Cine-me

Aarakshan - Quite Easily Dismissed (Q.E.D) PART II

2011-12-19T09:58:00.000-08:00

Aarakshan (2011) PART II

(Part I - the post below)

Moving forward, the ‘evil’ people succeed in their little (evil) plot to get Prabhakar to resign and take over the college and turn it into a money making, ass licking institution. But they don’t stop there (since when did they have a personal vendetta against Prabhakar Anand? Sad to say, I don’t have an answer to this either…side note – this film is making me feel stupid), Mithilesh Singh has managed to get the family that Prabhakar helped (rack your brains back to those whirlwind of the first 15 minutes) to turn on him. He has opened his coaching centre in the house Prabhakar loaned to them and because of the bank guarantee being involved is legally allowed to have that place for two years. No explanation has been provided for this turn of events.

Cut to the Anand family moving into a hotel where Prabhakar refuses any kind of help from friends and is admonished by an emotionally charged Poorvi who accuses him of being too holy for his own sake, the only sensible moment in the film. And it is done pretty great by Amitabh and Deepika (with Amitabh hardly having any dialogues…the eyes and the body do all the talking). And it is here that you realize two things – a. Deepika is finally showing some form of talent which is pretty great. She looks great and if she can get herself to act…whats better than that? and b. Tanvi Azmi as Anand’s wife gives a disappointing performance. She is like a ruler. No bending, no emotions.

Now, finally we are taken back to Saif (Deepak) who had left for America (having been accepted into some university in what respect…I have forgotten or perhaps it wasn’t mentioned) following the furious exchange of words with Prabhakar and consequent break up with Deepika (Poorvi). It is perhaps the most hilarious moment in the film (it isn’t meant to be so) when Deepak is sitting with this white guy in some university of USA and discussing his work and relating how great Prabhakar is (ummm…what? Didn’t you just accuse him of being a casteist?) does he get to know what has happened (thanks to Yahoo! India…don’t ask me how that opened as the yahoo mail page for an American in America…or maybe it was the US version only which would still be strange because what was the news of a principal being sacked in a private Indian university, something which the chief minister of the particular state will confess ignorance of later on, doing on front page Yahoo! USA?).Deepak surprises Poorvi by returning home and pledging support…Once again inexplicable change of character feelings happens with Sushant suddenly turning over a new leaf (that is reverting back to his original, but improved, self and burying the hatchets, the origin of which are still largely unexplained, with both Poorvi and Deepak) and the director realizes that he should work towards some sort of conclusion.

Hence, what seems like a scene being lifted from Viruddh, Amitabh Bachchan decides to enact out a scheme which is basically starting a free and fair rival institute just opposite his house (which has been taken over by KK coaching classes) with his students being the poor children living in the tabela (stable) owned by a faithful servant (Yashpal Sharma as Shambhu gives a charming performance). Lo and behold, the numbers grow and people join in to help him out – Deepak, Sushant, Poorvi etc and finally he has succeeded in creating a major nuisance for KK coaching classes and his detractors (why they are STILL his detractors after getting him out of STM and running it as they see fit, I know not).

The film in its ending tries to ape the revolution feel and treatment as say in Lagaan, the Munnabhai series, Chak de India, Rang de Basanti but fails miserable because of its nonsensical storytelling and basic lack of plot, not to mention contrived situations and sequences. Therefore, as the good doers stand in a huge crowd and stare obstinately in the face of evil, you feel irritated and frustrated and basically tired out of your mind and not energized, adrenaline rushed, bright eyed as you should.

The situation by the climax scene has gone absolutely haywire. Mithilesh Singh has actually lost his mind and can be seen dancing around in fury in full public view, screaming out orders at the police force to demolish the tabela classes (that’s what it is called and no, I am not joking. Sadly) who by now has lost every semblance of credibility. This is not it though because Mithilesh Singh snaps out his blackberry and calls up the State education minister (a typecast Saurabh Shukla) and they both start yakking out all of their ill intentions in full public view.

In walks, out of nowhere, Hema Malini – the woman who owns STM who until now had retired into the forests to live the life of an ascetic – and calls up the chief minister (who confesses ignorance of the entire thing…seriously?! It was in the news as shown extensively in the movie!) and basically puts everything right…which we know because in the next scene everything appears to be alright with Prabhakar being appointed principle for life of a remedial institute for poor and weak students.
There is absolutely no, and I mean NO, indication of whatever may have happened to Mithilesh Singh, the tainted ministers, the evil trustees, the strange policeman etc etc. They are simply forgotten.

Where is reservation in this?

Exactly.

Coming to the finer points of film making…nothing good to report here either. The dialogues are contrived, uninspired and forced and so is the dialogue delivery. The dialogues seem to have been written with the sole purpose of being punch lines and that never helps and are further ruined completely drab dialogue delivery (for instance the much publicized exchange of words between Deepak and Mithilesh…in a canteen full of students, I might add).

The acting, as said before, is done only by Amitabh Bahchan (whose eyes seem to have mastered every emotion) and Manoj Bajpai. Deepika Padukone springs a surprise, a sweet one. Tanvi Azmi is disappointing and Saif is well just there. But the most surprising is the performance given by Prateik…and not in a good way. I had high expectations from him which tanked beyond trace. He is uncomfortable and does nothing to hide it. You can see the workings of his mind in each scene…like when he walks, you can see his mind going “One two. One two. One two” or when he talks, you can feel his mind going “Start. Pause. Next. Stop.” and that’s never a good thing. His character is bad, but so is everyone else’s, and he does nothing to save it which can probably be attributed to the him being extremely new and the fact that he has done good work in other films like Jaane tu ya jaane na and Dhobhi Ghat makes me think that the fault lies with the director. There seems to be nothing happening between them – no chemistry between a director and his actor with the result being an awful performance.

The camera work is once again drab, even by the standards of today which largely holds no poetry but still believes in exhibiting some form of skill. Here nothing happens. Its like a box shooting…you give a steady and generally aware of what its doing hand a camera and ask him to shoot in a circle and use no sort of creativity at all. At least that’s what I felt as a viewer who has no particular training into this stuff but is speaking from what appeals to the eyes and to the brain and to the heart. Here it is general and not really worth talking. Same goes with the musical score, which save for one song (‘Saans albeli’ sung by Pandit Channulal Mishra) is forgettable to say in the very least.

