka Chopra starrer Drona will hit the screen next Thursday (2 October 2008). Bollywood moviegoers are eagerly waiting for the release of this big-budget Eid flick. Recently, director Goldie Behl said that Drona falls into the Harry Potter/Indiana Jones category. The director also compared Drona with Spiderman and Superman, claiming that the film features a hyper-real world. In fact, he talks about different issues about the movie Drona in an interview recently. Here, I am quoting few lines from the interview:

You have said Drona belongs to the Harry Potter/Indiana Jones category. What is it about those films that you find in yours?
The hyper-real environment in these films is what you would find similar in my film. The locations in my film are real, though the events are fictional. Compared to superhero films like Spiderman and Superman, Drona is much more intense and serious. I guess it’s like drama versus candyfloss. There is a strong sense of family legacy and bloodlines, which Indians take very seriously.

You have shot down comparisons with Krrish and Love Story 2050. What is “different” about Drona?
My film is not set in the past or future, so in that sense it is different. Drona is completely rooted in Indian myths and legends. It’s a fictional take on it. It’s in a hyper-real world. So it’s exciting, kind of like a graphic novel.

Goldie Behl said that he would be more prepared before getting into the sequel of Drona. Being asked if there is anything about Drona that he had not revealed yet, he said that the movie is highly emotional with innocence and a soul.

Manchester United Pulled off 2-0 Victory over Bolton Wanderers

Manchester United escaped with three points against Bolton Wanderers thanks to a controversial penalty awarded to United. With the 2-0 home victory, the defending champions are now in the 8^th position with 8 points from five outings. Manchester United opened scoring thanks to a penalty awarded by referee Rob Styles. However, television reply showed clearly that Jlloyd Samuel did not have an illegal challenge on Cristiano Ronaldo who later converted the penalty successfully to put Manchester United ahead in the match.

Bolton looked confident until conceding the first goal. However, following the first goal, they took the back seat and looked fragile. So, poor referring must be an issue in this regard. Manchester Untied got the second goal when Wayne Rooney’s curled shot found Bolton net following Ronaldo’s back-click. So, Bolton fans can claim that if the penalty was not awarded against them, the result could have been something different.

Well, having said that, Manchester Untied well-deserved three points from the match as they were better in each and every position in the field. Manchester United dominated all through the match with Ronaldo, Dimitar Berbatov keeping the Bolton defense always busy. With this defeat, Bolton Wanderers went down to 17^th position in the point table with only 4 points from 6 matches.

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BBC

Arsenal Suffered 2-1 Home Defeat to Hull City

Arsenal suffered a crashing 2-1 home defeat to newly promoted Hull City today as they Gunners are left in the fourth place in the league table with 12 points. It was undoubtedly a very big blow for the Wenger boys who were flying high since the loss at Fulham. With this victory, Hull City continues their surprise performance in the league and currently stands in the sixth position in the point table.

Arsenal was put ahead in the match by Cesc Fabregas in the 47^th minutes of the match. However, Hull City scored twice to come out with three points from Emirates stadium. First, Cousin headed home Andy Dawson's corner to equalize the score, and minutes later, Hull City got the winning goal thanks to a spectacular 25-yard strike from Geovanni.

Arsenal tried their best to come back in the match, but all of their efforts went in vain as the Hull defense was up to the mark. William Gallas had a good chance in the 83^rd minute, while Boaz Myhill denied Fabregas in his pursuit to level the score. Hull City has been in revelation so far this season. Promoting to the premier league, Hull City has showed that they have the quality and talent to survive in the top level.

The defeat came as a big blow for the Arsene Wenger boys as they have been playing very well since their defeat to Fulham earlier this season. Losing 3 points is not the all Arsenal lost in the match. Rather, the Gunners lost the momentum they achieved in their 6-0 Carlig Cup thrash over Sheffield United. Arsenal is still in the title race, but if they continue losing points after every few matches, then I am not sure for how long they will be in the title challenge.

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BBC

Chelsea Defeated Stroke City 2-0 in Premier League Battle

Chelsea projected sixth straight away victory in premier league today as the Blues defeated Stroke City 2-0 at the Britannia Stadium. With this victory, Chelsea amassed 14 points to their credit and reached atop the table (Arsenal might retain the top place with a victory over Stroke City in today’s late kick off).

Chelsea dominated all through the first half and got the opener thanks to a strike from Jose Bosingwa. Receiving a pass from Frank Lampard, Bosingwa rushed up and scored the first goal for Chelsea.

However, the home side came out full of confidence in the second half and created a number of chances. Leon Cort perhaps had the best chance for Stroke City, but his header was cleared on the line. Michael Ballack was instrumental behind most of Chelsea attacks.

