Well...I'm enjoying my poetry. :)
The recent controversy surrounding the Wall Project was a topic of hot conversation all over. Now...I'm COMPLETELY FOR such projects. And I'm COMPLETELY AGAINST any damage done to such things of beauty. Having said that, it was the arrogance of the outrage combined with the indifference of the "activists" towards so many other issues far more critical that inspired me to write this piece.
Where do you vanish when passers-by spew paan & tobacco on walls & roads?
Where do you vanish when people dump garbage all over in loads?
I’d love to know your whereabouts when the silence of the night is drowned by speakers blasting to the max.
Or when walls along railway tracks are adorned with graffiti advertising quacks.
Two big inconveniences we face are political rallies and religious processions.
Speak up against them if you have the balls, instead of signing mindless online petitions.
Take a stand against POP idols and vicious rhetoric thrown around in rallies.
Pink chaddis aren’t enough to counter the ill-effects of this malice.
You marched with candles when your comfort zones were attacked.
There were dozens of online groups “championing causes”, that each of you backed.
But all that enthusiasm fizzled out in less than a year.
True champions last way longer than that, I’m sure.
You think that an involvement of 6 months can clean up 60 years of mess.
So you take a sabbatical to join the political process.
You have no idea about issues concerning the grassroots.
Farmer suicides? Education? Employment? Aaah!!! I’m only concerned about stock market collapses, about the rest I care two hoots.
You’re a great specimen, esteemed token activist. And I salute you.
But on a yodaesque sidenote, much better without you we could do.
Friday, October 30, 2009
Thursday, October 29, 2009
Changing friends in changing times
This is my first attempt at poetry. The subject is something that has disappointed me for years now...so much so that I've stopped subscribing to or buying newspapers. The two times that I did buy one in the last couple of months added to my feeling that a newspaper is no more what it used to be or what its supposed to be. So, here goes my comment on the state of the newspaper today.
I recall with nostalgia those jolly days from school.
When public speaking during the assembly was a rule.
Most of us would speak about places, dreams and the like.
But those were the last things I’d feed down the mike.
For I was the born activist, always eager to take a stand.
And what better source of news could be, than a newspaper in my hand.
It told me all about what went on in the world around me.
Maradona, the cold war, Pink Floyd & the PC.
My then best friend – the newspaper.
Years have passed since, and we’ve both evolved.
But my friend’s evolution has me appalled.
Its grown into a goliath, but one without a spine.
Sensationalism and commercialization are today’s newspaper’s lifeline.
Each newspaper is some bigwig’s minion.
They pass off opinion as news and propaganda as opinion.
Celebrity gossip & irrelevant perspectives are the order of the day.
The pits are the WAG pics of the Times & the bikini babes of Mid-day.
No more my friend – the newspaper.
On an optimistic note, that’s not the end of the world.
For from the curdles of despair is the cream of change churned.
And I’m proud to be a witness to this change taking place.
We’re on our way to glory with the internet at its base.
With independence as its centre of gravity, the net heralds a new dawn.
Where everyone can speak his mind like a king and not be anybody’s pawn.
Damn!! This thing has potential, but it might go the newspaper way.
Unless we act responsibly and handle it with care, as they say.
I implore upon you all to make the best use of my new friend.
Let’s make openness, inclusiveness and constant critical communication the new trend.
I hope to live to see the world as a better place.
And if we are to create a revolution, the internet is our ace.
My new friend – the internet.
I recall with nostalgia those jolly days from school.
When public speaking during the assembly was a rule.
Most of us would speak about places, dreams and the like.
But those were the last things I’d feed down the mike.
For I was the born activist, always eager to take a stand.
And what better source of news could be, than a newspaper in my hand.
It told me all about what went on in the world around me.
Maradona, the cold war, Pink Floyd & the PC.
My then best friend – the newspaper.
Years have passed since, and we’ve both evolved.
But my friend’s evolution has me appalled.
Its grown into a goliath, but one without a spine.
Sensationalism and commercialization are today’s newspaper’s lifeline.
Each newspaper is some bigwig’s minion.
They pass off opinion as news and propaganda as opinion.
Celebrity gossip & irrelevant perspectives are the order of the day.
The pits are the WAG pics of the Times & the bikini babes of Mid-day.
No more my friend – the newspaper.
On an optimistic note, that’s not the end of the world.
For from the curdles of despair is the cream of change churned.
And I’m proud to be a witness to this change taking place.
We’re on our way to glory with the internet at its base.
With independence as its centre of gravity, the net heralds a new dawn.
Where everyone can speak his mind like a king and not be anybody’s pawn.
Damn!! This thing has potential, but it might go the newspaper way.
Unless we act responsibly and handle it with care, as they say.
I implore upon you all to make the best use of my new friend.
Let’s make openness, inclusiveness and constant critical communication the new trend.
I hope to live to see the world as a better place.
And if we are to create a revolution, the internet is our ace.
My new friend – the internet.
Friday, October 23, 2009
Movie Review - Tropic Thunder
Movie - Tropic Thunder
Director - Ben Stiller
Cast - Ben Stiller, Robert Downey Jr., Jack Black, Tom Cruise
Flashback to 2008 : There was this 2008 Bollywood release called Luck By Chance. It was probably one of the best directorial debuts I've seen in recent years. The movie was a stark exhibition of Bollywood & its internal dynamics. However, I had one small complaint with the presentation of the movie - although it tried to indulge in self-depreciating humour, it failed at that since the tone of the movie was so "in your face" dark.
Cut to early 2009 : Ben Stiller is to hollywood today what Govinda was to bollywood a decade ago...and some more. What I mean is that 10 years ago, I would have walked into a Govinda movie without any qualms since I knew that there would definitely be entertainment of the "leave your brain home" kind in the movie. Same goes for Stiller today.
I had first seen a poster of Tropic Thunder a few months ago - Robert Downey Jr. wielding a gun in an exaggerated pose. And my first thought was that its a war movie. But there was also this nagging feeling at the back of my head - Why on earth would Ben Stiller make a war movie? And what would he make of it? The feeling lingered for a while and then slowly died off, placing Tropic Thunder on a mental back burner while I moved base from Goa to Mumbai and jumped straight into the grind of dreary commutes and an uninspiring workplace.
Cut to present : Finally watched the movie yesterday. And trust me, I'm simply unable to control those occasional spurts of laughter even now. My colleague sharing my cabin must be wondering what I've smoked today. Tropic thunder was not a war movie...almost. And Stiller, true to reputation, didn't disappoint.
