To be honest I was more scared than thrilled at the prospect of watching Paradesi given the pedigree of its director. Bala is the master of pathos, whose films have a heart-wrenching portrayal of the not-so-ordinary people of the society. If Sethu dealt with the transformation of a college student into a mentally retarded person, then Nandha was about a protagonist who gets killed by his mother. If Pithamagan revolved around a grave digger, then Nan Kadavul dealt with the lives of Aghoris and the travails of beggars. I enjoyed (though with a heavy heart) his first three creations, but Nan Kadavul didn't impress me and hence skipped his penultimate offering Avan Ivan. So here I was re-entering the world of Bala after a break of one movie and hence all the trepidation. You might ask why force myself to do something when I am not so comfortable doing it. That's because deep down I have lot of respect for Bala, who has the rare ability to create unconventional characters that get completely assimilated into the narrative without disrupting its flow. And added to it there were all the rave reviews floating on the internet.
The milieu is a rural village in Madras Presidency during the British Raj. The first half is focused on establishing the lead characters and providing a glimpse into the social dynamics of the village. There is the protagonist Rasa raised by his harsh yet doting grandmother, whose sole purpose of existence is to fill the stomach. Then there is his uncle who is always drunk and seems to have lost count of the women he had impregnated. And we have Angamma, an effervescent village damsel who engages in lighthearted banter with Rasa. A major highlight of the first half is the marriage sequence which brings to the fore the interplay between different characters. There is also the sidetrack on the booming romance between the Rasa and Angamma. And just when you were on the verge of forgetting this is a Bala movie, there comes the first reminder in the form of the 'Kangani' (slave recruiter). From then on it is a one way descent into agony and suffering.
The Kangani on the pretext of providing better wages along with food and shelter, convinces the villagers to work in the tea plantations owned by the British. But once they reach there, they realize they have been duped into working in absymal conditions and there is no way out of this hell. Right from the British to their fellow countrymen, they are betrayed and exploited till they give up and surrender to the futility of the situation. You can't help but
wonder if there is any other species on this earth which so shamelessly
exploits members of its own kind just for its own betterment. Kudos to Bala for exploring a relatively unknown dark episode of our own country in such a gritty and poigant manner without any commercial compromises. And he is ably supported by his cinematographer and music director who capture the mood through their sepia visuals and melancholic sounds.
But when you are watching such movies where the innocent are just free-falling into more and more suffering, the viewer becomes disillusioned and gets submerged in a sea of grief. So for all those distraught souls who want to indulge in some vicarious pleasure of good bashing the evil, I would suggest watching the English movie 'Django Unchained' directed by Quentin Tarantino. Tarantino is a maverick genius known for his unconventional but highly gripping narratives, which have complete disregard for both history and geography. In Django, he choses a theme very similar to that of Paradesi, the era of black slavery and racism in the United States of America. But in his own inimitable style, he uses slavery as a running leitmotif and unleashes an improbable chain of events through some strange concoction of characters.
The movie begins with a German bounty hunter releasing a black slave from his white masters and together they indulge in bounty hunting, with the final goal of freeing the black man's wife from a notorious white plantation owner. True to its intended Western Spaghetti style, we see the protagonists riding on horses with cowboy hats, drawing guns at the speed of light and shooting anything that is white and mean. Then there are the Tarantino regulars like the insane shootouts where blood becomes spray-paint and internal organs get splattered all around. Amidst all this there are the occasional glimpses of racial segregation and the inhuman treatment meted out to the blacks, which have striking similarities to scenes in Paradesi.
The movie becomes more engaging when the protagonists meet the plantation owner to rescue the black man's wife from him. From then on there is a palpable tension in the air as to how the events will turn out to be. The sequence at the dinner table in particular keeps you at the edge of the seat and it is made all the more gripping due to the stellar cast of Leonardo DiCaprio, Christopher Waltz and Samuel L.Jackson. And the roller coaster ride comes to an end with an incendiary climax, that is befitting of the outlandish yet enjoyable narrative that preceded it. So for those feeling very heavy after having Paradesi as a main course, you can try a light dessert named Django Unchained.
Saturday, March 23, 2013
Saturday, February 23, 2013
BANG !
It is very depressing to see scores of people die in an accident. And it is all the more distressing when the 'accident' is a premeditated effort by some corrupted human minds. Once such cowardly heinous crime is the act of terrorism, where in the name of religion (almost always) innocent lives and their dreams are snuffed out in a split second. Until the last decade you could maximize your lifespan by staying healthy, by minding your own business and being lucky enough to be not born into the Gandhi family (Remember Indira Gandhi, Rajiv Gandhi and Sanjay Gandhi). But with the advent of terrorism the rules of the game have all changed. And what is most frightening about this barbaric spineless act is that they are very random in nature and completely unpredictable, as the perpetrator has no specific grudge on the victims. The majority of the victims are just collateral damage and the only mistake they commit is being in the wrong place at the wrong time. It is as if our destinies should be re-written to account for this new avatar of death !
Every time there is a terrorist attack, the first thing that comes to my mind is the huge void left behind by the victims among their family and friends. Their lives are never going to be the same and they have to live with this grief for their entire lifetime. Then I think of all the dreams that the poor souls would have nurtured for a long long time and how they have been shattered so mercilessly in the blink of an eye. Once I get over all this grief, the question that pops up in my mind is "When will be my turn as a victim?". It might seem very hysterical, but then these attacks don't occur in some distant battlefields or in some highly secured government buildings. They occur in places where an ordinary man like me would hang out with friends or go shopping or just cross by. The very clandestine nature of these attacks make it very difficult for even the most efficient governments to prevent them and hence it would be unrealistic to expect our government to be any better. So as an individual I have taken it upon myself to safeguard my life. On days that are considered auspicious by terrorists like Independence Day, Republic Day and a bunch of other days, I don't venture out to crowded places or use any sort of public transport. And on ordinary days when I am forced to venture out to a shopping mall, my antennas are constantly scanning for ULOs (Unidentified Lying Objects) and suspicious looking men, thereby running the huge risk of losing focus on the lady accompanying me! And the moment I sense an ULO, I tiptoe in a direction completely opposite to the object. It seems like a very selfish act but then I don't want to create chaos and panic just based on my hyper-active senses.
Similarly when I travel by buses, I ensure there are no unclaimed luggages near my vicinity. There was this one time when I was traveling to my native town in a government bus. The bus had made a short stop at an intermediate town and some passengers got down at their destination and some others got down to have refreshments. One of the passenger sitting a few seats ahead of me got down and I saw a bag lying under his seat. Immediately my radar got locked on to that location. It stayed locked for more than ten minutes and suddenly the bus throttled alive with the guy still not returning. I started to sweat profusely and wanted to jump out of the bus before something bad happened. But assessing the speed of the bus and my physical agility, I calmed down and decided to inform the conductor about the unclaimed luggage, all along hoping the bag only had a pair of boxers and some dirty trousers. He was initially hesitant and skeptical about my strange request but as I was persistent he gave in. The moment he came over and saw the bag a big smile broke on his face. It turned out to be his bag ! I felt very embarrassed and at the same time happy, for having done my best to live another day. But when it comes to trains I don't even have the luxury of being alert because my antenna doesn't have the required range and I just keep hoping the karmas of my previous lives will come in handy. And anyways the probability of the top berth falling on my head unable to hold the heavily snoring uncle is much more than an explosion ripping through my compartment.
If the above narrative sounds light-hearted, it is not due to non-cognizance of the gravity of the situation. But rather due to the acceptance of the futility of worrying about something over which I have no iota of control. Well I haven't completely given up and thats why I keep my senses extra sharp when I am out in the public, realizing well this increases my chances of survival only by a very meager amount. Thousands and thousands of innocent men and women have already 'sacrificed' their lives in the war against terrorism and it is more than high time we launched a global concerted effort to cull this menace. Unlike earthquakes and tsunamis, terrorism is a man made disaster borne out his own invention called religion. If the invention seems to cause more problems than provide solutions it serves well for the inventor to do away with it. Until then terrorism is here to stay.
Every time there is a terrorist attack, the first thing that comes to my mind is the huge void left behind by the victims among their family and friends. Their lives are never going to be the same and they have to live with this grief for their entire lifetime. Then I think of all the dreams that the poor souls would have nurtured for a long long time and how they have been shattered so mercilessly in the blink of an eye. Once I get over all this grief, the question that pops up in my mind is "When will be my turn as a victim?". It might seem very hysterical, but then these attacks don't occur in some distant battlefields or in some highly secured government buildings. They occur in places where an ordinary man like me would hang out with friends or go shopping or just cross by. The very clandestine nature of these attacks make it very difficult for even the most efficient governments to prevent them and hence it would be unrealistic to expect our government to be any better. So as an individual I have taken it upon myself to safeguard my life. On days that are considered auspicious by terrorists like Independence Day, Republic Day and a bunch of other days, I don't venture out to crowded places or use any sort of public transport. And on ordinary days when I am forced to venture out to a shopping mall, my antennas are constantly scanning for ULOs (Unidentified Lying Objects) and suspicious looking men, thereby running the huge risk of losing focus on the lady accompanying me! And the moment I sense an ULO, I tiptoe in a direction completely opposite to the object. It seems like a very selfish act but then I don't want to create chaos and panic just based on my hyper-active senses.
Similarly when I travel by buses, I ensure there are no unclaimed luggages near my vicinity. There was this one time when I was traveling to my native town in a government bus. The bus had made a short stop at an intermediate town and some passengers got down at their destination and some others got down to have refreshments. One of the passenger sitting a few seats ahead of me got down and I saw a bag lying under his seat. Immediately my radar got locked on to that location. It stayed locked for more than ten minutes and suddenly the bus throttled alive with the guy still not returning. I started to sweat profusely and wanted to jump out of the bus before something bad happened. But assessing the speed of the bus and my physical agility, I calmed down and decided to inform the conductor about the unclaimed luggage, all along hoping the bag only had a pair of boxers and some dirty trousers. He was initially hesitant and skeptical about my strange request but as I was persistent he gave in. The moment he came over and saw the bag a big smile broke on his face. It turned out to be his bag ! I felt very embarrassed and at the same time happy, for having done my best to live another day. But when it comes to trains I don't even have the luxury of being alert because my antenna doesn't have the required range and I just keep hoping the karmas of my previous lives will come in handy. And anyways the probability of the top berth falling on my head unable to hold the heavily snoring uncle is much more than an explosion ripping through my compartment.