What is the most disappointing in this kind of cinema is the pretention it comes with – of being an intellectually charged film with a proper issue at its helm. Pure bull crap. This film is not it, AT ALL. I watched 40 minutes of Bodyguard in the afternoon of the same day and honestly I felt much better at the end of that then this! Why? Because it came with no pretentions. It was supposed to be a brainless brawny Salman Khan senseless movie and it delivered just that unlike this ‘intellectual issue based’ film. I have seen two movies of Prakash Jha – Rajneeti and Arakshan – and I cant say that I am too happy…I mean how is it possible to turn a mix of Mahabharata and Godfather into a drab, annoying experience? There is obviously something very wrong but because I haven’t seen his other work, I shall reserve my judgment here.

Coming back to Aarakshan, it can be described in three words (the short form taken from the movie itself, one of the favourite expressions of Prabhakar Anand as a teacher, but with the long form being tweaked to suit my view of the film) : QED – Quite Easily Dismissed.

Cheers
Ritambhara aka Rae aka RitambharaA

Aarakshan - Quite Easily Dismissed (Q.E.D) PART I

2011-12-19T06:45:00.000-08:00

Aarakshan (2011)PART I

Direction – Prakash Jha

Story – Prakash Jha and Anjum Rajabali

Starring (in order of acting talent as exhibited in the movie)– Amitabh Bachchan, Manoj Bajpai, Deepika Padukone, Tanvi Azmi, Saif Ali Khan and Prateik.

I saw this film last night as it was telecast on Sony Television and this was my first viewing of the film and quite safe to say my last viewing too. I did not see this movie in the theatres because I seem to have decided, quite subconsciously, to strictly avoid paying for those movies which did not appeal to me at the first glance and waiting for them to hit the TV channels…and this seems to have worked quite fine for me till now with me having avoided wasting money on treasures like Kambhaqt Ishq, Chandni Chowk to China, Mere Brother ki Dulhann, Bodyguard to name a few.

Anyway, I heard a lot of divergent opinions on Arakshan but being the self assured in the sense of not really bothering too much about other people’s opinion person that I am i.e. I am assured only by myself, I decided to wait until I myself watched the film to form any sort of opinion on it. Hence I sat down last night and watched it with all the good intentions that I mustered up as an impartial viewer.

And the following are my observations. As I always say these are my opinions and you are most welcome to make your own.

I found the film to be extremely ill paced. The first 15 minutes are a whirlwind with absolutely EVERYTHING happening from the establishment of the godly nature of Prabhakar Anand (played by Amitabh Bachchan) to the (potential – in most cases proven) kameena-ness of everyone else to the establishment of side track of Prabhakar helping out a friend’s family to the establishment Saif’s character (Deepak Kumar) and his love relations with Deepika (Poorvi, Prabhakar’s daughter) to the establishment of Prateik (Sushant) as the ever so slightly bigrail bachcha but a good friend of Poorvi and rival but friend of Deepak to the establishment of ALL side characters …so yeah, there is a LOT of establishment, all crammed within the first 12 minutes and the remaining three minutes are donated to a forgettable romantic duet.
Anyhow, this extremely fast pace then gives way to a slow forgettable journey which is the movie. There is hardly any continuity in story. Manoj Bajpai’s character of Mithilesh Singh is quickly introduced as the worst kind of teachers who although seem to know their craft are more interested in minting money out of it by way of expensive tuition centers (KK coaching classes in this case) which cater more to learning by heart (or rattafication) then imparting knowledge for real. He is the one who seeks to commercialize education and is hence in direct contrast to Prabhakar Anand to whom education is a way to a brighter future for all and hence believes in free (as much as possible) and fair education to all. The crux of the story is this. The title is hence misleading because the concept of ‘reservation’ is used only as a vehicle for this basic plot, which would not have been a problem had it been sold like that.

Why I say this? Well, the film sets no basis or foundation to the advent of the policy of reservation. It comes like a torrid wind and…that’s about it. It comes, it changes stuff…and it disappears. The director wastes no footage on actually debating out the issue. The three main points regarding reservation are put forward, no beginning or conclusion provided – a. Reservation is the birth right of lower castes in view of the years of humiliation and abuse they have faced; b. Merit should be given importance and not reservation of any sort and c. The personal point of view “why should I support those who are taking away my son’s/daughter’s seat because as it is they come first for me”. There is absolutely not even a try to make sense of the issue. It is just presented as in textbooks (worse than that actually) and left there. No debate, no discussion and absolutely no conclusion.

But yes, it changes everything. How? I doubt anyone knows the answer to that. Mithilesh Singh, along with the evil trustees of the college (STM) where Prabhakar is the principal, decide to get rid of him in lieu of his absolute disregard of any sort of recommendation. Here lies another major problem of the movie. There is no sense, not even a semblance of it, of the concept of ‘duniya daari’ or the ways of the world. Everyone does EVERYTHING in full public view with all their emotions and feelings displayed right out. For instance, Prabhakar openly dismisses all recommendations, even if they are by a minister. I am not saying that there is a problem with that but there is a deep sense of unreality in the fact that such dealings are engaged in the presence of others. It seems like no one in this screenplay has heard of the concept of ‘behind closed doors’, not even the otherwise master schemer ministers and trustees and police officials. This is brilliantly unsettling to any viewer if this is meant to be ‘realistic’ cinema. Second issue is how everyone changes in a matter of few seconds and for no visible reasons which should have been pretty darn visible for such massive change of hearts. Example, Deepak Kumar who till now had been vouching for Prabhakar Anand’s sincerity and true nature and owes basically everything to him, and not to mention is courting his daughter, accuses the same man of being a casteist following a brief, again unexplored and brilliantly abrupt, scuffle with Sushant. Or how old students of Prabhakar who basically treated him like a God just a few scenes back (or in the police officer’s case literally a few seconds back) turn their back on him (or in the police officer’s case turn truly ‘evil’) following his one statement in a newspaper in support of the idea behind the policy of reservation (or in the police officer’s case for no reason at all)…no care about the context or his situation.

Such situations and errs make this film an irritating watch and if it had not been for Amitabh Bachchan’s strong performance (in another wise weak role) and Manoj Bajpai’s good performance (in an otherwise unexplored all black role), I would have abused the film for two minutes (for wasting my time till this moment) and switched off the TV but they gave good performances which managed to calm my nerves and keep my itching hands off the ‘off’ button. A small note here – Manoj Bajpai is by no denial a great actor but it is sad that he seems to have been typecast as the kameena ghatiya villain. Hopefully, sense shall prevail and he shall get a chance to expand his horizons.