So, we have three movie stars with distinct on-screen & off-screen personalities. We have the multiple Oscar winning Aussie perfectionist Kirk Lazarus (Downey Jr.), the superhero typecast Tugg Speedman (Stiller) and the king of cheesy comedies Jeff Portnoy (Jack Black). Add to that a newcomer actor Kevin Sandusky (Jay Baruchel) and a crazy rapper Alpa Chino (Brandon T. Jackson) and we have the cast for the greatest ever war movie. So far so good. But then, Murphy's law strikes...and things spiral out of control. The rest of the film is a roller-coaster ride full of pee-inducing slapstick and some subtle, some not so subtle references to notable Hollywood personalities.
Now, the reason why I referred to Luck By Chance. The point where I feel LBC failed is where Tropic Thunder comes out tops. It makes similar scathing comments at the prevalent system in Hollywood but it does so with an extremely endearing comic panache. I'm sure Russell Crowe & Harvey Wienstien must've cringed at the way they were parodied by Downey Jr. & Tom Cruise respectively.
The performances in the movie are all standouts. Be it Stiller as the actor unable to break the shackles of his onscreen image; Downey Jr. with his arrogant swagger; Jack Black as the heroin addict going through withdrawal and above all, Tom Cruise in his cameo as the ruthless studio head. In fact, this has to be one of Cruise' best ever performances.
Another thing that really works for Tropic Thunder is that it can touch a chord with any kind of audience. For a layperson, it's one of the best comedies to have come out of Hollywood in recent years. For the movie buff, it's a treasure trove of references. For the discerning viewer, it's a tongue in cheek comment on how self-defeating the Hollywood system can become.
Too bad that I couldn't watch this on the big screen. Would've been awesome. However, I can always watch it on some projector somewhere whenever I get a chance. This is one movie I wouldn't mind watching any number of times.
Warning : This is not for the weak-hearted or the sensitive kinds. Can offend you to the point of suicide and/or murder.
Director - Ben Stiller
Cast - Ben Stiller, Robert Downey Jr., Jack Black, Tom Cruise
Flashback to 2008 : There was this 2008 Bollywood release called Luck By Chance. It was probably one of the best directorial debuts I've seen in recent years. The movie was a stark exhibition of Bollywood & its internal dynamics. However, I had one small complaint with the presentation of the movie - although it tried to indulge in self-depreciating humour, it failed at that since the tone of the movie was so "in your face" dark.
Cut to early 2009 : Ben Stiller is to hollywood today what Govinda was to bollywood a decade ago...and some more. What I mean is that 10 years ago, I would have walked into a Govinda movie without any qualms since I knew that there would definitely be entertainment of the "leave your brain home" kind in the movie. Same goes for Stiller today.
I had first seen a poster of Tropic Thunder a few months ago - Robert Downey Jr. wielding a gun in an exaggerated pose. And my first thought was that its a war movie. But there was also this nagging feeling at the back of my head - Why on earth would Ben Stiller make a war movie? And what would he make of it? The feeling lingered for a while and then slowly died off, placing Tropic Thunder on a mental back burner while I moved base from Goa to Mumbai and jumped straight into the grind of dreary commutes and an uninspiring workplace.
Cut to present : Finally watched the movie yesterday. And trust me, I'm simply unable to control those occasional spurts of laughter even now. My colleague sharing my cabin must be wondering what I've smoked today. Tropic thunder was not a war movie...almost. And Stiller, true to reputation, didn't disappoint.
So, we have three movie stars with distinct on-screen & off-screen personalities. We have the multiple Oscar winning Aussie perfectionist Kirk Lazarus (Downey Jr.), the superhero typecast Tugg Speedman (Stiller) and the king of cheesy comedies Jeff Portnoy (Jack Black). Add to that a newcomer actor Kevin Sandusky (Jay Baruchel) and a crazy rapper Alpa Chino (Brandon T. Jackson) and we have the cast for the greatest ever war movie. So far so good. But then, Murphy's law strikes...and things spiral out of control. The rest of the film is a roller-coaster ride full of pee-inducing slapstick and some subtle, some not so subtle references to notable Hollywood personalities.
Now, the reason why I referred to Luck By Chance. The point where I feel LBC failed is where Tropic Thunder comes out tops. It makes similar scathing comments at the prevalent system in Hollywood but it does so with an extremely endearing comic panache. I'm sure Russell Crowe & Harvey Wienstien must've cringed at the way they were parodied by Downey Jr. & Tom Cruise respectively.
The performances in the movie are all standouts. Be it Stiller as the actor unable to break the shackles of his onscreen image; Downey Jr. with his arrogant swagger; Jack Black as the heroin addict going through withdrawal and above all, Tom Cruise in his cameo as the ruthless studio head. In fact, this has to be one of Cruise' best ever performances.
Another thing that really works for Tropic Thunder is that it can touch a chord with any kind of audience. For a layperson, it's one of the best comedies to have come out of Hollywood in recent years. For the movie buff, it's a treasure trove of references. For the discerning viewer, it's a tongue in cheek comment on how self-defeating the Hollywood system can become.
Too bad that I couldn't watch this on the big screen. Would've been awesome. However, I can always watch it on some projector somewhere whenever I get a chance. This is one movie I wouldn't mind watching any number of times.
Warning : This is not for the weak-hearted or the sensitive kinds. Can offend you to the point of suicide and/or murder.
Tuesday, February 17, 2009
It did change my heart
June's first husband died in an accident, leaving her a few months pregnant. She turns to Kurt Nealon, a celebrated police officer who ends up becoming everything for her. She gives birth to her first daughter, Elizabeth (from her first marriage) and is later pregnant again with Kurt's child. They employ an introvert carpenter, Shay Bourne to undertake some repairs at their house. One day, when June returns home from the doctor, she finds Kurt and Elizabeth dead with Shay holding the murder weapon, Kurt's service arm. Shay is convicted to death for the gruesome double murder.
Michael is a student. And he's called on for jury duty for Shay's trial. The jury convicts him unanimously, with Michael being the last to vote guilty. Years later, Michael, now a priest, is called on as Shay's spiritual counsellor in prison.
Maggie is an agnostic radical born to a deeply devout rabbi and an overbearing mother. She's on an ACLU panel and ends up taking Shay's appeal against the death penalty in court.