If the above narrative sounds light-hearted, it is not due to non-cognizance of the gravity of the situation. But rather due to the acceptance of the futility of worrying about something over which I have no iota of control. Well I haven't completely given up and thats why I keep my senses extra sharp when I am out in the public, realizing well this increases my chances of survival only by a very meager amount. Thousands and thousands of innocent men and women have already 'sacrificed' their lives in the war against terrorism and it is more than high time we launched a global concerted effort to cull this menace. Unlike earthquakes and tsunamis, terrorism is a man made disaster borne out his own invention called religion. If the invention seems to cause more problems than provide solutions it serves well for the inventor to do away with it. Until then terrorism is here to stay.
Saturday, February 2, 2013
Why this Kolaveri !
Intolerance these days is a virtue frequented by those who are not completely convinced of their own beliefs. Either this or they seem to have all the time in the world to do nothing. Else how can you explain their propensity to agitate whenever someone even remotely seems to infringe on their beliefs. Hold on ! What did I just write. Oh shit ! I forgot to write the disclaimer and before any of your blood pressures start shooting up, I earnestly pledge to everyone out there that my words were not targeted at any religion, language, caste, color, creed, gender and what not. So please forgive me and don't descend at my doorsteps or my uncle's or my cousin's husband's sister's and disturb our peace of mind. Many might think that I am taking myself way seriously. Yes its true that I am an insignificant nothing in the public landscape. But there are many more such 'not so significant' people out there who want to become significant by targeting even a nothing like me (Let me throw some hints to prove my point in case. Sena - Hooliganism - Two girls - Social Network). So imagine the joy of such people when someone like Kamal Haasan - the unparalleled legend in the world of cinema - makes a movie on a very sensitive subject. Viola ! Its party time folks !
As a Kamal fan it was an established fact that I would be watching Vishwaroopam come what may. But with all the controversy surrounding the movie, I wanted to watch it at the earliest before the Tamil Nadu government chewed out some part of the movie. What I and almost everyone who watched the movie felt was that the movie depicted world events in their true self. The movie talks about the terrorists who operate out of Afghanistan and hence they turn out to be Muslims. There is isn't the slightest hint of any provocation and added to it Kamal is smart enough not to jeopardize his 95 crores investment by stoking any religious tensions. But like there is no absolute space and time, there is no absolute perspective too. So it is understandable that some Muslims felt hurt by the movie. In that case they could have simply abstained from seeing the movie. Or they could have requested Kamal to put a disclaimer saying 'All Muslims are not terrorists' (as demanded by some Muslim leaders in Karnataka), though I find it unnecessary mentioning Muslims in the same vein as terrorists. But demanding to ban a movie that has been certified by the Censor Board is an unlawful act and attacks the strongest pillar of a democratic society - Right to Expression ! So such acts should be strongly condemned and dealt with by the government. Time and again the the cocktail of religion and movies has gone terribly sour and surely Vishwaroopam will not be the last one too.
In India, not just religion but every component of the social fabric seems to cause trouble. Over the past decade there has been heavy migration between states which is a natural follow through of globalization. This has stoked regional fascism in many states to such an obscene extent that at times it disrupts the national integrity. Such in-tolerances occur in the flourishing regions where there is lot of migration to take part in the development process. People should realize that the prosperity of a region is majorly due to its geographical location and natural resources and not due to a particular caste or tribe. So just based on nativity one can't claim ownership of all the resources, because based on this argument then all the resources would belong to the pre-Dravidian tribes who are the real ancestors of India. The other problem with this migration is the perceived threat to language and culture. I understand that preserving language and culture is very important for the social development of humans, but not at the cost of harboring hatred for our fellow countrymen. In-fact there are lot of forums like arts, literature and movies to develop these social tools and so people who are very passionate about language and culture should participate in these. And finally comes the mother of all intolerances in the form of female subjugation. Indian society has made great strides with respect to female emancipation, but the mindset of many Indian males still seems to be stuck in the medieval times. They aren't able to tolerate the sight of a 'alpha female' and find cowardly means of asserting their male supremacy, the most gruesome of them being the crime of rape.
To those who have tolerated my monologue on intolerance and have come so far, I would like to tell you that I am not a completely tolerant person myself. I have not much interest in religion, region or language and respect women a lot (Come home and ask my wife :) ) and hence have no issues with these topics. But I adore a lot of exceptional human beings and when someone talks ill of these people, I fume internally and argue with them crazily giving my everything for the argument. But once the argument comes to a closure, I forget about it then and there and never land at their door steps rampaging their personal properties and thrashing their loved ones. The reason I don't indulge in such anti-social activities is that I am very strongly convinced of my beliefs and also believe every individual is entitled to his own belief which might or might not concur with mine. For all the negativity surrounding intolerance, we also shouldn't forget the part some intolerant people have played in the advancement of mankind. If Newton had tolerated the fact that apples fall on the head rather than flying into the atmosphere, gravity would be existing everywhere except within our brains. If Mother Teresa had been tolerant of the sufferings of the under-privileged, she wouldn't have made a immeasurable difference to the lives of so many needy people. If Martin Luther King had been tolerant of racial segregation, African-Americans would still be treated as second class citizens. And if our freedom fighters had been tolerant of the British Raj, we would still be part of the British empire (in a state of decay though) with the only bright spot being that people would be respecting the concept of queues. So it is very essential that we be intolerant towards things - ignorance, sufferings and wrongful doings - that will help in the development of the human race. And stop being intolerant in those directions that might lead us back to the stone ages !
As a Kamal fan it was an established fact that I would be watching Vishwaroopam come what may. But with all the controversy surrounding the movie, I wanted to watch it at the earliest before the Tamil Nadu government chewed out some part of the movie. What I and almost everyone who watched the movie felt was that the movie depicted world events in their true self. The movie talks about the terrorists who operate out of Afghanistan and hence they turn out to be Muslims. There is isn't the slightest hint of any provocation and added to it Kamal is smart enough not to jeopardize his 95 crores investment by stoking any religious tensions. But like there is no absolute space and time, there is no absolute perspective too. So it is understandable that some Muslims felt hurt by the movie. In that case they could have simply abstained from seeing the movie. Or they could have requested Kamal to put a disclaimer saying 'All Muslims are not terrorists' (as demanded by some Muslim leaders in Karnataka), though I find it unnecessary mentioning Muslims in the same vein as terrorists. But demanding to ban a movie that has been certified by the Censor Board is an unlawful act and attacks the strongest pillar of a democratic society - Right to Expression ! So such acts should be strongly condemned and dealt with by the government. Time and again the the cocktail of religion and movies has gone terribly sour and surely Vishwaroopam will not be the last one too.
In India, not just religion but every component of the social fabric seems to cause trouble. Over the past decade there has been heavy migration between states which is a natural follow through of globalization. This has stoked regional fascism in many states to such an obscene extent that at times it disrupts the national integrity. Such in-tolerances occur in the flourishing regions where there is lot of migration to take part in the development process. People should realize that the prosperity of a region is majorly due to its geographical location and natural resources and not due to a particular caste or tribe. So just based on nativity one can't claim ownership of all the resources, because based on this argument then all the resources would belong to the pre-Dravidian tribes who are the real ancestors of India. The other problem with this migration is the perceived threat to language and culture. I understand that preserving language and culture is very important for the social development of humans, but not at the cost of harboring hatred for our fellow countrymen. In-fact there are lot of forums like arts, literature and movies to develop these social tools and so people who are very passionate about language and culture should participate in these. And finally comes the mother of all intolerances in the form of female subjugation. Indian society has made great strides with respect to female emancipation, but the mindset of many Indian males still seems to be stuck in the medieval times. They aren't able to tolerate the sight of a 'alpha female' and find cowardly means of asserting their male supremacy, the most gruesome of them being the crime of rape.
To those who have tolerated my monologue on intolerance and have come so far, I would like to tell you that I am not a completely tolerant person myself. I have not much interest in religion, region or language and respect women a lot (Come home and ask my wife :) ) and hence have no issues with these topics. But I adore a lot of exceptional human beings and when someone talks ill of these people, I fume internally and argue with them crazily giving my everything for the argument. But once the argument comes to a closure, I forget about it then and there and never land at their door steps rampaging their personal properties and thrashing their loved ones. The reason I don't indulge in such anti-social activities is that I am very strongly convinced of my beliefs and also believe every individual is entitled to his own belief which might or might not concur with mine. For all the negativity surrounding intolerance, we also shouldn't forget the part some intolerant people have played in the advancement of mankind. If Newton had tolerated the fact that apples fall on the head rather than flying into the atmosphere, gravity would be existing everywhere except within our brains. If Mother Teresa had been tolerant of the sufferings of the under-privileged, she wouldn't have made a immeasurable difference to the lives of so many needy people. If Martin Luther King had been tolerant of racial segregation, African-Americans would still be treated as second class citizens. And if our freedom fighters had been tolerant of the British Raj, we would still be part of the British empire (in a state of decay though) with the only bright spot being that people would be respecting the concept of queues. So it is very essential that we be intolerant towards things - ignorance, sufferings and wrongful doings - that will help in the development of the human race. And stop being intolerant in those directions that might lead us back to the stone ages !