And as we move on, we realize that to make Prabhakar Anand’s godlike status and principles more and more visible, the creative team goes all out to make everyone else flawed with no explanations given for any sort of change of heart (for the worse or for the better). This is a fundamental flaw I have been having with certain films – why do we need to make a character ‘God’? Why isn’t it enough that he is a good guy? For instance, if we take the example of My Name is Khan (which to add is a terrible movie and had entirely missed the editing table and would have been intolerable had it not been for Shahrukh Khan’s brilliant performance), why does Karan Johar (and team) need to make Rizwan a God by making him save an entire village from a hurricane etc etc etc. Why isn’t it enough that Rizwan is a great guy, end of story. Sigh.

Read Part II for the rest (the post just above this...if this link has opened in isolation, then just click on 'cine me' at the top) :)

(Thanks to Asmita for this suggestion)

Cheers
Ritambhara aka Rae aka RitambharaA

Woh zindagi ka saath nibhate chale gayye...

2011-12-12T02:00:00.000-08:00

Dev Anand passed away on 3^rd December 2011 at the ripe age of 88. I got the news as soon as I woke up, thanks to Twitter updates and as I rushed downstairs to the TV, I couldn’t help but think how could this have happened? A question which may have seemed strange considering the age we are talking about…but its Dev Anand, and age does not apply to him. I am 20 years old which would mean I am 68 years his junior but I have no qualms in admitting that I have been harbouring a crush on Dev Anand for at least the last 6 years…ever since I saw Bambai ka babu…but why? That my friend is the question...or is it really?

Dev Anand exudes charm. He was unbelievably good looking...if you see some of his black and white movies, you will know what I am talking about. Those eyes...they spoke volumes and that swagger...it made your heart beat to the music. In those black and white days, his one smile could infuse in colours of the brightest hue, his confident manners and his ever so pleasant baritone...wow. They could make you stand still and thats what they did to me...when I was all of 14 or maybe even younger. And he could switch from the tormented lover (Din dhal jaaye from Guide) to the one chasing after his girl with cheekiness galore (try Hai apna dil toh awara from Solva Saal and you will know what I am talking about)...from ultra confident to lamenting and melancholy (Kabhi khud pe kabhi halaat pe rona aaya from Hum Dono)...his expressions in "Achcha ji main haari"...hayye! Kya bataayein! He could give you all the gyaan you want and you would want to follow it too! (Hum hain rahi pyaar ke from Nau do gyara or Main zindagi ka saath nibhata chala gaya from Hum Dono) and the same guy could convince you of his naughtiness in Chod do aanchal! Such versatility!

I was surfing through the channels when a beautiful melody caught my ears and a man came gliding into the screen…the song was Dekhne mein bhola (Bambai ka babu) and the man was Dev Anand, sauntering the way only he could.

I was hooked. The film was beautiful and deeply touching and now that I think about it, it could not be made today thanks to the extremely low on sensibility (and sensitivity) audience and flashy is best brainless film makers.

Khair…chodo…yeh post unn donon tarah ke jeevo ke baarein mein nahin hai...this post is about the man whose sheer charisma, sheer intensity and sheer sensitivity got a 14 year old to stop all work and get immersed in “boring” black and white cinema. Dev Anand’s films, specially the earlier ones, were blessed with two things – a very good and interesting story and brilliant musical scores and Bambai ka babu is no different. Two of its songs can make me sad and melancholy just thinking about them – Chal ri sajni ab kya soche and Saathi na koi manzil.

I must have watched a number of Dev Anand movies when I was younger but they were from the days of his later colour cinema and did not appeal to me much…maybe the story could be different today but we shall have to wait for a verdict on that.

Anyway…recently I watched Guide and as a student of philosophy (even if a reluctant one at that…and not too bright either) it appealed to me on a whole different level. The ending of the movie can put you in deep thinking and if you are willing to ask yourself some tough existential questions, do watch that movie.

Guide was once again not only a visual and a mental treat…its songs are classics – from Gaata rahe mera dil to Tere mere sapne to Din Dhal jaaye and finally Wahan kaun hai tera musafir…an album which comes probably once in a decade (if you are NOT Dev Anand, that is...because most of his films could boast of such brilliance in music).

Today I watched Solvan Saal and Tere ghar ke saamne back to back and fell in love all over again...Dev Anand looks like a million bucks and can make your heart race like you have never known before...the swagger...oh my, the swagger! And as soon as I post this, I will be watching Nau do gyaarah and the magic will surround me once again...the magic of Dev Anand...

This article may appear scattered (trust me I know it is) but I cant help it…my thoughts are as scattered…is he really gone? The man who had been around for so long that it seemed he would be there forever is actually gone? Can it really happen?

Perhaps…no, not really…his films are around and God knows the music is and the jest to live shall forever be around as an inspiration to have for all…I never once saw him in a wheel chair...heck! I never once saw him as anything but standing straight and upright and being ful of life. Dev Anand se jeene ka jazba seekho, yeh seekho ki usne kabhi parwah nahin ki ki tumne kya kaha…woh chala kyonki usko chalna tha, woh thama nahin kyonki koi aur chaahta tha…he lived life on his terms and he lived life like it is supposed to be. He continued making films, knowing no one really cared anymore, because he wasnt really making films for them anyway. He was making them because he wanted to and he was content with whatever limited audience he may have had. He was so kissed by success in his heyday that these so called 'failures' mattered little to him and rightly so...after all he was not in any need to impress anyone anymore, at least not explicitly. He was comfortable with all that he had achieved and that is something everyone should learn - be comfortable in your own skin and live life like you want to. Dont give a rat's ass to what other people say or think cos really they dont matter...not that much anyway.

He entertained millions, he swayed millions and he left us with a million memories…

“Aaj main kitni azaadi mehsoos kar raha hoon…jeevan aaj jaise muththi mein hai aur maut jaise khel hai…main aatma hoon, amar hoon – na sukh hai, na dukh hai, na deen hai na duniya. Na insaan na bhagwan…sirf main hoon, sirf main.”

Alvida Dev Sahab…aapne sach mein zindagi ka saath nibhaaya waise jaise nibhaana chahiye…shukriya aur alvida…we shall hum along...for always. :)

(1923 - Forever)

- Rae aka Ritambhara aka RitambharaA

Hip Hip Hurray! - A show with messages galore but limited bullshit.

2011-06-27T09:04:00.000-07:00

Hip Hip Hurray!