Shay's arrival at a particular section of the prison heralds the advent of seemingly impossible miracles. And he gets a fan following who look up to him as a messiah.
Now back to June. June's second daughter, Claire, is diagnosed with a severe heart condition that won't allow her to live for more than a few months unless she gets a heart transplant. Shay sees this on the news and volunteers to donate his heart.
This is the basic plot skeleton of Jodi Picoult's new novel Change of Heart. And by the looks of it, one might deduce that it'll be a mundane courtroom drama, with a few dollops of emotion thrown in. But Picoult makes it into a magnum opus - a classic debate on the death penalty, religion and morality with her skillful spin on the characters and the situations. Sample this :
June's moral dilemma on whether she should accept the heart of the man who took practically everything away from her. Maggie wrestling with her agnostic beliefs and what she sees happening in the prison around Shay. Michael's dilemma on his role in bringing Shay where he is; his learnings from the seminary and Shay's miracles. Shay's chosen form of repentance that clashes with the legal stand on his execution. These are just some of the themes dealt with in the story. And then there's the reference to the gnostic gospels - something that were tangentially referenced in Dan Brown's The DaVinci Code. Here, the reference is much stronger, and unlike The DaVinci Code, they are just a subtext in the main plot.
What makes the book such a great read is that the author stays faithful to the main plot and doesn't let all the subtexts overpower it. And the fact that she doesn't take a stand on the religious aspects of the plot. The only strong stand that she does take in the book is a strong anti-death penalty one. And surprise of surprises, this book made me think strongly about the juxtaposition of my stand on the death penalty and my spiritual views. And by the time I finished this book, I was converted from a strong votary of the death penalty to an opponent of it. And that change didn't come entirely due to the content of the book. Rather, it was a chain of thought that the book initiated, which resulted in that change.
The best part of the book is the discussion subjects at the end. 4 pages full of topics and issues from the book that can be discussed and debated. And though its a really long read, I would recommend this book with a 5 star rating for its mighty thoughprovoking content.
Michael is a student. And he's called on for jury duty for Shay's trial. The jury convicts him unanimously, with Michael being the last to vote guilty. Years later, Michael, now a priest, is called on as Shay's spiritual counsellor in prison.
Maggie is an agnostic radical born to a deeply devout rabbi and an overbearing mother. She's on an ACLU panel and ends up taking Shay's appeal against the death penalty in court.
Shay's arrival at a particular section of the prison heralds the advent of seemingly impossible miracles. And he gets a fan following who look up to him as a messiah.
Now back to June. June's second daughter, Claire, is diagnosed with a severe heart condition that won't allow her to live for more than a few months unless she gets a heart transplant. Shay sees this on the news and volunteers to donate his heart.
This is the basic plot skeleton of Jodi Picoult's new novel Change of Heart. And by the looks of it, one might deduce that it'll be a mundane courtroom drama, with a few dollops of emotion thrown in. But Picoult makes it into a magnum opus - a classic debate on the death penalty, religion and morality with her skillful spin on the characters and the situations. Sample this :
June's moral dilemma on whether she should accept the heart of the man who took practically everything away from her. Maggie wrestling with her agnostic beliefs and what she sees happening in the prison around Shay. Michael's dilemma on his role in bringing Shay where he is; his learnings from the seminary and Shay's miracles. Shay's chosen form of repentance that clashes with the legal stand on his execution. These are just some of the themes dealt with in the story. And then there's the reference to the gnostic gospels - something that were tangentially referenced in Dan Brown's The DaVinci Code. Here, the reference is much stronger, and unlike The DaVinci Code, they are just a subtext in the main plot.
What makes the book such a great read is that the author stays faithful to the main plot and doesn't let all the subtexts overpower it. And the fact that she doesn't take a stand on the religious aspects of the plot. The only strong stand that she does take in the book is a strong anti-death penalty one. And surprise of surprises, this book made me think strongly about the juxtaposition of my stand on the death penalty and my spiritual views. And by the time I finished this book, I was converted from a strong votary of the death penalty to an opponent of it. And that change didn't come entirely due to the content of the book. Rather, it was a chain of thought that the book initiated, which resulted in that change.
The best part of the book is the discussion subjects at the end. 4 pages full of topics and issues from the book that can be discussed and debated. And though its a really long read, I would recommend this book with a 5 star rating for its mighty thoughprovoking content.
Tuesday, February 10, 2009
Pirates of the subcontinent
I know that this piece might seem oversimplified to some industry insiders. But I'm putting it across the way I best percieve it. I also know that I would be admitting to have committed a crime in this article but I fully understand my actions. And maybe this article was the catharsis I needed to get the crime out of my system. I also concede that this article isn't backed with figures. That's more due to the fact that the topic under question is something that'll leave all figures redundant. Some people might also find this to be some kind of a conspiracy theory - which it very well might be. Accepted. But there is a faint veneer of reason behind whatever I've surmised. And even though it might all be alleged, its definitely not unfounded. Okay...announcements done, let me get to the point by first admitting to the crime I've mentioned here. I'm guilty of piracy. The motivations to delve into it were many. Now, I won't get into things like a defense or justification but I'll take this as a base for a presumption that there would be many more people who take to piracy for the very same reasons. And maybe other reasons as well - valid or invalid is besides the point. What I'm planning to say here is my perception of why the crime is being committed, my understanding of what the industry is doing to prevent it and maybe some inputs from my side as to what else could be done to curb the menace.
To determine where we stand on this issue, we need to analyse the growth chart of the phenomenon. During my childhood, VHS was a rage. We used to wait for holidays so that we could rent out a VCR/VCP and gorge on movies till we passed out from tiredness. And we used to get two kinds of cassettes those days. One was the legal one, bearing the mark of Shemaroo, Eagle, Bombino etc. The others were copies of the latest releases which had quite a few scenes cut, sometimes important ones too. The first pirated movie I saw was Mr.India. I wanted to watch the movie badly and my parents wouldn't allow me within a mile of the theatre playing it - as it was known to be a sleazehouse till a few weeks ago. So it was down to the video rental who had a copy of Mr.India in the second month of the release of the movie. Not that I knew the difference between a legal and a pirated copy then - and I doubt if even the guy renting them out knew. We used to distinguish them by the quality of the print - Achche print waali cassette (read original) and Kharab print waali cassette (read pirated). The quality differential continued for a good decade and a half after that and the only thing that changed till the early 2000's was the time in which one could lay his hands on a pirated copy of a movie.