Saturday, October 27, 2012
All the road's a rage
After some point of time in your life, there are only two people who always keep thinking of you - your wife and your manager. When you are in office, your manager is happy at home dreaming of you slogging your arse off in front of the computer to meet some unrealistic deadline set by him. And when you are at home, your wife is happy out shopping and 'fantasizing' about you doing all the household work. You feel as if your time and space has been hijacked for eternity! And all of a sudden a blaring siren went off in my head. For a moment I thought it was just an acoustic manifestation of my disturbing thoughts. But the decibel level and frequency were closer to that of the ubiquitously irritating horn of a two wheeler and that's when I realized I had been lost in thoughts in the midst of a traffic jam and the sound was coming from a fellow traveler behind me. I instinctively tried to maneuver my car in the two available dimensions but there wasn't much space to do so. So I switched off my engine and tried to get back to my profoundly life altering thoughts. But the high frequency 'noise' from behind was incessant and it was as if the idiot was expecting my car to levitate and give way for him. I wished I had a set of horns towards the rear of my car so that I could 'back-horn' till he went deaf. Or more dramatically I wanted to get out of my car, pull him (or rather drag him) out of his two wheeler, kick his butt and tell him that just because sound travels @ the speed of 330m/s you can't expect everything around it to move at the same speed too. But I was more comfortable with thoughts than actions so I tried to shut the sound out off my mind and get back to dreamland.
As the curtains were rolling down on my eyes, I witnessed an over-enthusiastic chap trying to plough his two wheeled contraption through the infinitesimally small gap available between my car and the one in front of me. Though I was immensely irritated by this senseless endeavor, at the same time I was also eager to see how far he went. He started with intimidation by coming so dangerously close to my car that I had to retreat a bit to avoid being scratched by this moron. Then he resorted to trigonometry by extracting all possible angles available in the gap. But midway he ran out of angles and threw a pleading glance at me. There was no more space for me to steer and he remained wedged like a loaf of ham in a sandwich. I wondered what could be the driving force behind a lot of Indians to indulge in such silly and reckless acts on the road. Is it the urge to reach home early and perform their most important task - having dinner and going early to bed ? Or is it the notion that civic sense is an unnecessary evil thrust on us by the British ?
By now the road had transformed into a circus and my fellow travelers were morphing into acrobats. And they were using me as an involuntary accomplice too. Suddenly my mobile started ringing and the moment I saw my wife's name on it, I remembered her morning orders to get some household items. Since the traffic was very heavy, I allowed the call to die a natural death and started looking out for some utility store. The moment I found one I parked my car and started walking on the pavement. Hadn't I taken a few steps, I heard a loud horn right behind me. When I turned back, there standing in front of me was the latest menace plaguing Indian roads - the pavement raiders. I wanted to utter loudly - "What do you want jackass ?" But I wasn't sure whether his response would be verbal or physical, so I just threw a disdainfully inquiring look at him. In return he gestured to me to move aside. That very moment I wanted to take a hammer and break open his nutshell (read as 'head under helmet') but I quietly turned back and continued walking in the middle of the pavement while he followed me honking from behind. After taking a few steps I bent over as if to adjust my lace with the sole intention of irritating him for my satisfaction. Anyway as all good things come to an end, I reached my destination and had to step aside to enter the store when the he roared past me. I am sure he would wanted to bang my head on the pavement, but then the feeling was very mutual.
After shopping I got back to my car and started the last leg of my journey. I wanted to reach home quickly as I was already late by an hour and also the antics on the road were causing heavy activity on my internal barometer. Fortunately the traffic had thinned down and I was able to drive freely for the first time in the past two hours. As I neared a traffic signal it turned red and I came to an halt. And as expected there were a lot of color blind people who continued traveling. But surprisingly once the signal turned green no one was moving even after my incessant honking. Only then I realized that the traffic from the other side was still flowing though their signal had turned red. And clearly anticipating this behavior from their fellow Indians, my side of the traffic was calmly waiting for their turn. Indians had not only learnt the art of transgressing the law but also to co-exist with it. If there was anyone still doubting the theory of evolution, this sight would have been the ultimate proof for its existence. Anyway by now I had lost the will power even to get frustrated and all I wanted to do was reach home. Finally after what seemed like eternity but in reality only two and half an hour, I pulled into my garage. Desperate to chill out and relax, I rang the door bell. The moment the door opened I witnessed the final performance for the day - 'angry wife gone nuts' ! I don't need to elaborate on this act as everyone knows how it is performed :)
As the curtains were rolling down on my eyes, I witnessed an over-enthusiastic chap trying to plough his two wheeled contraption through the infinitesimally small gap available between my car and the one in front of me. Though I was immensely irritated by this senseless endeavor, at the same time I was also eager to see how far he went. He started with intimidation by coming so dangerously close to my car that I had to retreat a bit to avoid being scratched by this moron. Then he resorted to trigonometry by extracting all possible angles available in the gap. But midway he ran out of angles and threw a pleading glance at me. There was no more space for me to steer and he remained wedged like a loaf of ham in a sandwich. I wondered what could be the driving force behind a lot of Indians to indulge in such silly and reckless acts on the road. Is it the urge to reach home early and perform their most important task - having dinner and going early to bed ? Or is it the notion that civic sense is an unnecessary evil thrust on us by the British ?
By now the road had transformed into a circus and my fellow travelers were morphing into acrobats. And they were using me as an involuntary accomplice too. Suddenly my mobile started ringing and the moment I saw my wife's name on it, I remembered her morning orders to get some household items. Since the traffic was very heavy, I allowed the call to die a natural death and started looking out for some utility store. The moment I found one I parked my car and started walking on the pavement. Hadn't I taken a few steps, I heard a loud horn right behind me. When I turned back, there standing in front of me was the latest menace plaguing Indian roads - the pavement raiders. I wanted to utter loudly - "What do you want jackass ?" But I wasn't sure whether his response would be verbal or physical, so I just threw a disdainfully inquiring look at him. In return he gestured to me to move aside. That very moment I wanted to take a hammer and break open his nutshell (read as 'head under helmet') but I quietly turned back and continued walking in the middle of the pavement while he followed me honking from behind. After taking a few steps I bent over as if to adjust my lace with the sole intention of irritating him for my satisfaction. Anyway as all good things come to an end, I reached my destination and had to step aside to enter the store when the he roared past me. I am sure he would wanted to bang my head on the pavement, but then the feeling was very mutual.
After shopping I got back to my car and started the last leg of my journey. I wanted to reach home quickly as I was already late by an hour and also the antics on the road were causing heavy activity on my internal barometer. Fortunately the traffic had thinned down and I was able to drive freely for the first time in the past two hours. As I neared a traffic signal it turned red and I came to an halt. And as expected there were a lot of color blind people who continued traveling. But surprisingly once the signal turned green no one was moving even after my incessant honking. Only then I realized that the traffic from the other side was still flowing though their signal had turned red. And clearly anticipating this behavior from their fellow Indians, my side of the traffic was calmly waiting for their turn. Indians had not only learnt the art of transgressing the law but also to co-exist with it. If there was anyone still doubting the theory of evolution, this sight would have been the ultimate proof for its existence. Anyway by now I had lost the will power even to get frustrated and all I wanted to do was reach home. Finally after what seemed like eternity but in reality only two and half an hour, I pulled into my garage. Desperate to chill out and relax, I rang the door bell. The moment the door opened I witnessed the final performance for the day - 'angry wife gone nuts' ! I don't need to elaborate on this act as everyone knows how it is performed :)
Sunday, July 22, 2012
The rise and rise of Nolanism
What do you call a movie that has no story, no screenplay, one chest barring hero, two half clad heroines and a few shabby villains? Most of the Indian movies. What do you call a movie that has a jobless dude and a dumb dudette chasing each other's arse and paining ours too ? The remaining Indian movies. Now, what do you call a movie that is very poignant, stimulates the grey cells of even an analog engineer :) and creates a cult following. If you aren't able to guess, then try this clue - It generally has Christian Bale in the lead. Yeah a Nolan masterpiece what else! To me a Nolan movie is like a mind-blowing Ph.D
dissertation - an unbelievable premise brilliantly explained in a
complex manner. The 'beyond belief themes' sow the seeds for the rich
harvest. If it was teleportation machine in The Prestige, it was dream machine in Inception. And in Memento it was short term memory loss - Nolan's
greatest contribution to Indian cinema. He then weaves a complex
screenplay surrounding this theme. Its so complex that a simple
distraction by that niggling couple sitting next to you means you need
to skip this show and catch the next show! And in the end he skillfully
concocts all this to produce a movie that leaves you flabbergasted both mentally and emotionally.
It has by now been clearly established that I am a huge Nolan fan. But my loyalty will always be questionable as I am yet to watch Memento! By no stretch of imagination was it due to the satisfaction of having watched our own billionaire-lover boy-short term memory loss patient, Mr.Ghajini. It is just one of the few unexplainable things in life. Also I got to watch The Prestige before Batman Begins. I was immediately consumed by its theme which was quite different even for Hollywood standards. It had all the 'Nolan' ingredients like a dark leitmotif, an analytical screenplay with an emotional connect and an awesome conclusion. Next was Batman Begins where Nolan demonstrated the art of making a super-hero movie that is dark, realistic, pulsating and thoroughly enjoyable all at the same time. His collaboration with Hans Zimmer was duly noted from the arousing BGM which lent an epic flavor to the movie. Then came the movie which elevated him to the status of a cult figure - The Dark Knight. It once again re-defined the landscape of super-hero movies by achieving the perfect fusion of sight, sound and substance. The movie featured a never-again-in-a-lifetime performance by Heath Ledger which earned him a posthumous Oscar. And with Inception he entered the realms of sci-fi thriller. The movie was literally the stuff of dreams with temporal multilayer and seamless transitioning between them. It is impossible and an injustice if I try dwelling into the movie in this forum, but in short it transformed film-making from mere entertainment into a niche field where only very few creative geniuses are allowed to play. And Hans Zimmer's Dream is collapsing BGM was... LEGENDARY! It is then only natural that his latest offering The Dark Knight Rises (TDKR) had created unprecedented expectations among both critics and fans. It was considered a near impossibility to match the brilliance of its predecessor and the untimely death of 'The Joker' wasn't going to make the task any easier. So does the final installment in the greatest super-hero series ever made make for an awesome conclusion?