This is not an expression of jubilation as used here but rather the name of a show which used to air when I was around 9-10 years old (I am 20 now…so yeah, it was a long time back…)

This show was directed by Nupur Asthana (who went on to direct Mahi Way for Yash Raj Television…a brilliant show again) and it was about this group of 12^th Standard Kids at a school called De'Nobli High.

I was 10 but I knew that this show would be remembered by me for a long time to come and the fact that I am writing this today obviously points out that in the affirmative. But the point here is a ‘why?’ and I shall try and answer that.

Hip Hip Hurray! appealed to you because of how realistically it portrayed teenagers (at least Indian teenagers) and their confusions, complexes, issues, frame of mind on topics ranging from sexual awakening to physical relationships to the sheer frustration at how things are around us to trying to understand relationships without them getting over shadowed by external considerations like being less materially affluent or having a side job at a place frequented by one’s friends to the appeal of drugs to trying to prove yourself to be the best in all situations even when pitted against friends…and it did so without being over bearing, without the ‘lecture’ feeling and conversely also without giving way too much leeway to the phenomena called teenage years.

It was unlike ‘God knows what it means to portray!’ shows like the new 90210 and the likes because it never focused on the glitz and glamour but instead sought to portray a likeable set of teenagers doing likeable and unlikeable things and learning from their mistakes (much like the most of us). The cool quotient on Hip Hip Hurray was very subtle…for instance, I can remember that the characters used to fold the sleeves of their uniforms and would converse in Hinglish (but only as much as was required…hence staying clear of looking fake and obnoxious).

Coming back to the show matter…it basically had everything…from lightly touching on sensitive and often brushed under the carpet adolescent issues to larger issues which frustrate us…nibbling away at our insides with apparently no way to express our anguish to little light moments with romance, pranks, exams etc etc etc – everything basically which makes up one’s life. I really don’t know what else to say or rather how to explain it all– not because there is precious little but because it was diverse and done giving equal importance…so what I am going to do is to note down some of my favourite moments (a difficult task, trust me…I loved every moment!) –

1. For some reason Raghav sharing his fear of heights in an episode where the school has taken the children camping really touched my heart…and it was done beautifully! Raghav, the school sports captain, the guy always at the forefront is scared of something and he confesses this to his best friend, Mehul, ironically the guy who seems to be at the back of all things…

2. The whole issue between Kiran and Mazhar because of Mazhar taking up a side job as a waiter in a pizza parlor gave some great moments and insight…what would you do if your best friend turned out to be working at a place you might consider low class (as an occupation choice)? Would you abandon him/her or try and understand their situation? I know the answer is quite obvious (does not take a genius to figure that one out) but the fact that one would ask such questions is what the whole game is about…

3. The part where Manjeet starts taking drugs and consequently lie and get all shady…the interaction between the characters was once again fraught with different sides of the same question, making you wonder about such situations and the whole action in itself.

4. The whole situation where one of the teachers gets pregnant without being married, her being shunned by parents in fear that she will be a bad influence on their children and their own children standing right there by their teacher’s side very lightly and in a passing manner and not to mention sensitively put it inside their young viewer’s mind that bullshit like this is not really of any use. A person’s character is one complex thing which cannot be judged using such incidents in isolation if at all.

5. Etc etc etc

So there I recounted a very few of my favourite moments from this much loved, cherished and remembered television series – moments which without even my explicit realization made out of me a better and more aware person, moments which I carried with me through all these years with little explicit knowledge and moments which I shall continue to carry with me with the same level of ignorance.

And that my friends, is what made Hip Hip Hurray! a fantastic concept and it became a fantastic show because of the brilliant team work – conceived and directed by Nupur Asthana with dialogues by Vinay Pathak, who also played the much loved and revered Vinny Sir.

The cast was brilliant with each actor more or less living the role – Vishal Malhotra as John, Nilanjana Sharma as Mona, Peeya Rai Chaudhari as Kiran, Rushad Rana as Raghav, Mehul Nissar as Mehul, Shahrukh Bharocha as Cyrus, Zafar Karachiwala as Rafey, Candida Fernandes as Alisha, Samantha Tremayne as Samantha, Purab Kohli as Mazhar, Kishwar Merchant as Noni, Kuljeet Randhawa/Shweta Salve as Prishita and Vinay Pathak as Vinny Sir, Suchitra Pillai as Alaknanda Ma’am and others whose name I, despite much tries, cannot find.

So here is from a hardcore Hip Hip Hurray! (Season 1) fan a hearty thanks to the whole team for teaching me values without pushing me away with an overbearing and obnoxious attitude.

Hip Hip Hurray!
(Now indeed used as an expression of jubilation…and save your breath and energy to say ‘how cheesy!’ because I know it. So now you are better equipped to think about it and maybe even comment, energy wise, although I don’t expect much of the latter at least…)

And here is to the countless channels – bring it back if you wish to regain a lost section of the audience. Shows like Hip Hip Hurray! are much needed today…not only because of the general trash content on TV but also because it would fashion young sensibilities much better than its apparent counterparts. And to Rajshri.com who until recently had the complete show but now have a strange website where the search engine does not work - Get it back (the show and the search engine).

Cheers.

Ritambhara Agrawal aka RitambharaA aka Rae

A red moon, a violet sky...

2011-02-06T10:25:00.001-08:00

This is a diary entry which I wrote on my second last day in Mumbai...

21st January 2011 (approximately 9.00 PM)

A red moon in a violet sky...framed by golden lights which shimmer in the dark dark water...

Thats the view of Mumbai I was blessed enough to witness this fine night...Sahyadri guest house shall forever remain in my heart and I shall be forever indebted to it because it gave me this scene which has so enthralled my soul. Its so pretty, so alive, so dreamy...it can make you cry. Zindagi mein ek baar Mumbai toh zaroor aayo, it will make you fall in love.

Mumbai - the city of dreams, the city of love, the city...just THE city.

This city calls you to be one of its own, enchants you like no other and you are bound to it forever and ever with no complaints, but with stars in your eyes...this city demands of you to make yourself someone who may live here, share its sky and sea. This city calls out to you and you, you cant wait to answer.

Marine drive or the queen's necklace, as it is called, is a hub of people from all walks of life as they come here to rewind...talking in diverse languages and in diverse styles but they still stand united - one identity, thousand principles. Wahan chalte chalte, 18 se lekar 60 saal ke logo ko saath baithe dekh, ek khayal mann mein aaya - Jab kabhi bhi pyaar par se vishwaas uthh raha ho, marine drive chale aana. Issi khayal ke baad, mann ko yeh maloom chala ki khud ko 'hopeless romantic' kehne wali main bhi kahin na kahin ek pessimist banti ja rahi hoon. Dukh hua par phir ek nazar fairayee apne chaaron ore, dekha unn saare logon ko apni hi tarah kissi na kissi cheez mein doobe hue aur ek halki si muskaan ne apne dastakhat diye aur moofli moonh mein daal, main phir Mumbai ke jaadu mein beh gayee...