The year was 2003 when I bought my first DVD player. I used to stay in
In those days, the pirated prints of hindi movies we would get were thrown out into the market by Sadaf, a Pakistani company. They were easily recognisable by the tacky reproduction of the film's artwork on the CD cover and their striking logo. A movie on a pirated CD would cost Rs.50 in those days. And the quality of the movie matched that of the artwork reproduction. They were very clearly camera prints and the both the video and audio quality would be lamentable. Today, things have changed quite a bit. The current wave of multi-movie DVD's started around 2-3 years ago. But they were expensive then. a 5 movie set would cost a hundred rupees then. Today, the cost for the same has come down to a paltry Rs.40. And, the quality of the prints seems to have improved by leaps and bounds. Except for that rare pixellation, which might be the result of so much being crammed into one disc, the DVD's of today offer one a decent quality for watching on a 29" TV. Funny part is, most of these DVD's carry anti-piracy warnings from guess who....the FBI! :) Today, one can also watch movies online. No...I'm not talking about documentaries. I'm talking about the latest movie that is available on youtube within 3-4 days of its release.
In my opinion, this shift in pricing and quality is not entirely an economic change. Till a few years ago, piracy had a purely economical motive behind it. People were involved in the business due to the common viewer's disillusionment with cinema halls. They knew that they had a market that was ready to lap up even substandard fare purely because they got the comfort of watching it at home at a cheap price with it. Economically, if one pirated one movie, he stood to gain an operating profit of around 30-40%. The next level (the top level distributor) would append another 20% and by the time it came to the store, an end user would pay a price around 150-200% more than the cost of manufacture - leaving everyone in the food chain with a good profit. Today, we are talking about the same profit margins per disc but that's spread out over 5 movies that are being pirated in one disc. So theoretically, the entities involved from the time a copy of the movie is obtained for the purpose of piracy till the retailer selling the discs would make close to 1/4 of what they'd have made with the earlier revenue model. Now, when money is not the motivation behind such exercises, what could be?
If we trace the history of video piracy in
What are we doing, as a state, to combat the spectre of piracy? Agreed - we have established strong laws. But is that going to be enough? The mere presence of laws is never a deterrent. Their tough execution though, is. But tough execution of laws in
Which brings us to our most important question. What else can be done in addition to what's already being done in order to fight piracy? What steps can the industry take to the effect? What can you, me and all of us do to improve the situation? Let's first talk from a regulatory standpoint. We surely need to have a dedicated anti-piracy team which should ideally be formed under the I & B ministry. This shouldn't be a task force of bureaucrats, but a crack team of slueths. Their sole mandate should be nipping the piracy bug in its bud (well...whatever state it is in now if not the bud). They should also be given enough powers and less bureaucratic hassles to deal with.
The industry is what needs to tighten up its socks bigtime. It's easy to play a blaming game by pointing the finger at the authorities' inability to curb piracy. But in spite of that, the bottomline remains that the blame is not going to set the record straight. Piracy will continue and the pirate will simply laugh away to glory at the blame game. For one, the industry can try making copy proof discs. Agreed, some hack out there will know how to get around it. But a majority of the junta around would be rendered helpless. It's obvious from the improvement in the quality of pirated movies over the years that there has to be some insider involvement. So the industry will do a whole lot of good to itself if they were to indulge in some vetting exercises for all those who have access to the different versions of the movies. It would also be very helpful to them if they were to divert some of the funds being used in anti-piracy campaigns to rewards for people provinding tips and leads. Come to think of it. If there are tangible or intangible reasons for me not being able to watch a movie on the big screen, and a solution is commonly available for as cheap as Rs.40, why would I listen to an SRK or an Aamir when they ask me not to promote piracy? Yeah...but I might be quite tempted to divulge a source of pirated DVD's if I get a reward of Rs.50,000.
I've been ranting quite a bit. Guess I'll end here. But I'll end with a promise. However strong a reason I might have for not being able to watch a movie on the big screen, I will not buy another pirated DVD. I'd rather wait for the official DVD release. And I sincerely request all of you to do the same. Hopefully, if we can fight this menace effectively, we might see cheap legal DVD's soon. Moser Baer has already done it. And over the last year or so, they've released quite a few movies in inexpensive titles within a few months of their release. I just hope Moser Baer does for movies what T-Series did for music.
(Originally published here)
Tuesday, January 6, 2009
Ghajini - A Review
Well...against all my better sense, I blasphemed day before and I swear I'll never do anything similar again. Had a few hours to kill before shift and I ventured into Ghajini. And I came out with mixed feelings - surprisingly, anger wasn't one of them. I do remember laughing at the pretentious pretender that Aamir Khan is though.
I mentioned to someone the other day, "Making a Memento with a similar touch of class is beyong Aamir & Murgadoss". I guess Aamir was being quite honest when he said that this movie isn't a remake or a ripoff of Memento. What they've done is picked up the basic premise (Antiretrogade Amnesia or whatever) and the look and feel (Aamir's tattooes, the polaroid, the notes etc.) from Memento and made a bollywood masala flick on the same. Good that I wouldn't have to insult one of my alltime favourites continually by referring to this ordinary movie as a remake or a ripoff of it.
So what do we have here? We have a lovely case study on the marketing of a movie that's worth its place in B-school syllabi around the world. The name of the game is positioning. And Aamir has shown that he's an ace at that. Right from the time the movie was concieved, Aamir has been promoting it covertly and overtly. We had those Samsung ads where he appeared with the Ghajini hairdo. And then an appearance on a TV show where he gleefully proclaimed that this hairdo belongs to his character from his forthcoming film which is going to be a hardcore action flick. This was followed by his blogs where he made obtuse references to Memento and then "clarified". But tongues had already started wagging about Ghajini's Memento connection and curiousity levels were piqued up. Next comes the in your face poster. And all the TV interviews about how we went about developing his eight-pack and so on. Bottomline - here's the formula for success in bollywood and apna Aamir has perfected it - Sustained but clever marketing, curiousity factor and star power.
