Shahrukh Khan's CHENNAI EXPRESS to cross Aamir Khan's 3 IDIOTS!

The seemingly un-surmountable record of Rajkumar Hirani'sAamir Khan starrer 3 IDIOTS is all set to be bettered by Rohit Shetty's Shahrukh Khan starrer CHENNAI EXPRESS.

Just to recall, in 2009 3 IDIOTS achieved the distinction of being the first film in the history of Hindi cinema to have crossed the 200 crore figure. The film ended its run netting 202 crore from India. Yes, one cannot help but mention that Salman Khan's EK THA TIGER looked like beating 3 IDIOTS but just fell short, though it managed to be the second film to touch the 200 crore figure.

Coming back to the present, it is now certain that SRK's CHENNAI EXPRESS, which has already netted more than 190 crores, will cross Aamir Khan's 3 IDIOTS next week. It will be interesting to see by how much.

Having said that, as the adage goes, records are meant to be broken, and two upcoming releases, Hrithik Roshan's KRRISH 3 and Aamir Khan's DHOOM 3 may just reset the bar higher, fingers crossed!

Top cricketers encouraged by massive turnout at CPL

Port-of-Spain (Trinidad), Aug 23 (IANS/CMC) Leading international cricketers say they are encouraged by the massive fan support for the inaugural Limacol Caribbean Premier League (LCPL) tournament.

"To get such a huge turnout in the CPL is fantastic. The only other place where you get these sorts of crowds is in the Indian Premier League," said West Indies opener and Jamaica Tallawahs captainChris Gayle, reports CMC.

"So the CPL ranks right up there with the other tournaments, which is really great to see. I am really happy that things have progressed and it can only get bigger and better from here on," Gayle said.

Officials say the CPL is set to finish with a bang after the two semi-finals and final at the Queen's Park Oval are sold out.

"In international games this year (in the Caribbean) and in the years before, we (the West Indies) have not gotten this type of support and this type of crowds," said Barbados Tridents captain Kieron Pollard.

"It is good for us as cricketers and good for the Caribbean people and hopefully it can continue and get bigger."

Organisers say the "full house" signs going up for the three matches confirm a trend that has been clear throughout the event, that began July 30, involving six regional franchises.

Most recently it was sell-out on successive days at Sabina Park,Jamaica, last weekend, and the Sir Vivian Richards Stadium in Antigua Saturday saw its first sell-out.

"The response from the people has been awesome, that is the key to the success of the CPL," said Pakistan all-rounder Shoaib Malik.

"People have been coming from everywhere. I was talking to the Jamaica players and they were saying 'We were not expecting much of a crowd in Jamaica', but we played there and even in a day game I saw the ground full and energetic. It is a great thing."

CPL in IPL, Big Bash league: Shoaib Malik

Port of Spain (Trinidad), Aug 23 (IANS/CMC) Former Pakistan captain Shoaib Malik of the Barbados Tridents has predicted that the Limacol Caribbean Premier League (LCPL) will become "huge" after the success of the ongoing inaugural tournament.

"After the IPL and the Big Bash League you can take this as third in the world and it is just the first year," said Malik.

"The response from the West Indies fans has been awesome. Whenever you are playing a league it is about people coming to the ground, that is the key to success, and I have seen that here," reports CMC.

Malik has been one of the stars of the show as the leading batsman with 223 runs from seven innings, as well as three wickets.

Malik's team, led by Kieron Pollard, plays Chris Gayle's Jamaica Tallawahs in the second semi-final Friday.

"People have been coming from everywhere," said Malik, still only 31, despite being a veteran of 32 Tests, 216 One-Day Internationals and 53 Twenty20 Internationals.

The Limacol CPL has given Malik a rebirth after he was dropped forPakistan's tour of Zimbabwe.

He has been a star in the CPL, both with the bat and ball, relishing pitches that have often assisted the slower bowlers.

"I was struggling with my shoulder and my elbow but I have had surgery for my elbow and I have worked hard in the gym," he said.

"Now I am absolutely fine. I can even bowl 30 overs in one day. I am very happy and I want to play as an all-rounder, that is my priority".

Caribbean venues packed again thanks to CPL Twenty20

 Cricket in the West Indies has been played against a sorry backdrop of half-empty stadiums for years but the inauguralCaribbean Premier League (CPL) Twenty20 competition has finally reignited the imagination of the fans.

With bumper crowds, investment from Hollywood celebrities, international television distribution and plenty of local sponsors, organisers say the tournament is already well ahead of their expectations.

"We are at the stage we had anticipated for year three. We could never have imagined it to be the success that it is," CPL chief executive Damien O'Donohoe told Reuters.

The tournament concludes on Saturday, under lights, at a sold-out Queen's Park Oval in Port of Spain, Trinidad after two nights of capacity crowds for the semi-finals.