The film understandably has a much bigger canvas than its previous installments. From the beginning the director makes his intentions clear that he wants to end the trilogy with a blockbuster showdown between Batman and his toughest nemesis Bane. So he slowly starts building quite a few characters in this direction. In-fact the first half of the movie is spent on this and I felt it was a bit stretched, though you can sense the gradual increase in momentum. And in the second half Nolan starts putting together the various pieces of the puzzle in his own inimitable style accompanied by Zimmer's crescendoing BGM which is sure to give you the goosebumps. The climax is very much cliched for a Hollywood super-hero movie. But when you are planning to wrap up the proceedings of one of the greatest trilogy, there ought to be a grand farewell and TDKR surely provides that.
The biggest testimony to the genius of Nolan is the widespread following he has among people with diverse tastes (and gender :) ). This is because his movies achieve that rare amalgamation of Kurosowa's ingenuity, Kubrick's intensity and Spielberg's epicness to create a new genre called 'Nolanism'. Its very tempting to declare Nolan as the best of this era, but out of immense respect for the past masters I would just stop short of uttering it. In a career spanning just few films he has entered the pantheon of the 'brightest and bravest' leaving an indelible mark on film-making. And fans like me can be rest assured that the best is yet to come! Take a bow Mr.Nolan. And long live your tribe... (The Nolan tribe includes director Christopher Nolan and his younger brother Jonathan Nolan with whom he has immensely collaborated.)
It has by now been clearly established that I am a huge Nolan fan. But my loyalty will always be questionable as I am yet to watch Memento! By no stretch of imagination was it due to the satisfaction of having watched our own billionaire-lover boy-short term memory loss patient, Mr.Ghajini. It is just one of the few unexplainable things in life. Also I got to watch The Prestige before Batman Begins. I was immediately consumed by its theme which was quite different even for Hollywood standards. It had all the 'Nolan' ingredients like a dark leitmotif, an analytical screenplay with an emotional connect and an awesome conclusion. Next was Batman Begins where Nolan demonstrated the art of making a super-hero movie that is dark, realistic, pulsating and thoroughly enjoyable all at the same time. His collaboration with Hans Zimmer was duly noted from the arousing BGM which lent an epic flavor to the movie. Then came the movie which elevated him to the status of a cult figure - The Dark Knight. It once again re-defined the landscape of super-hero movies by achieving the perfect fusion of sight, sound and substance. The movie featured a never-again-in-a-lifetime performance by Heath Ledger which earned him a posthumous Oscar. And with Inception he entered the realms of sci-fi thriller. The movie was literally the stuff of dreams with temporal multilayer and seamless transitioning between them. It is impossible and an injustice if I try dwelling into the movie in this forum, but in short it transformed film-making from mere entertainment into a niche field where only very few creative geniuses are allowed to play. And Hans Zimmer's Dream is collapsing BGM was... LEGENDARY! It is then only natural that his latest offering The Dark Knight Rises (TDKR) had created unprecedented expectations among both critics and fans. It was considered a near impossibility to match the brilliance of its predecessor and the untimely death of 'The Joker' wasn't going to make the task any easier. So does the final installment in the greatest super-hero series ever made make for an awesome conclusion?
The film understandably has a much bigger canvas than its previous installments. From the beginning the director makes his intentions clear that he wants to end the trilogy with a blockbuster showdown between Batman and his toughest nemesis Bane. So he slowly starts building quite a few characters in this direction. In-fact the first half of the movie is spent on this and I felt it was a bit stretched, though you can sense the gradual increase in momentum. And in the second half Nolan starts putting together the various pieces of the puzzle in his own inimitable style accompanied by Zimmer's crescendoing BGM which is sure to give you the goosebumps. The climax is very much cliched for a Hollywood super-hero movie. But when you are planning to wrap up the proceedings of one of the greatest trilogy, there ought to be a grand farewell and TDKR surely provides that.
The biggest testimony to the genius of Nolan is the widespread following he has among people with diverse tastes (and gender :) ). This is because his movies achieve that rare amalgamation of Kurosowa's ingenuity, Kubrick's intensity and Spielberg's epicness to create a new genre called 'Nolanism'. Its very tempting to declare Nolan as the best of this era, but out of immense respect for the past masters I would just stop short of uttering it. In a career spanning just few films he has entered the pantheon of the 'brightest and bravest' leaving an indelible mark on film-making. And fans like me can be rest assured that the best is yet to come! Take a bow Mr.Nolan. And long live your tribe... (The Nolan tribe includes director Christopher Nolan and his younger brother Jonathan Nolan with whom he has immensely collaborated.)
Saturday, February 11, 2012
The lady in the room
The build-up to this year's Australian Open final was perfect. Nadal and Federer faced off in a semifinal which was a semi-classic. And as usual Nadal triumphed that too in 4 sets. And in the final he met the Djoker to avenge his six previous defeats in the final . This is exactly what I had expected. Well not exactly because a Nadal-Murray final would have ensured Nadal his 11th slam. But then who would want a Grand Slam final to get over in less than three hours. During the morning of the final (which was a Sunday by no coincidence) I kept myself busy reading any article in any form which remotely mentioned 'Nadal' or 'Australian Open final'. Like how Arnold Schwarzenegger readies himself for the final battle by smearing himself with mud in that cult classic 'Predator', I smeared my imagination with some astonishing rallies which Nadal wins. Amidst all this I sensed some tension in the air which for the time being lets assume was just my anticipation for the match.
The match started off in a tight manner with the mouth watering aroma of the food being cooked by my wife in the background. Nadal struck the first blow by breaking Djokovic's serve. And Djokovic retaliated by breaking his racquet in frustration. Ah! It was a great sight for Nadal fans as Djokovic showed early signs of breakdown that have cost him matches in the past. And as if it couldn't get any better, my wife announced lunch was ready. I am not sure what the menu was as all my senses were hijacked by the match, but it was really tasty. I just wondered how lucky a man could get on a Sunday. The first set concluded without any further drama with Nadal safely securing the set.
My wife doesn't follow tennis. But when her husband is jumping all over the room singing praises of Nadal instead of serenading her, you can't blame her for supporting the Djoker. And pumped up by the new found support of my wife, Djokovic got his rhythm back. He started taking advantage of Nadal's second serve and was thrashing winners all over the court. This combined with the unbelievable retrieving that Nadal was doing from the baseline, was producing some out of the world rallies. But throughout the set Nadal seemed to be a step behind Djokovic and a double fault from him gifted the set to the Djoker.
The third set was a total disaster. Djokovic continued from where he left in the second set and Nadal was being overpowered in all departments. I have never seen Nadal being so outhit before. I was transfixed to the television, intently following a crucial rally when all of a sudden Rajnikanth and Aishwarya Rai appeared on screen serenading in some strange language (which was supposed to be Tamil) in Machu Picchu. I instantly blurted out WTF !! (to be read as 'What the hell' for sake of censorship ) Then I realized my wife had changed the channel using the remote control. I shouted at her (in reality I pleaded with her) to change back and the following conversation ensued -
"You have been watching this all day without helping me in household work. I had to prepare breakfast, lunch and also clean the house all alone. For sometime let me watch something that I like. It won't hurt you to take a break."
Now I realized what that tension in the morning air was all about.
"This is a live match and I want to watch each and every point. Don't you see the high quality of tennis on display. I have been waiting for this match all week."
"So you haven't been waiting to spend time with me you dumbhead. Ok answer me frankly - Do you like me more or Nadal ?"
Huh! When will women ever change? Why do they always ask the right question at the wrong time? Anyways out of the corner of my eye, I caught a glimpse of the scorecard from my laptop. Nadal had been broken twice and there was no hope left for him in the set.
"Archana, how can you ask such a stupid question. You are the most important person in my life and why do you compare yourselves with Nadal. To me he is just an amazing tennis player and nothing more than that."
"Hmm... whatever. I would be happy if you spent your time playing tennis rather than just watching others play."
"After seeing such high quality tennis, I don't want to insult the game by playing it myself."
"Nonsense!! When will you ever listen to me rather than blabbering like this."
So our conversation ended abruptly and we continued watching some tamil movie. After sometime the temptation to know how the match was progressing was unbearable. And I couldn't track the score online too as the internet got disconnected. For a long time now my wife was immobile and speechless. Suspecting she had fallen asleep, I went around her to confirm. Then slowly I pulled the remote out of her hands and changed the channel. And what a moment I had chosen for this stealithy act! Nadal was down 0-40 of his own serve with Djokovic leading the set 4-3. If Nadal had lost this game the match would have been all but over. But Nadal dug in deep as he always does and raised his level of tennis to save all the break points and went on to win the game. The fourth set went to a tie breaker were Nadal finally overcame the dominant Djoker to win it. If only my wife was awake to see the supernatural skills displayed by these players, she would have agreed to my view of I shouldn't playing this game.
So now I was all charged up to watch the final set when something unexpected happened. My wife woke up! Should I change the channel or just continue watching the match? I was really terrified. Summoning all my courage and given the fact that the damage has already been done, I just continued to watch the match. Though she never uttered a word, I was sure she was simmering with anger inside. More than ever I wanted a Nadal victory so that I can take something positive out this day. As if answering my prayers Nadal broke Djokovic's serve. But my happiness was short lived because the Djoker broke back. I wanted to vent out my anger but thought it might not go down well with lady in the room who was now watching me intently. The pressure from different quarters was just too much to handle. Now I just wanted the match to get over soon and no longer cared who won. Another prayer got answered. Unfortunately this time by the Djoker as he broke Nadal's serve. And without further drama Djokovic sealed the set and the match. I immediately switched channels, grabbed my jerkin and went out for a walk pondering whether my wife will allow me to watch the French Open final between the same two guys in the month of June...