What about the movie itself then? Well...it was a 3 hour marathon. Half of it was devoted to the romance angle between Aamir's Sanjay Singhania and Asin's Kalpana. The rest was spent on Sanjay's revenge. The romance part of the movie would've really worked had it been a movie on its own. The chemistry between the lead pair was good and the pace was maintained. And Asin surely has a lovely expressive face and a great screen presence. The revenge saga was a different story altogether. It left a lot to be desired. First of all, the condition of Sanjay wasn't put across properly. And there were several contradictions to the condition in the plot. Secondly, the character development skills displayed by the director so adeptly in the romance half of the movie were completely missing in this part. Thirdly, there is absolutely no connection between the romance part of the movie and the revenge part. They look like two different movies patched up in the form of intermittent flashbacks.
Now, I don't say that nothing in the movie worked. But every positive of the movie was blunted by some glaring negative. Rahman's music was on the mark again...but was handicapped by some childish lyrics from Prasoon Joshi. Aas-Paas-Chaas-Ghaas Guzareeeeeeesh!!! Gimme a break Prasoon...and go back to the ad world. The cinematography by Ravi K. Chandran was superlative. The action was in true-blue tamil fashion. Old school and awesome. But that was all dumbed down by the editing and the screenplay. Why on earth did this have to be presented as a flashback collage? Whatever happened to the good old linear mode of storytelling? Or were they trying to find inspiration in the narrative style of Memento as well?
Performancewise, the movie belonged to Asin. She was gorgeous and spontaneous. Aamir was pretty Dil Chahta Hai-esque in the part where he romances Asin and huffy-puffy-grumpy in the tattooed getup. No great shakes from him. Jiah Khan was irritating at her best and repulsive most of the time. Her scooty did far better though. Which brings us to the most important character in the movie - Ghajini. Pradeep Rawat of all the people? Did they fall short on budgets that they couldn't get someone better to play the role? Atleast when the movie was named after the villian. This guy was a parody.
Was the movie watchable? For me, no. For the millions of bollywood buffs out there, I'm sure yes. They'll throng to the theatres like never before and make this movie a huge hit...whether I like it or not. As for recommendations on whether to watch this or not, this is a really tricky one. So take your chances, and don't blame me if you feel slighted spending those 200 rupees in the multiplex.
I mentioned to someone the other day, "Making a Memento with a similar touch of class is beyong Aamir & Murgadoss". I guess Aamir was being quite honest when he said that this movie isn't a remake or a ripoff of Memento. What they've done is picked up the basic premise (Antiretrogade Amnesia or whatever) and the look and feel (Aamir's tattooes, the polaroid, the notes etc.) from Memento and made a bollywood masala flick on the same. Good that I wouldn't have to insult one of my alltime favourites continually by referring to this ordinary movie as a remake or a ripoff of it.
So what do we have here? We have a lovely case study on the marketing of a movie that's worth its place in B-school syllabi around the world. The name of the game is positioning. And Aamir has shown that he's an ace at that. Right from the time the movie was concieved, Aamir has been promoting it covertly and overtly. We had those Samsung ads where he appeared with the Ghajini hairdo. And then an appearance on a TV show where he gleefully proclaimed that this hairdo belongs to his character from his forthcoming film which is going to be a hardcore action flick. This was followed by his blogs where he made obtuse references to Memento and then "clarified". But tongues had already started wagging about Ghajini's Memento connection and curiousity levels were piqued up. Next comes the in your face poster. And all the TV interviews about how we went about developing his eight-pack and so on. Bottomline - here's the formula for success in bollywood and apna Aamir has perfected it - Sustained but clever marketing, curiousity factor and star power.
What about the movie itself then? Well...it was a 3 hour marathon. Half of it was devoted to the romance angle between Aamir's Sanjay Singhania and Asin's Kalpana. The rest was spent on Sanjay's revenge. The romance part of the movie would've really worked had it been a movie on its own. The chemistry between the lead pair was good and the pace was maintained. And Asin surely has a lovely expressive face and a great screen presence. The revenge saga was a different story altogether. It left a lot to be desired. First of all, the condition of Sanjay wasn't put across properly. And there were several contradictions to the condition in the plot. Secondly, the character development skills displayed by the director so adeptly in the romance half of the movie were completely missing in this part. Thirdly, there is absolutely no connection between the romance part of the movie and the revenge part. They look like two different movies patched up in the form of intermittent flashbacks.
Now, I don't say that nothing in the movie worked. But every positive of the movie was blunted by some glaring negative. Rahman's music was on the mark again...but was handicapped by some childish lyrics from Prasoon Joshi. Aas-Paas-Chaas-Ghaas Guzareeeeeeesh!!! Gimme a break Prasoon...and go back to the ad world. The cinematography by Ravi K. Chandran was superlative. The action was in true-blue tamil fashion. Old school and awesome. But that was all dumbed down by the editing and the screenplay. Why on earth did this have to be presented as a flashback collage? Whatever happened to the good old linear mode of storytelling? Or were they trying to find inspiration in the narrative style of Memento as well?
Performancewise, the movie belonged to Asin. She was gorgeous and spontaneous. Aamir was pretty Dil Chahta Hai-esque in the part where he romances Asin and huffy-puffy-grumpy in the tattooed getup. No great shakes from him. Jiah Khan was irritating at her best and repulsive most of the time. Her scooty did far better though. Which brings us to the most important character in the movie - Ghajini. Pradeep Rawat of all the people? Did they fall short on budgets that they couldn't get someone better to play the role? Atleast when the movie was named after the villian. This guy was a parody.
Was the movie watchable? For me, no. For the millions of bollywood buffs out there, I'm sure yes. They'll throng to the theatres like never before and make this movie a huge hit...whether I like it or not. As for recommendations on whether to watch this or not, this is a really tricky one. So take your chances, and don't blame me if you feel slighted spending those 200 rupees in the multiplex.
Friday, November 14, 2008
My IFFI Indian programming wishlist
Nov 23rd : Do Bigha Zameen
Nov 24th, 25th & 26th : Nothing interesting in the Indian section except for Gulabi Talkies which clashes with work hours. Will check out the international fare.
Nov 27th : It's a holiday. Will watch atleast two movies. Thinking of Kancheevaram and Little Zizou back to back but might drop Kancheevaram in case there's something more interesting from the international fare. Kancheevaram has a repeat screening later...will watch it then in case I drop it on the 27th.
Nov 28th : Might be a holiday too...not sure though. Will catch the talk on Globalisation in Indian Cinema and pick up something from the international menu.
Nov 29th : Weekend!!!! Saturday's line-up is quite tempting. Will have to opt for either Bandini & Valu back to back or the repeat screening of Gulabi talkies. Haven't decided yet.
