Posted on 07/31/2007 3:01:47 PM PDT by indcons
MUMBAI (Reuters) - Bollywood star Sanjay Dutt was jailed for six years on Tuesday for getting guns from gangsters involved in India's worst bombings, ending an epic trial that transfixed the country with tales of terror and revenge.
Dutt, an immensely popular star known for his macho anti-hero roles and troubled private life, was found guilty of acquiring illegal weapons from those blamed for the bombings in Mumbai that killed 257 people in 1993.
He has already served 16 months in jail while awaiting trial and his lawyer said he would appeal. He has millions of dollars riding on him in films under production, and millions more fans in Bollywood, the world's largest film industry by ticket sales.
The muscular 48-year-old was cleared of conspiracy charges in the serial blasts in India's financial capital, but was found guilty of illegal possession of an automatic rifle and a pistol.
"The crime was not brutal, cruel, ghastly, inhuman, not anti-social, not immoral and did not result in any harm to anyone," judge Pramod Kode said, but added it was still a serious offence and he had encouraged others to break the law.
"It was an eminently dangerous act. With the punishment of a minimum of five years and maximum of 10 years it can in no way be a minor offence or of a less grave nature."
Dutt was also fined 25,000 rupees ($625).
The actor is the most high-profile among 100 people, mostly Muslims, found guilty in the bombings trial, one of the world's longest court cases.
(Excerpt) Read more at washingtonpost.com ...
And dots dot.
This is the third time today I’ve read the word “Bollywood” in an Internet article. That makes three times in my life I’ve ever heard it. Color me confused.
Bollywood is the Indian equivalent of Hollywood. It is based out of Mumbai (formerly Bombay in India) and is the second largest movie producer in the world (in terms of value) and the largest (in terms of # of movies).
Dutt’s supposedly a figurative sleaze-bag. According to sources such as the BBC. Personally haven’t even watched one of movies.
The term has been around for some time now. Mumbai is the Hollywood of India, and India is the second major film producing country after the United States (their movies are popular in that part of the world where American films may not resonate as much with the local cultures).
Have you seen this Bollywood spoof?
Hadn’t seen it before. Appreciated.
LOL....this is excellent.
GK/CandS - Ping
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