DUBAI // An Indian filmmaker based in the UAE said he could face huge financial losses if his film, which came to cinemas in the Emirates yesterday, is bannedthroughout his home country.
"The movie opened to a good reception in the UAE," said Sohan Roy, the Sharjah-based Indian director and marine engineer.
The Indian state Tamil Nadu has banned Dam999but has not explained the reasons for the decision. Although the film is inspired by the 1975 Banqiao Dam collapse in China, in which about 250,000 people died, political parties in India have suggested it is about the Mullaperiyar Dam in Kerala.
"The movie opened to a good reception in the UAE," said Mr Roy.
He said the state government's decision was "most unfortunate", adding that he fears other Indian states might follow suit.
The Mullaperiyar Dam, which provides water for the states of Tamil Nadu and Kerala, is 116 years old and the creaking structure is a contentious issue in India. But Mr Roy saidDam999 is not about the structure in southern India.
"This is the most unfortunate incident in the Indian film industry," he said. "No political party has ever banned a film without seeing it."
Last year, Mr Roy made a documentary titled, DAMs: The Lethal Water Bombs, which discussed the possible collapse of the Mullaperiyar Dam. He said the shorter film's subject from last year could have sparked the controversy over his latest project.
"All political parties have come together and are pressurising the [central] government to ban the film. We will face huge losses if it is banned," said Mr Roy.
The 111-minute Dam999 follows nine different characters - from mariners to family men -as they come to terms with the looming disaster of a bursting dam.
The film cost more than US$10million (Dh36.7m) to make, and has been dubbed in five languages, including English. It is scheduled to be shown in Indian cinemas today.
[ pkannan@thenational.ae ]
TWISTERS
Director:+Lee+Isaac+Chung
Starring:+Glen+Powell,+Daisy+Edgar-Jones,+Anthony+Ramos
Rating:+2.5/5
Sinopharm vaccine explained
The Sinopharm vaccine was created using techniques that have been around for decades.
“This is an inactivated vaccine. Simply what it means is that the virus is taken, cultured and inactivated," said Dr Nawal Al Kaabi, chair of the UAE's National Covid-19 Clinical Management Committee.
"What is left is a skeleton of the virus so it looks like a virus, but it is not live."
This is then injected into the body.
"The body will recognise it and form antibodies but because it is inactive, we will need more than one dose. The body will not develop immunity with one dose," she said.
"You have to be exposed more than one time to what we call the antigen."
The vaccine should offer protection for at least months, but no one knows how long beyond that.
Dr Al Kaabi said early vaccine volunteers in China were given shots last spring and still have antibodies today.
“Since it is inactivated, it will not last forever," she said.
From Europe to the Middle East, economic success brings wealth - and lifestyle diseases
A rise in obesity figures and the need for more public spending is a familiar trend in the developing world as western lifestyles are adopted.
One in five deaths around the world is now caused by bad diet, with obesity the fastest growing global risk. A high body mass index is also the top cause of metabolic diseases relating to death and disability in Kuwait, Qatar and Oman – and second on the list in Bahrain.
In Britain, heart disease, lung cancer and Alzheimer’s remain among the leading causes of death, and people there are spending more time suffering from health problems.
The UK is expected to spend $421.4 billion on healthcare by 2040, up from $239.3 billion in 2014.
And development assistance for health is talking about the financial aid given to governments to support social, environmental development of developing countries.
Profile of RentSher
Started: October 2015 in India, November 2016 in UAE
Founders: Harsh Dhand; Vaibhav and Purvashi Doshi
Based: Bangalore, India and Dubai, UAE
Sector: Online rental marketplace
Size: 40 employees
Investment: $2 million
Tips to keep your car cool
- Place a sun reflector in your windshield when not driving
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- Add tint to windows
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'Worse than a prison sentence'
Marie Byrne, a counsellor who volunteers at the UAE government's mental health crisis helpline, said the ordeal the crew had been through would take time to overcome.
“It was worse than a prison sentence, where at least someone can deal with a set amount of time incarcerated," she said.
“They were living in perpetual mystery as to how their futures would pan out, and what that would be.
“Because of coronavirus, the world is very different now to the one they left, that will also have an impact.
“It will not fully register until they are on dry land. Some have not seen their young children grow up while others will have to rebuild relationships.
“It will be a challenge mentally, and to find other work to support their families as they have been out of circulation for so long. Hopefully they will get the care they need when they get home.”