Nov 30th : Sunday = Fun day. Might catch the early morning repeat screening of Kancheevaram if not seen earlier. The rest of the day is open for the international fare.
Dec 1st : My birthday. :) And Chetan Anand's Neecha Nagar is the perfect birthday gift. Might be around half an hour late to work...but birthday hai to chalega.
Dec 2nd : Repeat screenings of Jodha Akbar & Valu. Wifey's been pertering me to watch JA with her for quite some time. Might give in...or else...will catch Valu. In which case, I'll drop out on Bandini earlier and watch Gulabi talkies instead on the 29th.
Looking forward to the screening schedule of international films. The screening schedule for the Indian programming is available on http://iffi.nic.in/scheduleip08.pdf
Nov 24th, 25th & 26th : Nothing interesting in the Indian section except for Gulabi Talkies which clashes with work hours. Will check out the international fare.
Nov 27th : It's a holiday. Will watch atleast two movies. Thinking of Kancheevaram and Little Zizou back to back but might drop Kancheevaram in case there's something more interesting from the international fare. Kancheevaram has a repeat screening later...will watch it then in case I drop it on the 27th.
Nov 28th : Might be a holiday too...not sure though. Will catch the talk on Globalisation in Indian Cinema and pick up something from the international menu.
Nov 29th : Weekend!!!! Saturday's line-up is quite tempting. Will have to opt for either Bandini & Valu back to back or the repeat screening of Gulabi talkies. Haven't decided yet.
Nov 30th : Sunday = Fun day. Might catch the early morning repeat screening of Kancheevaram if not seen earlier. The rest of the day is open for the international fare.
Dec 1st : My birthday. :) And Chetan Anand's Neecha Nagar is the perfect birthday gift. Might be around half an hour late to work...but birthday hai to chalega.
Dec 2nd : Repeat screenings of Jodha Akbar & Valu. Wifey's been pertering me to watch JA with her for quite some time. Might give in...or else...will catch Valu. In which case, I'll drop out on Bandini earlier and watch Gulabi talkies instead on the 29th.
Looking forward to the screening schedule of international films. The screening schedule for the Indian programming is available on http://iffi.nic.in/scheduleip08.pdf
Portrait of a director - Manmohan Desai
Some time ago, I was discussing cricket with some friends and the talks veered off into what has probably been the most debated cricketing topic in recent times - Saurav Ganguly. Saurav was the original firebrand - the rebel who was known for his unconventional stances that went on to become cricketing folklore. Talk about removing his shirt in the balcony at Lords, keeping rival captains waiting for the toss and many other instances of gamesmanship, Saurav has etched his name as the enfante terrible of cricket. And then, he also went on to become the most successful test captain in Indian cricket history. The devil’s workshop that my mind usually is, it started thinking about a cinema parallel to Saurav Ganguly. And who better to don the garb than apna Manji (as he was fondly addressed). Manmohan Desai was the original firebrand of Indian cinema. He shook the foundations of what was regarded as right/wrong or good/bad in hindi filmdom and went on to create a legacy of his own that is so far untouched and doesn’t look like anyone would be able to touch it either. As a sidenote to doubters, Manji has also notched up a phenomenal success ratio of 65% with 13 of his 20 films going on to become major hits.
My first brush with MMD was from his inferior lot. Rachna was the name of the new theatre in Faridabad (a small town near Delhi where I spent a major part of my childhood). Megaphone equipped rickshaws used to roam the streets of Faridabad announcing the largest balcony in Asia (Don’t know how much of that was true…and never cared how much of that was relevant) but Rachna was one imposing piece of concrete. 900+ seats in the balcony was intimidating for sure but those were the days when cable had still not made an entry into the indian market and VCR’s/VCP’s were considered luxuries (they were available on rent but had to be booked at least a couple of days in advance for weekends and at least a week in advance during vacations). So theatres were the only option for impromptu movie programmes and the crowds were still there. Anyways, back to the topic on hand. Rachna had opened with the Big B starrer Mard. And we (mom, dad, my sister and myself) were there on the first weekend. And I completely fell in love with Raju Tangewala as well as his sidekicks. Did someone say that Raju didn’t have any sidekicks in Mard? Watch it again. Badal and Moti would give an inferiority complex to Phantom’s Hero and Devil anyday. So that was my baptism by the Manji fire. Next in line were Naseeb and the biggie AAA on a rented VCR. And I was converted to a hardcore member of the MMD fan club.
Thanks to cable, satellite television and VHS/VCD/DVD, I have watched MMD’s entire filmography and it amazes me no end as to how this man managed to come up with so many hits in spite of most of his films bearing the same basic formula. All said and done, he has regaled generations with his potboilers and will always be remembered as one of the greats in the business. This tribute of mine for one of my favourite directors focusses on the unique legacy that he left us as well as some highlights from his filmography. So, here goes…
Manji gave the lost and found formula to Bollywood. The formula was a base for almost half the films he made. The twists of fate that would lead to the breaking of families were surpassed in their outrageousness only by the twists that would get them back together. The trend started with his first movie, Chhalia; was absent for a few years and then resurfaced in Rampur Ka Lakshman. It went on till Mard, his penultimate movie as a director and piled on the moolah for the producers and pleasure for the viewers. There is no doubt that he is the master of the lost and found tale. A classic variation of the standard lost and found fare was used by him in Parvarish - the first movie where he worked with Amitabh. Instead of the normal family breaks up in the beginning to meet again during the climax - Parvarish had the son of a dacoit growing up in a police chief’s house. Diametrically opposite to Raj Kapoor’s Awaara. But while Awaara emphasised quite a bit on the emotional side of the angle, Parvarish was pure masala, meant only for sinful indulgence. Chacha Bhatija, another MMD movie that I’ve watched multiple times had a different take on the lost and found formula. Here, the protagonist (Dharmendra) leaves his house due to an altercation with his sister-in-law, only to form a tag team with his nephew (Randhir Kapoor) later on.
Manji also gave us Nirupa Roy. Although she had started donning the Maa garb long before she started working for the MMD camp, she used to be in a completely different element while acting as Maa in one of MMD’s movies. Her journey with MMD started with Roti, and she went on to become more popular as Amitabh’s mother than even the late Teji Bachchan herself. All credit for that to Manmohan Desai.