"I am in love" - these words were what I said as soon as my best friend picked up her phone - "I am in love with Mumbai and I am sad to be leaving this place..."

The reason - the people of Mumbai and their warm and polite and unique nature (no where else have I heard this expression - "Sir ko ek malaai wali chai maariyo zarra"), the breeze, the trees and the thousand and one dreams...floating around waiting to be caught...and I cant wait to catch mine, I cant wait to watch it unfold and I cant pray enough that I be able to wait...

...Mumbai, the city of dreams...the city of a red moon in a violet sky which rises steadily up...framed by stars and dreams.

Difficult to speak, impossible to be silent.

2010-11-20T23:55:00.000-08:00

"An event has happened, upon which it is difficult to speak, and impossible to be silent."

~ Edmund Burke on the Impeachment of Warren Hastings, 5 th May 1789

I write this in complete and utter desperation. In my 19 years of existence, I have never felt more hopeless when it came to my country.

The last few weeks have spelled nothing but disgust in my heart and mind for the one's who run this country and I feel sorry for India and for millions of its citizens like me.

First, I would like to apologize. Apologize to my nation and to my ancestors and to my descendants for not being able to do anything as a bunch of hungry mongrels ravish this piece of flesh called India.

I switch on the TV news or I read the newspapers or I listen to the radio or I log on to the internet or talk on the phone or listen and take part in discussions in person and nothing but anger and shame engulfs me.

2G scam, the Reddy brothers, the sham called Naxalism/Maoism/Crap-ism, Adarsh society, CWG bullshit yada yada yada...

Reading the above (never ending list, it seems...), what and how do you feel?

I felt hopelessness of the worst kind which propelled me to watch news and cheer on discussions which bought the culprits of the above crap-fests in the dock and then...then the following happened...

The media lost all its credibility, morality, professional ethics, reputation and their whole 'holier than thou' perception - all of it - when they blacked out the Barkha Dutt-Vir Sanghvi tapes released by the Open Magazine (Barkhji ki baatein - http://www.openthemagazine.com/article/nation/tell-me-what-should-i-tell-them Vir Sanghvi's transcripts - http://www.openthemagazine.com/article/nation/what-kind-of-story-do-you-want) recently, which have them virtually acting as 'dalals' (middlemen) for various political parties and corporate houses, hence completely and irrevocably damaging their whole image as "free and fair" journalists.

And what does the other sections of this "free and fair" media do? Black out this raging piece of information and go on with attacking other people, peacefully blind to this black spot on their own community.

WOW!

So does the 'independence, freedom, fairness etc etc etc' that the media keeps on howling about in ALL other cases go to HELL when their community is concerned?! Does the 'right of the people to know' gets eliminated when the said knowledge is related to one (or in this case two) of their own?! Is it only the country's responsibility that the media gets all its freedom and right to report but nothing is required on behalf of this very media that they show the truth and not curtail the people's right to know when the news is not exactly in the favor of their own selves?!

These are questions demanding answers...can I expect them or will I continue to stare into this blackness?

Anyway, lets evaluate what exactly are we facing today as a country...here are the people/community being questioned presently in various issues -

1. The PM (WOW, again.)
2. Politicians (No biggie...really...me writing this is and should be one very sad thing in itself but well who the HELL cares in this time and age, right?)
3. Army (Trust you me, this one is actually painful to write...)
4. Bureaucracy
and the grand edition to this list of who's who (quite literally...) -
5. The Media (sorry...the 'free and fair' media...)

Last question, who can be trusted?

(PS - Till now, I have seen the report on the media crap in only two Indian print media publications - Mail Today and Outlook...still waiting to see it on the 'idiot' box...)

Cheers.

-Rae

And it all started because I did not feel like writing my paper on Schumpeter...Why?

2010-11-02T05:52:00.000-07:00

I am supposed to be writing a paper on Schumpeter’s take on the classical doctrine of democracy but as it quite evident I am not doing that…

Why?

Because I don’t feel like doing it…

Why?

Because I am not able to get myself to read his essay on it…

Why?

Because I am too lazy to get my ass to my room and get the essay and then to get the laptop and continue from where I left it…

Why?

Because I seem to be stuck in front of this screen and seem to be lost in a virtual world…

Why?

Because it seems to me that the virtual world is a better place than the so called real world I am going to be forced to be a part of every second of my life.

Why?

The real world is fraught with weird problems which seem to have no solution, which seem to be a jumble of shit spun over a lot many years with no bloody sensible solution coming out at all! At least virtually I can manipulate myself into believing that someone cares and actually talks about it...(this someone includes myself)

Why?

How the FUCK am I supposed to know that? What I know is that I am 19 years old and India has been independent since 1947 and the human world has been in existence for I don’t even know how many years and still we can hardly say “This (anything AT all) is alright.

Why?

I am in my car and I see children, who should be in school, begging at streetlights.

I am at my home and I see that douche bag (one among many others) blatantly being engaged in CWG corruption.

I am anywhere and I have to endure constant India bashing which most of the time seems to stem from half baked idiotic notions and the other times is genuine but leaves a bitter taste in the mouth.

I am in the metro and I see people getting up to offer a higher middle class lady with a young kid a seat but the same chivalry is not extended to a poor woman with a baby or her young son.

I try to get off at my stop but the completely and unbelievably stupid people on the station think it is just right for them to barge in pushing people left, right and centre.

CWG shit happens and for that the citizens of the city are indirectly told to stay in their houses on the opening and closing day cos NO bloody market would be open AT all.

CWG crap seems to be only for foreigners because if you’re an Indian citizen, then you may be standing in line for 1 hour but you still wouldn’t get the damn ticket because some ‘mehmaan’ will be made to break the Q and get it.

The Naxals, Maoists or whatever crap they prefer to be called will spread violence everywhere and then defend it and people will actually agree! Please explain to me how beheading cops, harassing teachers and marking students is linked to their so called revolution.

Modi, Sajjan Kumar and the likes will march on unharmed by anything after committing the crimes that they have.

A good enough side walk will be broke, remade and then broken again to be made the same way as it was originally.

People can be unlawfully hanged for the heinous crime of loving.

Among MUCH more.