The match started off in a tight manner with the mouth watering aroma of the food being cooked by my wife in the background. Nadal struck the first blow by breaking Djokovic's serve. And Djokovic retaliated by breaking his racquet in frustration. Ah! It was a great sight for Nadal fans as Djokovic showed early signs of breakdown that have cost him matches in the past. And as if it couldn't get any better, my wife announced lunch was ready. I am not sure what the menu was as all my senses were hijacked by the match, but it was really tasty. I just wondered how lucky a man could get on a Sunday. The first set concluded without any further drama with Nadal safely securing the set.
My wife doesn't follow tennis. But when her husband is jumping all over the room singing praises of Nadal instead of serenading her, you can't blame her for supporting the Djoker. And pumped up by the new found support of my wife, Djokovic got his rhythm back. He started taking advantage of Nadal's second serve and was thrashing winners all over the court. This combined with the unbelievable retrieving that Nadal was doing from the baseline, was producing some out of the world rallies. But throughout the set Nadal seemed to be a step behind Djokovic and a double fault from him gifted the set to the Djoker.
The third set was a total disaster. Djokovic continued from where he left in the second set and Nadal was being overpowered in all departments. I have never seen Nadal being so outhit before. I was transfixed to the television, intently following a crucial rally when all of a sudden Rajnikanth and Aishwarya Rai appeared on screen serenading in some strange language (which was supposed to be Tamil) in Machu Picchu. I instantly blurted out WTF !! (to be read as 'What the hell' for sake of censorship ) Then I realized my wife had changed the channel using the remote control. I shouted at her (in reality I pleaded with her) to change back and the following conversation ensued -
"You have been watching this all day without helping me in household work. I had to prepare breakfast, lunch and also clean the house all alone. For sometime let me watch something that I like. It won't hurt you to take a break."
Now I realized what that tension in the morning air was all about.
"This is a live match and I want to watch each and every point. Don't you see the high quality of tennis on display. I have been waiting for this match all week."
"So you haven't been waiting to spend time with me you dumbhead. Ok answer me frankly - Do you like me more or Nadal ?"
Huh! When will women ever change? Why do they always ask the right question at the wrong time? Anyways out of the corner of my eye, I caught a glimpse of the scorecard from my laptop. Nadal had been broken twice and there was no hope left for him in the set.
"Archana, how can you ask such a stupid question. You are the most important person in my life and why do you compare yourselves with Nadal. To me he is just an amazing tennis player and nothing more than that."
"Hmm... whatever. I would be happy if you spent your time playing tennis rather than just watching others play."
"After seeing such high quality tennis, I don't want to insult the game by playing it myself."
"Nonsense!! When will you ever listen to me rather than blabbering like this."
So our conversation ended abruptly and we continued watching some tamil movie. After sometime the temptation to know how the match was progressing was unbearable. And I couldn't track the score online too as the internet got disconnected. For a long time now my wife was immobile and speechless. Suspecting she had fallen asleep, I went around her to confirm. Then slowly I pulled the remote out of her hands and changed the channel. And what a moment I had chosen for this stealithy act! Nadal was down 0-40 of his own serve with Djokovic leading the set 4-3. If Nadal had lost this game the match would have been all but over. But Nadal dug in deep as he always does and raised his level of tennis to save all the break points and went on to win the game. The fourth set went to a tie breaker were Nadal finally overcame the dominant Djoker to win it. If only my wife was awake to see the supernatural skills displayed by these players, she would have agreed to my view of I shouldn't playing this game.
So now I was all charged up to watch the final set when something unexpected happened. My wife woke up! Should I change the channel or just continue watching the match? I was really terrified. Summoning all my courage and given the fact that the damage has already been done, I just continued to watch the match. Though she never uttered a word, I was sure she was simmering with anger inside. More than ever I wanted a Nadal victory so that I can take something positive out this day. As if answering my prayers Nadal broke Djokovic's serve. But my happiness was short lived because the Djoker broke back. I wanted to vent out my anger but thought it might not go down well with lady in the room who was now watching me intently. The pressure from different quarters was just too much to handle. Now I just wanted the match to get over soon and no longer cared who won. Another prayer got answered. Unfortunately this time by the Djoker as he broke Nadal's serve. And without further drama Djokovic sealed the set and the match. I immediately switched channels, grabbed my jerkin and went out for a walk pondering whether my wife will allow me to watch the French Open final between the same two guys in the month of June...
Saturday, January 28, 2012
Déjà vu !
Déjà vu (noun) :
1. a feeling that one has seen or done something before.
So the Indians have successfully completed another whitewash. This time it is Down Under. And this time the Indian team have really sunk rock bottom. Only some massive unloading might help the team to rise back. But the replacement cargo isn't half as good as the old ones. Well moving from shipping parlance to pure cricketing terms, the future of the Indian test team looks very bleak. Shewag knows to bat only way and clearly that way is leading him only to the pavilion. Dravid has been clean bowled every other time he has been at the crease. Laxman has suddenly realized he is 38 years old and his feet refuse to move. Tendulkar seems to be lost in pursuit of the landmark we all know of. Dhoni is of the 'esteemed' view that tweaking our game to overseas conditions is a waste of time as the majority of our tests are played in the subcontinent. And the bowlers... well looks like they are contemplating early retirement.
And as expected criticism flew from all corners. The media was busy writing the obituary of the seniors. The veterans blamed the IPL and other commercial endeavors of the players for their lack of commitment. The average Indian fan hasn't still recovered from the shock of the appalling defeat. But the Indian team didn't allow any of these criticism to affect their losing streak. Some made brave gestures like showing the middle finger. And some others challenged the Aussies to a revenge series in India. So it looked like the Indians were sticking together as an unit even under such intense pressure. But one 'respectable' media house tapped into the phone conversations of our players and this what they had to say in private -
MS Dhoni - "I hope Anna Hazare goes on another fasting while we return to India. Then the media won't bother us."
Virendar Shewag - "My wicket is precious. I should preserve it by batting down the order."
Rahul Dravid - "I should probably take a break from international cricket and play Ranji trophy matches to strengthen my technique."
Gautam Gambhir - "My place in the team is secured as I will replace Dhoni once he gets sacked from the captaincy."
VVS Laxman - "The bench strength is so poor for anyone to replace me. Hail the Indian domestic system!"
Sachin Tendulkar - "I should get atleast two centuries when India tours Australia next in 2014."
Yuvraj Singh (back in India) - "Lucky I was injured to be not picked for this tour!!"
Virhat Kohli - "Will they blame IPL for the team's poor showing? Will I be banned from playing for RCB?
Ravichandran Ashwin - "I was stupid to combine my honeymoon with the Australian tour. Now will BCCI reimburse my honeymoon bills as promised."
Zaheer Khan - "I will be better off as a bowling coach than a bowler as did Venkatesh Prasad. Let me propose this to the selectors."
Ishant sharma - "The BCCI has announced a post retirement pension plan for those retiring voluntarily. I should better opt for it."
Sourav Ganguly (from the commentary box) - "Will they sack Dhoni and ask me to lead the team? Or will they consider me for the No.6 position? Anyway the team deserves this for the injustice they meted out to me. "
1. a feeling that one has seen or done something before.
So the Indians have successfully completed another whitewash. This time it is Down Under. And this time the Indian team have really sunk rock bottom. Only some massive unloading might help the team to rise back. But the replacement cargo isn't half as good as the old ones. Well moving from shipping parlance to pure cricketing terms, the future of the Indian test team looks very bleak. Shewag knows to bat only way and clearly that way is leading him only to the pavilion. Dravid has been clean bowled every other time he has been at the crease. Laxman has suddenly realized he is 38 years old and his feet refuse to move. Tendulkar seems to be lost in pursuit of the landmark we all know of. Dhoni is of the 'esteemed' view that tweaking our game to overseas conditions is a waste of time as the majority of our tests are played in the subcontinent. And the bowlers... well looks like they are contemplating early retirement.
And as expected criticism flew from all corners. The media was busy writing the obituary of the seniors. The veterans blamed the IPL and other commercial endeavors of the players for their lack of commitment. The average Indian fan hasn't still recovered from the shock of the appalling defeat. But the Indian team didn't allow any of these criticism to affect their losing streak. Some made brave gestures like showing the middle finger. And some others challenged the Aussies to a revenge series in India. So it looked like the Indians were sticking together as an unit even under such intense pressure. But one 'respectable' media house tapped into the phone conversations of our players and this what they had to say in private -
MS Dhoni - "I hope Anna Hazare goes on another fasting while we return to India. Then the media won't bother us."
Virendar Shewag - "My wicket is precious. I should preserve it by batting down the order."
Rahul Dravid - "I should probably take a break from international cricket and play Ranji trophy matches to strengthen my technique."
Gautam Gambhir - "My place in the team is secured as I will replace Dhoni once he gets sacked from the captaincy."
VVS Laxman - "The bench strength is so poor for anyone to replace me. Hail the Indian domestic system!"
Sachin Tendulkar - "I should get atleast two centuries when India tours Australia next in 2014."
Yuvraj Singh (back in India) - "Lucky I was injured to be not picked for this tour!!"
Virhat Kohli - "Will they blame IPL for the team's poor showing? Will I be banned from playing for RCB?
Ravichandran Ashwin - "I was stupid to combine my honeymoon with the Australian tour. Now will BCCI reimburse my honeymoon bills as promised."
Zaheer Khan - "I will be better off as a bowling coach than a bowler as did Venkatesh Prasad. Let me propose this to the selectors."
Ishant sharma - "The BCCI has announced a post retirement pension plan for those retiring voluntarily. I should better opt for it."
Sourav Ganguly (from the commentary box) - "Will they sack Dhoni and ask me to lead the team? Or will they consider me for the No.6 position? Anyway the team deserves this for the injustice they meted out to me. "
Saturday, October 1, 2011
Blame your genes for that XXL Jeans!!