Secularist iconography was a hallmark of Manji’s movies. Who can forget the backdrop of a temple, mosque and church outside the hospital room where Vinod Khanna, Amitabh and Rishi Kapoor donate blood in sync to Nirupa Roy in AAA? Or the John Jaani Janardhan of Naseeb? If there was a director who wore his secular credentials on his sleeve, it was MMD. And he did it in characteristic style. His movies showed the religious minorities as the younger brothers (the pampered ones) to an all-encompassing maryada purushottam elder brother (invariably hindu); thus outlining the demographic breakup of India in light of the 3 major religions followed in the country.
One of the greatest facets of Manji’s legacies was Amitabh Bachchan. I’ve always felt that Bachchan gave his best when working for either of four directors - Hrishida, Yash Chopra, Prakash Mehra and Manmohan Desai. While he was the guy next door in Hrishida’s movies, Prakash Mehra gave him his career defining Angry Young Man tag. In Yash Chopra’s movies though, Amitabh’s characters were never bigger than the subject or the plot. But it was MMD who gave Amit some of his most larger than life characters as well as his most endearing ones. Anthony in AAA, Raju Tangewala in Mard, Iqbal coolie in Coolie and Amit in Suhaag are prime examples of the earthy texture that MMD gave to Amitabh’s persona. And not just Amitabh. Manmohan Desai directed some of hindi moviedom’s best loved stars right from Raj Kapoor and Shammi Kapoor to Rajesh Khanna to Dharmendra and these combinations resulted in some of the biggest hits in hindi cinema like Roti with Rajesh Khanna and Dharamveer with Dharmendra.
To appreciate his career as a filmmaker, I’ve outlined a few of his milestone films. This is not my pick among his best films. Rather, it shows his progression as a filmmaker.
Chhalia (1960) - Manji’s brother, Subhash Desai was a mid-rung producer in Mumbai. He got Manji his first break as a director with an ageing Raj Kapoor in the lead role. This movie can be called the rightful precursor to the stock formula of his later movies - lost and found. Although pathbreaking in many ways, it is just remembered as Manmohan Desai’s debut venture today. It explored the issue of women separated from their families during partition and how, after being united with their families, they were shunned by their own people. It also bore a strong secular hallmark which is best exemplified by the title song - Chhalia mera naam, Chhalna mera kaam. Hindu muslim sikh isaai, sabko mera salaam.
Kismat (1968) - This was one of the biggest hits of those times. Though not a lost and found tale, it did carry quite a few elements that were a necessary ingredient of the formula later. Paramount among them was the intervention of fate (as the title suggests). The movie is best remembered for the evergreen Kajra Mohabbatwala number.
Rampur Ka Laxman (1972) - This was the first movie based completely on the lost and found theme. It also heralded the arrival of Rekha on the big stage (RKL was Rekha’s first hit). Starring Randhir Kapoor, Rekha and Shatrughan Sinha, it was a thoroughly entertaining masala offering.Parvarish (1977) - 1977 was a watershed year for MMD. He had 4 releases that year, all big hits and 2 of them with Amitabh. Parvarish was the least successful of the 4, but was one of MMD’s most intense movies. Except for Parvarish, all his other movies had a light and easy feel to them. But this one, a lost and found movie with a twist, was chock-a-block with intense emotions. And the feel was ably carried off by rivetting performances from Amitabh, Shammi Kapoor and Vinod Khanna.
Amar Akbar Anthony (1977) - The biggest of them all. This was the movie that catapulted MMD to eternity. Its IMO, hindi filmdom’s most loved movie ever. I don’t know of a single person who didn’t enjoy this mad caper. Lost and found at its peak, twists in the tale more crooked than Hurricane Katrina, larger than life characters in Akbar, Anthony, Kishenlal and the uniquitous Maarupa Roy, rocking action, over the top emotions, comedy ranging from the not-so-subtle to completely over the top, a starcast reading like the who’s who of bollywood, a magnum opus plot transcending two generations, miracles, gold smugglers, zany costume shows and perenially hummable songs (Humko tumse Ho Gaya Hai Pyaar and Parda Hai are personal favourites) - you name it, this movie had it.
Naseeb (1981) - Possibly Manji’s most ambitious project ever. It had everything that Amar Akbar Anthony did, and in patiala doses. It even referenced AAA quite a few times, most notably in the song Rang Jamaake. However, this one didn’t really send the cash registers ringing and maybe that lead to quite a large disappointment for him. For his movies that followed, lacked somewhere in terms of vigour when compared to his films prior to Naseeb. And although Coolie (1983) and Mard (1985) were huge hits, they came nowhere close to an amar Akbar Anthony or a Rampur Ka Lakshman or even a Suhaag with respect to their entertainment quotient.
Sadly, he ended his life in dubious circumstances and not much was made public about it. But Manmohan Desai was, is and will remain one of the most loved name among hindi film audiences. May his soul rest in peace.
Originally published here
My first brush with MMD was from his inferior lot. Rachna was the name of the new theatre in Faridabad (a small town near Delhi where I spent a major part of my childhood). Megaphone equipped rickshaws used to roam the streets of Faridabad announcing the largest balcony in Asia (Don’t know how much of that was true…and never cared how much of that was relevant) but Rachna was one imposing piece of concrete. 900+ seats in the balcony was intimidating for sure but those were the days when cable had still not made an entry into the indian market and VCR’s/VCP’s were considered luxuries (they were available on rent but had to be booked at least a couple of days in advance for weekends and at least a week in advance during vacations). So theatres were the only option for impromptu movie programmes and the crowds were still there. Anyways, back to the topic on hand. Rachna had opened with the Big B starrer Mard. And we (mom, dad, my sister and myself) were there on the first weekend. And I completely fell in love with Raju Tangewala as well as his sidekicks. Did someone say that Raju didn’t have any sidekicks in Mard? Watch it again. Badal and Moti would give an inferiority complex to Phantom’s Hero and Devil anyday. So that was my baptism by the Manji fire. Next in line were Naseeb and the biggie AAA on a rented VCR. And I was converted to a hardcore member of the MMD fan club.