Why?

Exactly.

Hmmm…This seems to be the right way!

2010-06-21T07:32:00.000-07:00

Well last Friday I watched the season finale of a hatke show and well I behaved a little hatke after that…but sadly that isn’t my topic matter…

The show was Mahi Way and its hatke because the protagonist is –

Not ‘perfect’ in a physical sense.
She isn’t the moorti of an emotionally intact in all-possible-situations person.
She does not act like the brightest tube light in the world at all possible times.
She is normal. Yes, normal like a normal person…with quirks of course…but that’s what normal is – just like you and me.
She does not get a makeover at any time.
And she is independent just like most of us girls are – in the sense that we may be living with our parents and soliciting their advice and all but we still have a mind of our own and a decision making mechanism which actually functions.

She makes mistakes and she pays for them and she learns from them – just like any of us. There are awesome people in her life and there are the not so awesome people in her life – just like our life. She acts like a complete moron at times and she acts completely selfless at times – just like us. There seems to be no incongruence between our lives and the life of Mahi Talwar, albeit the problems may not be the same but the character traits – all of us possess them.

What I liked about the show (other than the above and in continuation with the above) is the fact that I can connect with her, I can hate her, love her, be amused by her, be livid because of her and at some corner of my heart know that all these emotions of mine may very well be directed towards that person in the mirror and I do not have to necessarily feel horrible while facing these feelings.

Mahi Way’s other characters too leave an impression on you – be it her quirky Dadi, her weird Mum, her awesome Dad, her sometimes annoying brother, her khatti-meethi sister, her pillars of support – her friends, her not very nice choice of men and Shiv – her ‘chaddi buddy’ whom we all want to see as her significant other.

The show provides you with an outlook of life and people and how easily we judge them or take them for granted. For example, I for one hate Ishan but in the last epi…I did feel sorry for him and questioned by dislike towards them – sure he did some wrong stuff but maybe he really changed and I was not willing to accept it – maybe that shows what’s wrong with me – I don’t want to trust him again till the very last moment and then too just as a passing comment. Or maybe I took a Shiv for granted somewhere in my life and well…I may be missing him/her but my ego stops me from calling out to them again…hence Mahi Way steps beyond just being another show and makes you gently question certain things, reflect on some things…

One more thing I love about this show is that there was no makeover which resulted in Mahi transforming into a Kingfisher model! This kept the theme real and did not mislead the viewers in the sense that they started off believing that physicality is not the only consideration in life and its your nature which attracts people to you but were actually at the end of it slapped in the face with the story that well physicality matters over everything else. For this I am eternally grateful to the writers of Mahi Way. They did not make up a sense of personal comfort in their viewers just to shatter it later on.

Coming to the acting aspect – the whole cast was brilliant and very aptly selected. Pushtiie as Mahi Talwar was fabulous, confused when need be, unconsciously something akin to vicious when required and cute, adorable and helpless when there was a demand and unbelievably headstrong and fearless when the opportunity arose. Viraf Patel as Shiv Desraj made a place in every girl’s heart, whatever be their age. He seems to be the perfect choice for the sweet, selfless, adorable and supportive dream that Shiv is. Waiting and hoping to see him in a new show very very soon! Siddhart Karnick as Ishan was again excellent. He made the viewers sufficiently loving and sighing and angry and disgusted and confused and finally sorry towards and for his character. Monica and Mark as Mahi’s friends were awesome! Sufficiently quirky, supportive and sometimes as irritating as required…audiences shall remember the awesome twosome for a long time! The other people were great too! Amrita Raichand as the sister was extremely lovable (at times) and hate-able (many a times! Lol!).

The production values were beyond excellent and the use of actual Delhi locations made the Delhiite in me very happy!

In conclusion, I would like to thank Sony Television and Yashraj Television and the whole team of Mahi Way for giving us this one great show in which the values it had started with did not change in the end, instead it made us richer than what we, as audiences, started with. And heres hoping that we shall see a second season of Mahi Way soon because 1. I want to have some sensible Hindi show to watch on TV with good production values and real characters and 2. The romantic in me wants a proper end to Mahi and Shiv…And heres also hoping that we see more shows such as this one which enrich our thoughts and attitudes without being preachy!

Cheers!

-Rae aka RitambharaA aka Ritambhara Agrawal

Shashi Tharoor - the 'new age' politician

2010-02-28T04:43:00.000-08:00

Mr. Tharoor received the NDTV New Age politician award amidst much appreciation and applause and perhaps he deserved it if 'New age politician' means being completely irresponsible about what leaves one's mouth, media savvy to the hilt and having a sense of history not going back to more than five years (and that too seems a stretch).

He is Minister of State for External Affairs but the only place where he 'brainstorms' is Twitter and there too its mostly about the various incidents where he was misinterpreted or misquoted or even both. The amount he has been misinterpreted makes one stagger in disbelief but then the fact that he is actually holding that post does not really help matters much in the first place.

The Honorable Minister, it seems, believes that India and its citizens will follow his verdict even when it overturns sixty years worth of Foreign Policy maybe because he has an easy smile and apparently is pleasant on the eyes...sometimes it seems to me that Mr. Tharoor is a classic case of good looking models who open their mouth just too much to take even if as just a joke. Why? Because Shashi Tharoor seems to take everything as a joke which one must tell him that the majority does not really get but then they are the 'cattle class', right Mr. Tharoor?

The PMO is said to be deeply 'unhappy' about Tharoor's newest case of verbal diarrhea and is considering matters...but that does not really leave you with a bright picture of the future because for some absurd reason Tharoor is too much of a dear to the high bosses and why not?! Hes handsome, brilliant in English, a Stephanian and he was in the UN! The perfect bio data!!!! So one should not hope much because it may be disappointing but as many say without hope the world wouldn't run...and if not of a bright future, we can at least hope of some more misinterpretations to make us all agitated with the sodden state of affairs once more....

A long absence and a myriad of thoughts part 1

2010-01-11T08:31:00.000-08:00

First of all a huge apology for the long absence but quite truthfully i tried to write a piece on Aamir (the film by Rajkumar Gupta) but could not bring myself to watch it in such detail as I had watched RdB...perhaps thats the power of the film...the fact that it is difficult to watch it again and again...