The shortest form of the game has enjoyed success elsewhere, attracting new fans and stirring the passion of cricket lovers who had drifted away from stadiums, and the new tournament in the Caribbean is also proving a hit.

"To get such a huge turn-out in the CPL is fantastic. The only other place where you get these sorts of crowds is in the Indian Premier League (IPL)," said Jamaican batsman Chris Gayle, one of the world's top T20 players who has featured in the IPL and Australia's 'Big Bash'.

"The CPL ranks right up there with the other tournaments which is really great to see," added the big-hitting Gayle.

Unlike previous competitions in the region, the national-based teams have been organised as franchises with a draft and with players performing for islands other than those of their birth alongside foreign imports.

Former Australia captain Ricky Ponting, Sri Lanka batsman Kumar Sangakkara and former Pakistan captain Shoaib Malik are among those to have featured in this year's tournament.

For Malik, the CPL has already earned a place as one of the top T20 tournaments in the world.

"After the IPL and the Big Bash you can take this as third and it is just the first year," he said.

"The response from the West Indies people has been awesome. Whenever you are playing a league it is about people coming to the ground; that is the key to success and I have seen that here.

"People have been coming from everywhere. I was talking to the Jamaica players and they were saying 'We were not expecting much of a crowd in Jamaica', but we played there and even in a day game I saw the ground full and energetic," added Malik.

O'Donohoe says the big crowds are due to low prices, with tickets available for $10, the added attraction of musical entertainment and the popular quickfire nature of the game.

And just as the IPL has enjoyed investment from Bollywood celebrities, so the Caribbean version has been able to lure some names from the world of entertainment and business.

Mark Wahlberg has a stake in the Barbados Tridents franchise. Fellow Hollywood actor Gerard Butler has an investment in the Jamaica Tallawahs while Richard Branson's Virgin group are tournament sponsors.

West Indies, a powerful force in the 1970s and 1980s, continue to struggle in test cricket but are reigning world champions in the shortest format and the region's cricket board are hopeful the CPL can kickstart a revival for the game.

"The support has been overwhelming and that says to me that the interest and passion for the game is still there," said West Indies Cricket Board president Whycliffe Cameron. "It's our responsibility to continue to nurture that love".

Saturday's final will see Guyana Amazon Warriors face the winners of Friday's semi between Jamaica and Barbados

Bomber kills 25 in Baghdad cafe: police, medics

BAGHDAD (Reuters) - A suicide bomber killed 25 people and wounded more than 50 in Baghdad on Friday when he detonated his explosives inside a busy cafe, police and medical sources said.

The attack, one of the worst single bombings in Iraq in weeks, took place in a northern area of the capital near a park popular with families.

One killed in Vizag HPCL refinery fire

Hyderabad, Aug 23 (IANS) One person was killed and over 30 others injured in a huge fire that broke out Friday at Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Ltd (HPCL) refinery in Andhra Pradesh's coastal city of Visakhapatnam.

The fire engulfed a block of the refinery after an explosion in cooling tower Friday evening, eye witnesses said. Thick smoke billowing out of the expansion phase of the facility enveloped the area, making the rescue work difficult.

Over 30 injured were taken to various hospitals in the city. The condition of many injured is stated to be critical.

Tribal Welfare Minister P. Balaraju visited the scene and spoke to officials. He directed the authorities to ensure better treatment facilities for the injured.

Chief Minister N. Kiran Kumar Reddy expressed anguish over the accident and asked the officials to submit a detailed report at the earliest. "He conveyed his sympathies to the bereaved families," said a statement from the chief minister's office.

Kiran Reddy directed Visakhapatnam district collector and police commissioner to take up rescue operation and provide all medical assistance to the injured in coordination with the HPCL management.

Pak government frees 337 Indian fishermen as 'goodwill gesture'

Islamabad, Aug. 23 (ANI): Pakistan has released 337 Indian fishermen, held for violating territorial waters, amid high tensions over ceasefire violations on the Line of Control (LoC).

A senior official at Karachi's Malir jail Shuja Haider said that 337 Indian fishermen and seven other juveniles have left for Lahore, where they will be handed over to Indian authorities at the Wagah border, the Express Tribune reports.

The move comes as part of an understanding between the two countries to release citizens who mistakenly stray into each other's waters in the Arabian Sea.

The release had been sped up as a goodwill gesture to India, Pakistani officials said.

The two nations have been reeling under increased tensions over unprovoked firing from both sides on the LoC, the de facto border in Kashmir, following the killing of five Indian soldiers on August 5 on the border of Poonch.

India had blamed the incident on the Pakistani military.

However, Islamabad had denied the claims and extended reconciliation, urging for restraint and dialogue.

According to the report, there are still 97 Indian fishermen and three other Indian nationals languishing in jails of Karachi. (ANI)