Its time we replaced the phrase "Show me your friends and I will tell about you" with "Show me your genes and I will decode you!" because its increasingly becoming evident that what we are is all about our genes. This might irritate the highly successful people because it takes away all credits they bore for their success. But its mighty reassuring for guys like me who kept blaming ourselves for not achieving as much as the frontbenchers did. Genetic engineering has turned out be a more fascinating field than I had imagined. In my younger days I used to go around town saying I wanted to become a genetic engineer. I am not very sure why I did it, but I think it could be because it sounded very sophisticated and would create a good impression about myself or it sounded complicated and people wouldn't probe me any further. But I clearly remember why I let go off this idea - My consistently poor performance in biology which in-turn was due to my unique ability to draw a circle which resembled an amoeba (well you could argue thats biology too!). Anyways without digressing much into topics which will be dealt in detail in my biography (I am too humble and lazy to write an autobiography), I want to say I am super excited about the prospects of human genome project. The avenues that open up with the ability to tweak our genetic code are mind-blowing and will surely be the next giant step in the development of mankind. And my crazy mind has come up with the following wish list for genetic tweaking -
- The BCCI instead of requesting (read as 'secretly pleading') the services of a stripper like Poonam Pandey to motivate the Indian team should have recruited some genetic engineers to help them decode the gene responsible for fear of OFOs (Overhead Flying Objects) also called as 'Rainaphobia'. This condition displayed by many Indian batsmen involves morbid fear of any spherical object traveling at 150km/h above shoulder level. And this fear is the main reason why a lot of Indian batsmen fall sick in overseas tour.
- Another gene therapy that will benefit our cricket team is the cause for PSRS (Progressive Speed Reduction Syndrome) which is a rare condition endemic to Asian males especially Indians who are professional fast bowlers. The main symptom is the gradual reduction of bowling speed with time to such an extent that they transform from strike bowlers to
strikenbowlers. - A major flaw in the evolution of womankind is their mutual exclusivity of beauty and brains (of course not the girl to whom I am getting married to!). They have tried a lot over the ages (smart women invented the cosmetics industry and beautiful women slept with smart men) to overcome this 'birth defect' but have only managed to widen the gap further. So I guess it is something very fundamental to women and hence some tweaking of their genetic makeup will help these poor souls a lot.
- Unlike women men had no evolutionary flaws (hmm.... ok except for this arrogance). But then some men started experimenting with their body and developed some sort of wrinkles on their stomach (read as 'six packs'). Now those of us who don't have six packs are considered to suffer from some sort of deformity. Every gym I visited and every instructor over there told me that to a large extent it depends on "You regularly hitting the gym" and to a lesser extent "It depends on your genes". Since both these causes attack my core values, I very badly want to undergo gene therapy to absolve myself of this lifelong burden.
- When I am in a state of rest (physically or mentally), I become this immovable object which won't move even if acted upon by any amount of external force like verbal or physical abuse (Newton would be really disappointed to hear this). At the end of the day my arse moves just because the earth rotates. There is a general consensus that this state of inertia is what is stopping me from achieving greater success and becoming a prominent figure of the 21st century. Since I don't see this condition among any of my fellow human beings, I am sure it has to be rare congenital defect.
- When will an Indian ever win an Olympic gold medal? Will Sania Mirza, the greatest sportswoman India never produced, ever cross the first round of a grand slam? Can India ever win a football world cup (to be little more accurate, when will it qualify for the world cup)? These questions have dominated our coffee table discussions for a very long time now. To find the answer to these questions we have to travel back several centuries when our forefathers where making pioneering efforts in maths, science and even the art of love making! At the same time the Europeans were raising armies and busy waging wars against each other. The moral of the story is, genetically we are not suited for exerting ourselves physically. So lets stop burdening our sportsmen with such unrealistic expectations and allow them to concentrate more on their social life. But if you ask me why then aren't we in the forefront of science and technology, I would simply say it is out of the scope of this discussion.
Friday, November 26, 2010
The media blow job!
This Diwali, TV channels were all about two super hit movies. One was 'Endhiran' starring the GOD (Grand Old Daddy) and another was the Hollywood movie 'Good will hunting' (not to be confused with the one starring Matt Damon) which deals with the journey of a middle-aged American couple who come to India to expand their business empire by apparently earning the good will of its people. The Indians fall for their trap and dish out royal treatment but are left empty handed. Whether the Indians get back their revenge or not forms the rest of the story. The movie starred the real life couple Barack Obama and Michelle Obama and was premiered on all Indian news channels. Those who don't get the metaphor should have been worshiping the GOD on the regional channels. Because the Indian media had once again gone over-board, with their coverage of Obamas' visit evoking a sense of dejavu!
The Indian media had been a terrified lot on the prospect of facing a lull period ahead. The next IPL was far ahead. The CWG had just concluded. And there were no terror attacks to telecast. Then like the sun which rises in the east, the Obamas arose from the west to offer them a glimmer of 'HOPE'. And Obama atlast got an opportunity to convert the 4 letter word (he had been bragging two winters back) into the 6 letter word 'ACTION'. Though I had pushed all these Indian news channels very far down, every time my cable operator retunes I get unlucky. One such chance encounter with the annoying kind is what I have tried to caricature in this blog.
Disclaimer - The decibel levels in this show are subject to the mood of the news presenter and there is no assurance or guarantee that your hearing might be the same after this show.
"Welcome everyone. You are watching India@6 on Channel1 - India's leading news channel. This show has been moved from 9PM to 6PM so that we are the first to break every major news!"
"The major story breaking today on our network as will be for the next few weeks, is about Mr.Obama's visit to India. Today is a momentous day in the history of India-U.S. ties. Mr.Obama has atlast uttered the unholy P-word on Indian soil buckling to the relentless pressure exerted by our channel!!
"He also strongly supported India's bid for a permanent seat in UNSC! No other country has been able to earn such an unconditional endorsement from U.S. Channel1 has been receiving praises from various quarters for able to achieve things that even Indian diplomacy couldn't. There will be a special coverage of this today @ 9PM."
BREAKING NEWS PROMINENT BOLLYWOOD LOVE-BIRDS TO TIE THE NUPTIAL KNOT!!
"Joining us today in our studio are famous personalities to discuss the huge significance of this historic event on the future of India in particular and the world in general. Lets start with Mr.Karat. Sir, your party has always been skeptical of the Indo-U.S. ties. But the latest slew of announcements made by Obama - thanks to our channel - should infuse lot of confidence in your politburo."
"Randeep, what Mr.Obama said was that he would like to see a reformed security council with India as a permanent member. He never mentioned..."
"Mr.Karat, I asked you a straightforward question but you are trying to beat around the bush. Just..."
"No I am just trying to explain the real..."
"Sir you are trying to hog a lot of air time by getting into unnecessary details. So just reply to my question in one word - Does the recent announcements made by Obama take Indo-U.S. ties to the next level?"
"No. The reason..."
"I think we are losing contact with Mr.Karat. In the meantime lets hear from Mr.Rahul the spokesperson of the ruling party. On a side note there is news trickling in that Saif Ali Khan has asked Kareena Kapoor to marry him. We had tapped into their phone conversation and you can catch the entire marriage proposal first, yes you heard first, on our channel right after this show. Yes Rahul go ahead."
"Our party is really happy about how Obama's visit is shaping out to be. Its great news that the President of USA has strongly endorsed our aspiration for a permanent membership in the Security Council. This means we are on par with China and other developed countries. Our party is really proud because this endorsement happened during..."
"Rahul I want you to hold right there because the public thinks our channel is responsible for pressurizing Obama to make those pro-India comments. Infact we have a special coverage at 9PM where everyone are going to praise us."
BREAKING NEWS U.S. DOESN'T EXPECT ANY REFORMS IN U.N. SECURITY COUNCIL IN THE FORESEEABLE FUTURE
"Ha ha ha...you are surely joking Randeep. Do you really think that Obama follows what you telecast on your channel. Somehow you have got the wrong notion that your channel... "
"This is gross injustice to us. We have been covering Obama's visit 24x7 stalking him to every nook and corner thereby giving a break to all your corrupt MPs. But this..."
"See this is what happens if you don't allow me to complete my statements. What I meant was that only Obama doesn't see your channel. But the people of India really enjoy all the entertainment, ouch! I mean the news telecasted on your channel. Infact our government is planning to honor you with a Padmashri this year for the service you have rendered to the Indian democracy."
"Sir we are really honored with this announcement. Looks like I will be the first news presenter to get a Padmashri. I am really excited about this. Anyway coming to the final guest on our show who is a very famous personality and has a huge fan following all over the world. Its none other than the Badhshah of Bollywood, Mr.Shahrukh Khan. As a Mumbaikar you should be really happy that Obama has indicted the P-country of 26/11 attacks."
"Frankly I don't know why I have been called on to this discussion. But now that I am here..."
"Shahrukh I am sorry to interrupt you in the middle but I think we need to end this program as one of our reporters has been able to sneak into Obamas' suite in the Taj Hotel and we are going to telecast live from there!! Lets continue this discussion tomorrow."
Sunday, October 31, 2010
The Condemned XI
The news that NASA is planning an one-way manned mission to Mars to establish human settlements wanted me to laugh out loud. But as history has taught me, such an act would only re-direct that same laughter 100 years later at my grave. So it is only safe to assume that we will some day have human settlements in Mars. And that day will mark mankind's greatest scientific endeavor ever. Anyways the 'how' and 'when' this is going to happen is for those brilliant of brilliant minds to decide. And for the record I want to say that nothing is going to move my ass out of this lovely blue planet!!
Now moving on to what I wanted to scribble here, supposing there comes a day when Earth can no more accommodate an extra human being. And the People's Republic of China (the then super-power) decides to transport humans to settlements in Mars. Now the question is - Which XI of your fellow human beings would you so badly want to banish to Mars? For me it turned out to be pretty easy. There are quite a few guys/gals whom I would have 'un-created' if only the word existed in the dictionary. So I would use this opportunity to banish those people and rescue humanity from the burden of co-existing with these...
George.W.Bush Apart from having overseen one-half of all cruelties against mankind in the last decade, there is no one who embodies the explorative spirit of humans better than him. Infact he is so unrelenting in his quests that even non-existent resources (WMD in Iraq!) can't deter him. We could use such a guy on Mars to explore water and even oil!!