I am just thinking aloud on this issue so please bear with me...why couldnt I just stand outside this film and watch it and write on it...maybe because it is not a film which can be viewed passively...the issues it deals with are staring right in your face but the aspects that it raises are something that we do not readily ponder upon...how can terrorism function so well in any society? Can it just be the case of certain people being responsible or is it a much bigger picture? This movie shows how common people are in a way a part of this terror scheme. (It should be kept in mind that the film is taking an example of Islamic terrorism but the content is directed at every form of terror) Aamir shows how it is the common people who fall prey to this message of hatred and believe themselves to be actually 'providing a service' to the cause which they have been wrongly educated in...

The guy on the phone, and the seemingly boss of the whole scheme (although one can be fairly certain that he too is a pawn of the larger scheme), tries to teach Aamir, the hero, the same hatred through making him come into contact with the pathetic conditions in which his 'fellowmen' live but his tries fail. Aamir raises an important point that one should try their level best to succeed through hard work because no one can tie you down forcefully.

However, a question that can be raised here is how far is this view held by Aamir true and to what extent is it just a rosy picture? My one answer would be it is akin to a glass filled half with water - depends on which way we want to see it. Is one justified in perpetrating terror because of the conditions in which he exists, the fault for which may lie with anyone? Is terror the answer?

I will continue later but I would love your views so far...

-Rae

Oye! Tu kyon adjust kar raha hai, bhai?

2009-08-16T10:46:00.000-07:00

Oye! Tu kyon ADJUST kar raha hai, bhai?

By Ritambhara Agrawal

‘I always believed that there were two kinds of men in this world. Men who go to their deaths screaming and men who go to their deaths in silence… Then I met the third kind.’

These words by James McKinley in Rang De Basanti reflect the true essence of the movie. A movie which gave birth to a phenomenon known as the “RDB effect”; a phrase used both to praise and to reject.

You perhaps might be tempted to ask how a phrase can be used in both ways, well this is what I would try to, not answer because I believe no answer can be or even should be universally accepted, put my point forward about.

Let me start with the very assumption people tend to make about this movie that this movie is specific to the Indian youth. Well I beg to differ. This movie is anything but limited in any sense of the word. The title of the movie is in white and orange. Orange here signifies Basanti which contrary to popular belief is not symbolic of India. It is the color of War cry, revolution, or whatever that might be related to this but definitely not India specifically. Along with this what people ignore is the white ink in which “Rang de” is written. White isn’t signifying the middle color of the Indian flag but rather the universal meaning of it – Peace. Hence this movie is not at all directed at the Indian youth but rather the whole world and not even just the youth actually, but to everyone out there who is frustrated with the way things work. Even in the English version of the song Paathshala, the whole world has been talked about. This, I feel, spells the reason for its global appeal and fantastic response.

Once again these are my points, my opinions which I do not want to be mistaken as the result of a thorough research, because believe me there was none. So these are my opinion and conclusions and ideas and thoughts not manufactured by anyone at all.

One must commend how cleverly the director, story writer and everyone manages to have your undivided attention from the very first scene, how they manage to get the audience to sit straight up and get all charged up with the very first Hindi words uttered by Sue (played by Alice Patten) and specially when just before that they had shown us the historical part in trademark yellowish parchment sort of color. This off-beat transition repeated throughout the movie – blurring the lines between past and the present - becomes an instant hit with the audience. Also very unlike the others, this movie’s first Hindi words are abuse words and too spoken by a “firang” which makes it all the more interesting, exciting and appealing to the youth. This was a rare opportunity for them to see someone of their own level, caliber and even nature on screen which they relished till the end. Hence another strong point of the movie was that there was absolutely no preaching but at the same time it was not dumb characters one was seeing on the screen.

This transition becomes the high point of the movie when the past and the present become one and The Defense Minister is shown as General Dyer which becomes the last straw for the audience and their grief for the characters now turns into raw anger.

The movie is at its creative best with all the transitions and also how the characters have been sketched. None of characters are monotonous or extreme, they all posses a healthy balance between fun and seriousness, melancholy and completely hilariously stupid. For instance, if one considers Aamir Khan’s character DJ (Daljeet), he is someone so completely flamboyant and non-serious, finding something hilarious in every situation. But at the same time you seem him reflecting on how transient life is and sharing his troubles of the future with Sue. But even then he is able to completely, like it happens in real life, change the topic with his wit. At another instance in the movie, we see DJ breaking down and that’s when the audience also loses a bit of its hope as they had come to believe that DJ was the force and if the force couldn’t get through the difficult times, then what hope did we have?

One character which has been brilliantly written and forcefully played by Atul Kulkarni is the character of Lakshman Pandey. A character with an excellent yet painful transition from one belief to another. Lakshman is a hindu hardliner, with problems with any sort of western beliefs and behaviour and inbuilt hatred for the Muslims. This character’s journey from this aspect to a secular person full of painful, emotional, intellectual realizations is a story in itself.

While Lakshman Pandey is a hindu hardliner, the ‘gang’ are hardcore secularists who they believe should hate people like Lakshman and boycott them, All this is accepted by the audience as granted. But the character of Sue is different, she hate communalism but at the same time is not averse to all aspects of a communal person. She signifies the bliss of the undivided by the unseen and unconscious boundaries of religious fanaticism and secular ignorance. She fights with her friends, who are trying to exercise their “rightful hatred” towards the likes of Lakshman and ignoring his talents in the way, to include Lakshman in her movie “The young guns of India” as Ram Prasad Bismil and making the statement about India and its population, which holds true for me – “People are just looking for a reason to fight”- making it a treat to watch!

What more could a director want then actually having people imbibe his characters in all their dimensions and dividing their life, consciously and unconsciously, into life before RDB and life after RDB. I count myself amongst the ones whose life and thinking actually got changed with this path-breaking movie, consciously or unconsciously that I am not aware of and neither do I want to be.

The brilliance of the cinematography challenges others to compare themselves with it, especially in the “Paathshala” and “Be a rebel” song. The way this movie has been dealed with in all its dimensions – be it the story, the dialogues, the characters, the cinematography, the music, the lyrics, the dance – there is nothing which seems overbearing and forced. The lyrics and the music became the epitome of coolness. “Tali ho girne se samjhi humne gravity, ishq da practical kiya tab aayi clearity. Na koi padhne wala, na koi seekhne wala”. Who could have though that scientific principle could be explained through love and getting drunk could explain physics! (without getting corny and dumb). When talking about the lyrics and the music, leaving out “Luka Chuppi”, a song sung by Lata Mangeshkar and AR Rahman, is almost criminal. It symbolizes the talk between a mother and her son and the lyrics and the rendition is so soulful that it makes you even if you have not seen the movie and do not know the story.