Thanks to cable, satellite television and VHS/VCD/DVD, I have watched MMD’s entire filmography and it amazes me no end as to how this man managed to come up with so many hits in spite of most of his films bearing the same basic formula. All said and done, he has regaled generations with his potboilers and will always be remembered as one of the greats in the business. This tribute of mine for one of my favourite directors focusses on the unique legacy that he left us as well as some highlights from his filmography. So, here goes…
Manji gave the lost and found formula to Bollywood. The formula was a base for almost half the films he made. The twists of fate that would lead to the breaking of families were surpassed in their outrageousness only by the twists that would get them back together. The trend started with his first movie, Chhalia; was absent for a few years and then resurfaced in Rampur Ka Lakshman. It went on till Mard, his penultimate movie as a director and piled on the moolah for the producers and pleasure for the viewers. There is no doubt that he is the master of the lost and found tale. A classic variation of the standard lost and found fare was used by him in Parvarish - the first movie where he worked with Amitabh. Instead of the normal family breaks up in the beginning to meet again during the climax - Parvarish had the son of a dacoit growing up in a police chief’s house. Diametrically opposite to Raj Kapoor’s Awaara. But while Awaara emphasised quite a bit on the emotional side of the angle, Parvarish was pure masala, meant only for sinful indulgence. Chacha Bhatija, another MMD movie that I’ve watched multiple times had a different take on the lost and found formula. Here, the protagonist (Dharmendra) leaves his house due to an altercation with his sister-in-law, only to form a tag team with his nephew (Randhir Kapoor) later on.
Manji also gave us Nirupa Roy. Although she had started donning the Maa garb long before she started working for the MMD camp, she used to be in a completely different element while acting as Maa in one of MMD’s movies. Her journey with MMD started with Roti, and she went on to become more popular as Amitabh’s mother than even the late Teji Bachchan herself. All credit for that to Manmohan Desai.
Secularist iconography was a hallmark of Manji’s movies. Who can forget the backdrop of a temple, mosque and church outside the hospital room where Vinod Khanna, Amitabh and Rishi Kapoor donate blood in sync to Nirupa Roy in AAA? Or the John Jaani Janardhan of Naseeb? If there was a director who wore his secular credentials on his sleeve, it was MMD. And he did it in characteristic style. His movies showed the religious minorities as the younger brothers (the pampered ones) to an all-encompassing maryada purushottam elder brother (invariably hindu); thus outlining the demographic breakup of India in light of the 3 major religions followed in the country.
One of the greatest facets of Manji’s legacies was Amitabh Bachchan. I’ve always felt that Bachchan gave his best when working for either of four directors - Hrishida, Yash Chopra, Prakash Mehra and Manmohan Desai. While he was the guy next door in Hrishida’s movies, Prakash Mehra gave him his career defining Angry Young Man tag. In Yash Chopra’s movies though, Amitabh’s characters were never bigger than the subject or the plot. But it was MMD who gave Amit some of his most larger than life characters as well as his most endearing ones. Anthony in AAA, Raju Tangewala in Mard, Iqbal coolie in Coolie and Amit in Suhaag are prime examples of the earthy texture that MMD gave to Amitabh’s persona. And not just Amitabh. Manmohan Desai directed some of hindi moviedom’s best loved stars right from Raj Kapoor and Shammi Kapoor to Rajesh Khanna to Dharmendra and these combinations resulted in some of the biggest hits in hindi cinema like Roti with Rajesh Khanna and Dharamveer with Dharmendra.
To appreciate his career as a filmmaker, I’ve outlined a few of his milestone films. This is not my pick among his best films. Rather, it shows his progression as a filmmaker.
Chhalia (1960) - Manji’s brother, Subhash Desai was a mid-rung producer in Mumbai. He got Manji his first break as a director with an ageing Raj Kapoor in the lead role. This movie can be called the rightful precursor to the stock formula of his later movies - lost and found. Although pathbreaking in many ways, it is just remembered as Manmohan Desai’s debut venture today. It explored the issue of women separated from their families during partition and how, after being united with their families, they were shunned by their own people. It also bore a strong secular hallmark which is best exemplified by the title song - Chhalia mera naam, Chhalna mera kaam. Hindu muslim sikh isaai, sabko mera salaam.
Kismat (1968) - This was one of the biggest hits of those times. Though not a lost and found tale, it did carry quite a few elements that were a necessary ingredient of the formula later. Paramount among them was the intervention of fate (as the title suggests). The movie is best remembered for the evergreen Kajra Mohabbatwala number.
Rampur Ka Laxman (1972) - This was the first movie based completely on the lost and found theme. It also heralded the arrival of Rekha on the big stage (RKL was Rekha’s first hit). Starring Randhir Kapoor, Rekha and Shatrughan Sinha, it was a thoroughly entertaining masala offering.Parvarish (1977) - 1977 was a watershed year for MMD. He had 4 releases that year, all big hits and 2 of them with Amitabh. Parvarish was the least successful of the 4, but was one of MMD’s most intense movies. Except for Parvarish, all his other movies had a light and easy feel to them. But this one, a lost and found movie with a twist, was chock-a-block with intense emotions. And the feel was ably carried off by rivetting performances from Amitabh, Shammi Kapoor and Vinod Khanna.
Amar Akbar Anthony (1977) - The biggest of them all. This was the movie that catapulted MMD to eternity. Its IMO, hindi filmdom’s most loved movie ever. I don’t know of a single person who didn’t enjoy this mad caper. Lost and found at its peak, twists in the tale more crooked than Hurricane Katrina, larger than life characters in Akbar, Anthony, Kishenlal and the uniquitous Maarupa Roy, rocking action, over the top emotions, comedy ranging from the not-so-subtle to completely over the top, a starcast reading like the who’s who of bollywood, a magnum opus plot transcending two generations, miracles, gold smugglers, zany costume shows and perenially hummable songs (Humko tumse Ho Gaya Hai Pyaar and Parda Hai are personal favourites) - you name it, this movie had it.
Naseeb (1981) - Possibly Manji’s most ambitious project ever. It had everything that Amar Akbar Anthony did, and in patiala doses. It even referenced AAA quite a few times, most notably in the song Rang Jamaake. However, this one didn’t really send the cash registers ringing and maybe that lead to quite a large disappointment for him. For his movies that followed, lacked somewhere in terms of vigour when compared to his films prior to Naseeb. And although Coolie (1983) and Mard (1985) were huge hits, they came nowhere close to an amar Akbar Anthony or a Rampur Ka Lakshman or even a Suhaag with respect to their entertainment quotient.
Sadly, he ended his life in dubious circumstances and not much was made public about it. But Manmohan Desai was, is and will remain one of the most loved name among hindi film audiences. May his soul rest in peace.
Originally published here
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