Osama Bin Laden The perfect 'better-half' of Bush in the sense he perpetrated the remaining half of all cruelties against humans. This trip to Mars will give them both lots of private moments to catch up with each other and try to understand why mankind despises them a lot. And his knowledge of explosives can come in handy for the heavy construction work that will kick-start on the red planet.
Benjamin Netanyahu Establishing human settlements on Mars is like hmmm....Jews slowly trickling into Palestine to the extent they become the majority and declare it a Jewish state. So who else can be more qualified than the Prime Minister of Israel in this mission of involuntary colonization. Also he can scout for settlements for the first wave of Jewish Inter-Planetary Exodus.
Kim Jong-il Those who don't know him, he is the current leader of North Korea who is preceded by his father and is to be succeeded by his son. Basically he runs a country like a family business. Also he is such a huge fan of science and technology that he believes nuclear warheads can deliver his fellow countrymen out of hunger and poverty. So lets use space technology to deliver him out of this planet.
Kim Jong-il Those who don't know him, he is the current leader of North Korea who is preceded by his father and is to be succeeded by his son. Basically he runs a country like a family business. Also he is such a huge fan of science and technology that he believes nuclear warheads can deliver his fellow countrymen out of hunger and poverty. So lets use space technology to deliver him out of this planet.
Bal Thackarey For someone who thinks Mumbai is a fantasy land in some remote corner of the world, this trip will give him an opportunity to look from outer space and get his geography right. Also for a man who is ultra-proud to be anything that starts with 'M' (Marathi, Mumbaikar, Maniac...), being a Martian will only be another feather in his cap.
Suresh Kalmadi Kamal Haasan once said - "Thamizhla ayiram varthaigal irukidhu. Aana ennaku thevai padumbodhu oru varthai kedaika matingadhu". Similarly, every other politician in India is a **...** (fill whatever u want). But when I have to recollect a name Kalmadi is what comes to my mind. Poor guy he has been victimized by my poor memory. Anyway one of the guys responsible for his rise to (de)fame is next on the list. They have a lot of time to settle their score.
Rajdeep Sardesai (Behalf of media jingoism) There were many contestants for this place. But he marginally pipped them all with his daily 'call for war' (news reading) and the chest beatings about the various 'firsts' of his channel. Just imagine the amount of crap he is going to dish out if he stays back on earth during this space odyssey. So for a change let him be the news-maker rather than the news-screamer.
Paris Hilton The few things she is self-worthy of, she owes it to her lucky chance of being born in the right womb at the right time. But that doesn't give her the right to abuse her self-existence so much that the thought of co-existing with her irritates me to the core. In Mars she might get the chance to sleep with new species and also her dumbness might not look out of sorts in this group.
Mallika Sherawat She has bared all she can and earthlings have seen all what they can. So her purpose on Earth has pretty much been served. Also in her latest skin flick (literally!!) Hisss, she has mastered the art of seducing snakes. So could come in handy to seduce Martians if the group encounters any.
'Ilayathazhavali' Vijay The fact that he was the protagonist in movies like Sura, Kuruvi, Thirupachi, Thirumalai, Madurai et.al speak volumes of his torture skills and are reasNorons enough to banish him from Earth. A small loss for his family...but a huge gain for mankind. Tamil movie fans will love me for eternity for this noble deed.
Mandira Bedi Pioneer of today's saas-bahu tearjerkers, co-hosting the 2007 World Cup without knowing an iota of the game...What more does one need to do to get packed off from earth. Though she faced stiff competition from Shilpa Shetty (whose 'Big Brother' experience would have come in handy in the hostile conditions on Mars) for the final spot, I had to give it to Mandira for her uncanny ability to pain us in a wide ranging manner.
P.S. - For the original Mars article take a look at this link
Mandira Bedi Pioneer of today's saas-bahu tearjerkers, co-hosting the 2007 World Cup without knowing an iota of the game...What more does one need to do to get packed off from earth. Though she faced stiff competition from Shilpa Shetty (whose 'Big Brother' experience would have come in handy in the hostile conditions on Mars) for the final spot, I had to give it to Mandira for her uncanny ability to pain us in a wide ranging manner.
P.S. - For the original Mars article take a look at this link
Friday, June 25, 2010
An ode to the human spirit
Okay. Now I completely comprehend the bigger universal appeal sports enjoys over academics. Both these fields have been peppered by many a men who have time and again displayed astounding skills and an indomitable, indefatigable spirit to overcome adversity. The Einstiens, Edisons and Newtons have shown what ingenuity and creativity the human mind is capable of. The ideas they conjure up in those lofty grey areas have continually helped in the advancement of the human race. In a similar way the Sachins, Anands, Federers and Nadals apart from displaying their unique talent have also exhibited amazing mental fortitude and the highest level of competitive spirit. But in an era of instant gratification, sports heavily scores over academics because it involves live and streaming display of the primordial instinct of survival of the fittest. And one such display was the epic battle(it literally was one) fought out between Isner and Mahut on Court 18 of Wimbledon for 11 hours and 8 mins over three days!!!
Frankly I didn't get to watch a significant portion of the match courtesy FIFA world cup which has flooded all television channels with football matches. But a scorecard which reads 6-4 3-6 6-7 7-6 70-68 conveys all the missed action and drama. I can't fathom what kept these guys consistently inspired considering the fact that it was only the first round of the Wimbledon, both the players didn't have any pride at stake and at the end of this epic marathon one man's effort was going to be in vain (And the winner Isner lost the next match in 74 minutes!!). It surely wouldn't have been the urge to win the Wimbledon championship or the adulation they were recieving from the spectators. Infact after some point they would have been impervious to their surroundings. The one and only motivating force would have been the human mind which gets an orgasm everytime it is faced with adversity and the unrelenting human spirit which has taken our civilization so far. Interestingly almost exactly two years ago Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal played the Wimbledon final which is widely regarded as the greatest tennis match ever. Luckily I got to see the entire match live and what a match it was! I was relatively new to tennis those days and didn't know the nuances of the game. But it didn't matter because after some time tennis was side-lined and it was two supreme champions testing the elasticity of the insurmountable human spirit. The quality of tennis was always on the ascent and it seemed like the two players were conduncting a symphony on grass.
The above two instances are only a small subset of a sample space that boasts many such hair raising experiences. Even now the thought of 'Operation Desert Storm' (Sachin's exploits in Sharjah and not that of U.S against Iraq) gives me goose-bumps. And add to this list the way Vishwanathan Anand won the FIDE chess championship this year after a 40-hour road travel and losing the opening match. (All this makes me regret the way I treated sports and games with disdain in my school and college days. This was owing to my physical disability (read as "overweight") coupled with my pre-concieved notion that academics was superior to sports.) For all the despiseful things that we humans keep doing to the earth's habitat and its habitants, that grey matter within our skull and its far-reaching capabilities displayed by some of our fellow scientists and sports-persons makes me to yearn to be born a human being if I have another chance.
Friday, February 19, 2010
Proliferation of the decomposition of tamil cinema
(Disclaimer : All characters referred to in this post are NOT figments of my imagination. If there is any resemblance to reel life characters, it is exactly whom you think they are.)
Imagine this - Our 'Mr.Ilaya thazhavali[sic]' Vijay after watching 'Vettaikaran' with his wife and son, eagerly asks his wife for her feedback. Or 'Mr.Title-relinquisher-on-account-of-unworthiness' Ajith Kumar accompanied by Shalini watches 'Asal' and asks her the same dreaded question - How eez the movie sweetheart? I really pity these women and our resilient audience who keep going back to theaters expecting a decent movie at-least on their God knows which visit. Are tamil movies so bad these days? For those innocent souls, sample these -
- In the late 60's when a soon-to-become-CM was happily serenading a not-so-soon-to-become-CM, heroes were portrayed with a lot of dignity as wealthy businessmen, doctors, law enforcement officers and even scientists. But these days they are all uniformly cast as happy-go-lucky uneducated youth sitting on a wall (frequented by stupid donkeys) along with their friends who never seem to age. Well, we (read as audience) are to be blamed to some extent for this. Fed up with the 'angry young man' themes of the 80's, we wanted some realism in our movies. Looks like the directors had taken it very seriously and started casting heroes (read as Vijays and Dhanushs) in their real life avatars.
- Gone are the movies where heroines were a prominent part of the hero's reel life (ya sometimes real life too). These days whenever our hero is fed up caring for his ailing mother or 'vazha vetti' sister or unemployed brother or bashing the villains, he jumps into a Raymond suit or Tommy Hilfiger outfit and starts dancing with the girl nearest to him in the movie sets. That girl is the heroine. And if that girl gives a solo performance thats the 'item' girl.
- If the movie has no story or screenplay but a compulsory run-time of 2.5 hours and the producer has lot of funds, cast another heroine and picturize 2 more songs in a foreign locale.
- Can we ever imagine Sivaji Ganeshan doing a triple somersault followed by a long jump followed by a pole vault 'n' number of times? It's one thing that his anatomy wouldn't allow him to do so, but the fact is he didn't have a Kanal kannan or Rambo Rajkumar as stunt masters. These guys make a completely mockery of Sir Isaac Newton with the help of Archimedes (defying gravity with the help of pulleys and levers) and help our heroes vertically scale running trains and flying planes . But one good thing is they have done away with the biggest legacy of tamil cinema on mankind - that quintessential 'dishoom-dishoom' BGM.
- From the days of Nambiar to Nasser, villains had a real bash in movies. They got to trash the hero till the climax, forcefully sleep with some close or distant relative (obviously female relative) of the hero and at the end get general amnesty. But now a days they get the trashed from the beginning, can't touch even the hero's servant maid and on top of it have to consistently shout at 90dB level.
- Latest techniques to compose a song - A.) Pick your favorite old song. Attenuate the voice and amplify the music and throw in some drum beats here and there. And place it exactly in the middle of the only good scene in the movie. B.) Repeat A.