The German Captain perhaps let Scolari feel relieve as the manager is currently missing two of his top guns Deco and Michael Essien. Lampard, Kalou also played well. Nicolas Anelka ensured three points for Chelsea with his second half strike. So, Chelsea did not have much problem to pull off another away victory in the premier league.

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BBC

Liverpool Wins Merseyside Derby 2-0 over Everton

With striker Fernando Torres ending his six-match goal draught with two goals, Liverpool found it easy to pick up three points out of today’s lunch time kick off against city rivals Everton. Liverpool did not have any problem to pull off the 2-0 victory over Everton, even though it was an away fixture for the All Reds. The last dent to Everton’s coffin came when Tim Cahill was sent off after 80 minutes for tackling Xabi Alonso.

The first half ended goalless, but nine minutes into the second half Torres scored from Robbie Keane’s cross to put Liverpool ahead in the match. Three minutes later, the Spanish striker doubled the lead scoring from close range. So, Liverpool came out with three points without being tested fully.

Tim Cahill had a very good chance on the 13^th minute but his shot went out. Liverpool, however, dominated the first half, but the visiting side could not take a stern test of Howard, but from the very beginning of the second half, Liverpool started testing the Everton keeper. With this victory Liverpool ensured their best start to the league. Now, let us see if they can continue it till the end of the season and can clinch their much-awaited premier league title.

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BBC

Stroke City vs Chelsea EPL 08-09: Preview and Live Score

Premier league giant Chelsea visits Britannia Stadium to take on home side Stroke City on Saturday. High-flying Chelsea will go into the match looking for three points, while Stroke City, on the back of last weekend’s excellent 0-0 draw away at Liverpool, will look to bring an end to Chelsea’s unbeaten league record so far this season. Getting the support of the home fans, newly promoted Stroke City will definitely try their best to replicate their Anfield form against Chelsea at home.

Match: Stroke City vs Chelsea; English Premier League 2008-2009

Date: 27 September 2008, Saturday

Venue: Britannia Stadium

Kick off: 15:00 BST (British Standard Time)

Chelsea is one of two ‘Big Four’ clubs who has not lost any match so far in the premier league. In the high-profile last weekend meeting with defending champion Manchester United at home, Chelsea salvaged a point thanks to a late goal from Salomon Kalou. However, the 1-1 stalemate against Manchester United cost Chelsea the top place in the league table with Arsenal climbing up to the top of the table. However, with 11 points from five matches, Chelsea is now within a point of Arsenal. So, losing any more point would see Chelsea going down in the table. Luiz Felipe Scolari’s men seem to be confident now after outclassing Portsmouth 4-0 in the third round Carling Cup encounter. However, Chelsea needs to be aware of resilient Stroke City defense.

Stroke City will face Chelsea for the first time since 1985 in a premier league meeting that Chelsea clinched 1-0. Stroke City has made it to the premier league once again, and has already showed that they have talent and skill to survive in the league, even though they are still in the 18^th place of the point table with four points from five matches. However, Stroke City can take inspiration from their last weekend’s performance against Liverpool that saw them leaving Anfield with a deserved point. However, the kind of confidence booster performance was more precious than a mere draw with Liverpool, because the Potters will now know that they could come up with something impressive if they can give their best.

Chelsea manager Luiz Felipe Scolari has a number of injury problems to contend with. First, the Brazilian manager will miss Portuguese duo Ricardo Carvalho and Deco for the trip to Stroke City. Carvalho has been out for a month with knee injury, while Deco is on the way to recover from thigh injury. In the centre of Chelsea defense, Alex is expected to be features alongside Captain John Terry, while Michael Ballack will replace Deco in the midfield. Michel Essien’s long term injury has already weaken Chelsea’s strength in the midfield. However, Scolari signed free-agent midfielder Mineiro for a back up this week. However, the Brazilian is less like to feature Mineiro in the match against Stroke City.

Both Deco and Carvalho missed Wednesday’s 4-0 victory over Portsmouth in the third round match of Carling Cup 2009. Didier Drogba started for the first time this season in the Carling Cup encounter, but it is not yet confirmed if Scolari would keep him in the starting line up for the Stroke City showdown or keep his faith on Nicolas Anelka in the attacking line up.

Stroke City fans can be happy to know that Ricardo Fuller is looking to retain his place in the starting line up as he has recovered from knee problem. However, Stroke manager Tony Pulis will have a welcome problem at the heart of the defense because he has a number of choices to feature in the central defense alongside Abdoulaye Faye. Ibrahima Sonko will be in the contention for the starting line up as he has shaken off knee injury, but he has to compete with Leon Cort for getting a place in the first eleven. Last but not the least; Amdy Faye is also available for Chelsea’s visit to Britannia Stadium after serving one match suspension. However, Andrew Davies remains out as he needs more time to recover from injury.