- The latest menace are the new breed of hero cum director cum producers who look like and act like yuck. But whats the big deal. Cast yuckier guys as co-artistes and all is well by the theory of relativity .
And the worst among the herd are those directors who staunchly believe in the concept of re-usability and hence don't want to waste their non-existent creativity.
(N.B. - The title suggests nothing more than the fact that tamil cinema is decomposing rapidly...)
Saturday, January 9, 2010
Home Away 10 : The Nirvana
So it is that time of the year, when 'time' for a brief instance is not a continuum but rather jumps to a new start point as if resetting our lives. And as we usher into the next decade, it also marks a decade of me adventuring out of my home. From the cozy womb of my home to the hallowed portals of one lofty institution to another loftier institution to my dream career, the journey has been ebullient, enlightening, and exasperating all at once. What is to follow is a reminiscence of the indelible mark it has left on my fabric of life. (Looks like I have over indulged in hyperbole in the previous sentences. Well, that is me when I am free-flowing and just wanted to show some folks how much effort I or otherwise put to curtail my natural instincts.)
The day I left my native town to pursue college, it was the beginning of a life-long journey away from things that had defined my life till that time. And that thought was overwhelming. To add salt to the wound, the initial days in hostel did me no good either. For a boy physically and mentally corrupted by the luxuries of home nurturing, the prospect of being on my own in a hostel (that looked all but uninhabitable) was daunting. From having a room to all myself to only having a bed, from delicious food to unpalatable grub, from washing machine to washing hands, life was clearly miserable. But it parallely opened up a new world with a lot of exciting vistas. Far from the scrutinizing eyes of my parents and in the company of friends who were in sync with me, I realized why college was the much touted sanctum of fun. If there was something that I had in abundance it was the freedom to explore and interpret the world the way I wanted. College culturals, class trips, late night shows, and late-into-the-night chats, it was a new and addictive experience. And after many years of patient waiting I also had the chance to interact with the fairer sex.
But as freedom in the hands of a corrupt politician can spoil the nation, I too started feeling the toll. Academic performance became an inverse function of the college year. Lot of technical knowledge I gained, but they weren't compatible with grades. There was a huge chasm between what I had desired and what I achieved. With a heavy heart I scraped through to the institution on the other side of the road with a brief pit stop at an IT company.
The day I landed there I realized this place wasn't going to be easy. My passion for analog design had led me here, but initially it was difficult to stand up to it high standards as I had been on a long sabbatical from academics. My guide was a genius and a task master (inseparable traits!!!) and he made a nice ham of my lazy a**. But here again I found some in-sync guys who helped me in redeeming the academic loses I had suffered. I also started developing keen interest in world cinema, world politics, photography and even my external personality (something that I thought would never engage me). And off the campus I had regular bashes with my old buddies. Towards the end, life again became miserable sans accommodation, sans job and sans signs of passing out. Those were really dark days and I was just banking on time to pop an answer. And 'time' it came when I moved to a career in analog design and thats where I am right now after ten years.
The last decade had seen the world undergo a sea of changes and thats the case with me too. The things that define my life now are vastly off from what they were a decade ago. I have undergone subtle and drastic changes and my perspective of lot of things has changed. Memories are what make us laugh at things that made us cry and cry at things that made us laugh and I am full of it. It was a journey that I am completely happy I ventured into...
Saturday, June 6, 2009
Pasanga - A classic ?
A few days back when I stepped out of the theaters after watching Pasanga with two of our 'pasanga' (aani and bull), I was completely overwhelmed. I was sure I had just seen a classic and one that will be a trend-setter. But was it just an impulsive reaction borne out of the drought of good movies in tamil cinema? Or was it a genuine classic? What is to follow in this blog is a deconstruction of my thoughts into words and see if it turns out to be a classic.
To squeeze the story into nine words - it's about the rivalry between two secondary school mates. If inflated it would read something like - the pride and arrogance of the highly naughty son of a teacher (antagonist) along with his two 'close associates' is challenged by a new-comer (protagonist) who is an immediate hit with both his class-mates and teachers. The innocuous scheming employed by the triumvirate and how the new-comer tries to reconcile with them along with the brief animosity that develops between their families amounts to a run-time of two and half an hour. Sounds like our regular run-of-the-mill movies except that the characters are abridged in age? But the similarity ends here. The simple yet refreshing and entertaining screenplay and the characterization that is both realistic and interesting, is like a fresh whip of cool breeze. From the start there is a discernible difference in the treatment of the movie. For a change kids behave and speak like kids. There is a dignified appeal to the classrooms and at least in this movie teachers are sensible and seem to be in control of the classes. The portrayal of parents is heartening in the sense that they are ready to give up their ego for the welfare of their children. There is also an underplayed romance that runs parallely devoid of any sleaze and glamor. But the icing on the cake is the characterization of the kids. The naiveness, rivalry, cravings and aspirations of children have been brought out in an enjoyable manner with loads and loads of humor. Let it be the disposition of the protagonist to demand encouragement for his deeds or the innocuous instigation of the antagonist by his 'close associates', there is a sure charm in them.
For a movie of this genre, the technical finesse is also a sweet surprise. The songs are just average but the BGM seamlessly alternates between the various moods of the movie. The cinematography is refreshing with some pleasing shades and hues that beautifully complement the movie. Overall the movie is a sincere and straight-out-of-the-heart effort, that explores the lives of children in a realistic manner. And just for the records here is a rural themed movie sans its blood and gory. Looks like I am convinced this is a classic. How about you?
N.B. - There are no protagonist or antagonist in the movie. I used them for the ease of referral.
To squeeze the story into nine words - it's about the rivalry between two secondary school mates. If inflated it would read something like - the pride and arrogance of the highly naughty son of a teacher (antagonist) along with his two 'close associates' is challenged by a new-comer (protagonist) who is an immediate hit with both his class-mates and teachers. The innocuous scheming employed by the triumvirate and how the new-comer tries to reconcile with them along with the brief animosity that develops between their families amounts to a run-time of two and half an hour. Sounds like our regular run-of-the-mill movies except that the characters are abridged in age? But the similarity ends here. The simple yet refreshing and entertaining screenplay and the characterization that is both realistic and interesting, is like a fresh whip of cool breeze. From the start there is a discernible difference in the treatment of the movie. For a change kids behave and speak like kids. There is a dignified appeal to the classrooms and at least in this movie teachers are sensible and seem to be in control of the classes. The portrayal of parents is heartening in the sense that they are ready to give up their ego for the welfare of their children. There is also an underplayed romance that runs parallely devoid of any sleaze and glamor. But the icing on the cake is the characterization of the kids. The naiveness, rivalry, cravings and aspirations of children have been brought out in an enjoyable manner with loads and loads of humor. Let it be the disposition of the protagonist to demand encouragement for his deeds or the innocuous instigation of the antagonist by his 'close associates', there is a sure charm in them.
For a movie of this genre, the technical finesse is also a sweet surprise. The songs are just average but the BGM seamlessly alternates between the various moods of the movie. The cinematography is refreshing with some pleasing shades and hues that beautifully complement the movie. Overall the movie is a sincere and straight-out-of-the-heart effort, that explores the lives of children in a realistic manner. And just for the records here is a rural themed movie sans its blood and gory. Looks like I am convinced this is a classic. How about you?
N.B. - There are no protagonist or antagonist in the movie. I used them for the ease of referral.
Sunday, February 1, 2009
Burden of cultural diversity or sheer populism?
India's highest civilian awards had been announced recently. And our 'beloved' Aishwarya Rai is there in the coveted list. It is a recognition of her accomplishments - winning the Miss World crown, brand ambassador for international brands, bollywood actress and becoming a part of the Bachchan household. You think I am kidding? Aren't they accomplishments worthy of a Padma Shri ? If you don't think so, then you are not able to discern a fine artist. Because the Indian government thinks Aish has made contributions to Indian cinema more significant than stalwarts like the versatile Nagesh or the redoubtable genius Ilayaraja. Aishwarya Rai's glamor quotient has fetched her international fame whereas these guys are relatively unknown outside Tamil Nadu. You might argue it is no match either to the unrivaled musical wizardry of the Mastero who will enthrall music aficionados forever or the acting ingenuity of Nagesh, who can seamlessly transit between humor and melancholy. Well thats what I too think but not the selection committee (The two examples being from tamil cinema is just because they are some outrageous omissions I know of. Such omissions should be there in every language for sure.) So how can an award which honors its outstanding citizens be mired with so much discrepancy?
One possible argument could be that India though a geographical amalgamation of tremendous diversity, still remains disparate in its soul. In such a milieu, when a group of individuals come together for a decision making exercise, unintentional cultural ignorance and prejudice are prone to creep in. But as a country that prides in being secular and diverse, the government should make sure that every deserving candidate in any nook and corner of the country is given his due respect. It is imperative that such selection committees be highly inclusive and include individuals who are free of any prejudice and well informed about the various regional happenings. And at the end of the day if such inappropriate candidatures keep perpetuating, then such awards might be displaced from their highest pedestal. The day is not far off when a prominent personality rejects these awards exposing the inequalities embedded in it.
P.S : All these rumblings are not out of envy or frustration because, as a non-recipient I am already in elite company.
One possible argument could be that India though a geographical amalgamation of tremendous diversity, still remains disparate in its soul. In such a milieu, when a group of individuals come together for a decision making exercise, unintentional cultural ignorance and prejudice are prone to creep in. But as a country that prides in being secular and diverse, the government should make sure that every deserving candidate in any nook and corner of the country is given his due respect. It is imperative that such selection committees be highly inclusive and include individuals who are free of any prejudice and well informed about the various regional happenings. And at the end of the day if such inappropriate candidatures keep perpetuating, then such awards might be displaced from their highest pedestal. The day is not far off when a prominent personality rejects these awards exposing the inequalities embedded in it.
P.S : All these rumblings are not out of envy or frustration because, as a non-recipient I am already in elite company.
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