Online Live Score and Updates

Here, I am giving some online live score websites from where you can get the live score and updates of the match:

Live Score

Goalzz

Live Football Scores

Goal.com

Footie Scorez

Chelsea is favorite against Stroke City, but Stroke City’s excellent form of recent coupled with their home advantage might give them some ground while taking on Chelsea. I would not be surprised to see Chelsea struggling to find net through a packed Stroke City defense. However, considering Chelsea’s recent goal scoring form, I think, Stroke City defense would find it more challenging to resist the Chelsea strikers than what they did against Liverpool in the previous match.

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Setanta Sports

Sportbox

Soccerway

Manchester United vs Bolton Wanderers EPL: Preview, Live Score

Manchester United welcomes Bolton Wanderers at Old Trafford on Saturday in an important premier league encounter. Manchester United looks to get their title challenge back on track after a poor start in their title defense of premier league. The Red Devils could manage to get only 5 points from their first four premier league matches so far this season. So, there is nothing to be surprised to know that the defending champions are now at the 15^th position in the league table. Blackburn Rovers also got off to a bad start in their premier league campaign as they stands at the 16^th in the league table with a point less than Manchester United, but Bolton played a match more than United. So, the Saturday’s clash will see two struggling sides taking on each other.

Match: Manchester United vs Bolton Wanderers; English Premier League 2008-2009

Date: 27 September 2008, Saturday

Venue: Old Trafford

Kick off: 15:00 BST (British Standard Time)

Manchester United could manage to win only one out of their four matches and that was against Portsmouth. However, the Alex Ferguson boys were held to draw against Newcastle United and Chelsea, while the Red Devils suffered a rare defeat to Liverpool away at Anfield, which was their first defeat at Liverpool in seven years. So, it is pretty clear that Manchester Untied is not at their prime and they can not afford to lose any more point at this stage of the league. So, anything less than a victory against Bolton Wanderers would be considered as a disaster for Manchester United.

However, Manchester United showed glimpses of their prime form in the match against Chelsea and the last Sunday’s 1-1 draw against Chelsea helped Manchester United get some confidence back in their title run. Manchester United played well at Stamford Bridge and took lead in the match, but United failed to pick up three points as Chelsea found net courtesy of Ivorian striker Salomon Kalou in the second half. However, Manchester United players will find inspiration from Tuesday’s 3-1 Carling Cup third round victory over Middlesbrough. Most importantly, Cristiano Ronaldo has found net in the match and that could be an inspiration for the other players of the side.

Bolton Wanderers suffered a 3-1 home defeat to in-form Arsenal last weekend, even though they played well in the second half of the match. Bolton is going through a rough patch of time. They won only one of their five premier league matches and lost three, while the other match was drawn. Managing only 4 points from five matches Bolton is now on the verge of relegation zone. Despite the 3-1 defeat to Arsenal, Bolton Wanderers manager Gary Megson is still hopeful about the United visit. Recently, he talked about Bolton Wanderers upcoming fixture at Old Trafford.

BWFC reported:

That's just the way that things have worked out and you have got to play the big four home and away, but the fact that we are playing them on consecutive Saturdays doesn't particularly help.
We've got to go there and try and put it to the back of our mind and try to get a decent result.

Cristiano Ronaldo has recently retuned to action, and now after getting his goal scoring form back, he is likely to start against Bolton Wanderers in what it would be his premier league first team appearance this season. Ferguson has a number of options to choose from in order to set up the attacking line up. Wayne Rooney, Carlos Tevez and record signing Dimitar Berbatov are all available for the visit of Bolton Wanderers. However, United manager Alex Ferguson will not get the service of Michael Carrick due to his foot injury, while goal keeper Edwin van der Sar is not confirmed for the home match as he took a serious knock to his knee in the 1-1 draw against Chelsea. However, defender Nemanja Vidic is back in the contention for first team line up and is expected to replace Jonny Evans at the centre of Manchester United defense.

After serving three-match suspension, Gary Cahill is now available for the visit to Old Trafford. He could bolster Bolton’s weak defense. Last but not the least, Johan Elmander, the club’s record signing, has just been back to training after recovering hamstring injury. Full back Matty Taylor has also shaken off his foot injury. Both the players returned to training this week and Gary Megson would need to take a last minute-decision on their fitness.

Online Live Score and Updates

If you want to get the online live score and updates of the match, then visit he following websites:

Live Score

Goalzz

Live Football Scores

Goal.com

Footie Scorez

Manchester United seems to be favourite against Bolton Wanderers. Primarily, Manchester United will look to ensure three points, but a big margin victory could give them a much-needed confidence booster. However, Bolton will also try to pick up at least a point from the match in what it would be success story for Bolton Wanderers. I think, the match will be interesting one with Cristiano Ronaldo coming back to form and Bolton looking for a strong performance which would boost up their level of confidence.

Related article:

Sportbox

Soccerway