Also contrary to widespread misconceptions, this movie does not just limit itself to one issue. It encompasses within its being the diversity of life and behaviour. It is not just about finding your roots and standing up for yourself, but it also screens several other problems faced by everyone but seldom brought out into the open without actual confrontation. For example, the whole scene where DJ comes out with his story of always wanting to stay in the university with his friends and admirers, it poignantly brings out the fear that all of us have of losing our uniqueness and appreciation and respect in the big bad world outside. It’s a fear of transition from one stage of life to another. However it doe not ever go into details about overcoming this fear, it raises the question and leaves us to ponder upon it and confront our being ourselves in our own way.

It address as its main point the views and opinions we hold about our past and how very often these views are actually strengthened by the stagnated way history is presented. When Karan (played by Siddhartha) reads his dialogues as Bhagat Singh, the language makes the emotions alien to him, frustating him to no end and then he comes out with the memorable reaction – “Kaun baat karta hai aise? ‘Agyakari beta’, ‘Azadi meri dulhan’?! What’s his problem?!”.

Frankly he is not to blame because in our country, which I repeat again has been taken just as an example while the movie addresses the whole world, has the problem of refusing to interpret history in a modern context for the youngsters. The language that was used fifty years ago to explain the same portion of history is still in use today and this problem, forgive me, is most visible in Hindi. Hindi has been made into an “inferior” language because it is on the path of stagnation and has frankly become a sad, painful joke in its own country.

Please don’t take me in the wrong sense. I am not saying that the authenticity of the script should be exempted, I am merely raising a point about how that very authenticity has become a joke to most of the youngsters and the blame for this lies with all those who refused to evolve and become global. They are the reason for the feeling of disconnect that the young of today feel with their past. I repeat it is not because the past is boring, it is because the way it is presented is boring.

It is because of this environment that has been built up that even if one was drawn towards these things, he would keep silent because as the character of Aslam (played by Kunal Kapoor) points out it will make the person look foolish and make him the butt of all jokes. But I am proud and pleased to now say that perhaps this environment is on its way to change. Seeing the present day emotions all over India and the world, people are vying for a change. The attitude of “I care” has been transformed into “I care and hence I act”.

One of the best qualities in the movie is that it does not hold any one emotion excessively and instead combines it with a lot of other things, making it hard for the audience to get distracted. The editing and direction is brilliant with a lot of welcome breaks provided to the audience to help them digest till what they had seen. Songs like Rang de Basanti (title track) and Khalbali are accurate as examples o this. Even in the last scene where each bullet on the character is a blow to the audience, the team behind RDB maintains the essence of the movie and comes out with the memorable exchange between a wounded DJ and Karan where the possible skin tones of DJ and Sue’s babies is discussed with all of DJ’s apprehensions making the audience laugh while tears roll down their cheeks.

Another is that nothing, not even the bond between the friends, is shown to be perfect. The strains come out in the open when Sukhi (Sharman Joshi) raises a finger at Karan’s integrity and intentions after they come to know of Karan’s father’s involvement in the whole corrupt deal which led to their pilot friend’s death – the whole issue which they were fighting against. Or when they don’t inform Sue about their plan of killing the Defense Minister. Nothing is perfect, even the most perfect things have starins, making it very similar to real life.

A scene I would like to specially comment upon is when James McKinley, Sue’s grandfather and whose diary forms the basis of the story, seeks salvation in the church with the background echoing of the cries of the brave hearts who denied the British the pleasure of making them kneel in submission. He asks the most valid question in this time and that too as British without once again being shown as corny and that is “How can this be the will of God?” making the impact of this scene all the more powerful. Also the prayer to gods of three different religions makes you stare in wonder and for once think about secularism yourself and as a choice without being forced into it.

Such subtleties form the core of the movie. It is actually a film of subtleties where each can find its own, thus, once again being powerful in its impact and reach without being the usual. It gives a choice to the audience to be able to choose their points from the movie without giving them prior directions.

And now addressing the most “hated” aspect of this movie – its “undercurrent” emotions and how it may impact the young. I read numerous articles raising apprehensions regarding the method used in this movie, terming it as “murder-politics”. Well all those who stand by this should perhaps try watching the movie more carefully the next time and also could eliminate their stereotypes beforehand.

This movie, once again, contrary to popular beliefs does not endorse murder politics. Agreed that they use the weapon of murder to show their agitation and anger but they realize their mistake when they see that killing the defense minister actually did not at all bring out his tarnished character out in the open but instead colored him as a truthful, honest and brave man, hence defeating the objectives of their actions altogether. They realize this and then decide to take the responsibility of their actions and try to bring out the truth in this way. They go to the Radio Station to come out in the open with their actions and in that non-violent way register their grievance. This is the essence which many choose to ignore because for most realization of one’s mistake and taking steps to correct it is a ting of fairy tales. There were accusations hurled at the movie for glorifying violence but here’s a thought for them. In the radio station scene, they did get the guns but only meant to show it to their friend Rahul (Cyrus Sahukar) who worked there so as to go on air. It was accidentally seen by the others and the panic started,. But even then, there was not one who was killed by them.

The only part of the movie that doesn’t agree with me is when Karan kills his father as a sort of justification for killing the defense minister. That and also when the army is sent to the Radio Station with the orders of “No Survivors” but this one I am willing to give it to the director as creative liberty.

I would request all to please listen carefully all the scenes where Karan is on the radio and is answering questions from across the country. It is an explanation and acceptance of their actions but there is no justification because that was not their motive anyway.

The people who accused the movie of being too extreme should perhaps look out in the world today and see that one part of the movie has already come true and that is the part of public mobilization and that is the true meaning of the RDB effect. People protesting against the injustice and standing up to take responsibility for their actions and at the same time making the others realize and take responsibility for their actions.

One of the last few dialogues are addressed to the nation and they should be taken into account by everyone who crib about their situation but run in the opposite direction when asked to correct the errors and I would like to end with those dialogues which I hope will also explain the title I chose for this article.

Koi bhi desh perfect nahin hota, usse perfect banana parta hai.

Army join karenge, IAS banengem Politics join karke iss desh ko chalayenge.

Hello Everyone!

2009-08-16T10:12:00.000-07:00

Hello!

A warm welcome to you all! (and this is the warmest it gets... :p)

Why, you ask? Well...its mostly because this is a blog I envision as my way of letting out my frustrations regarding a lot of things but mostly and usually cinema (and in that most often hindi mainstream)...and as the word 'frustration' suggests not so warm things...you can make the connections...

This is not exactly a review place but sort of like my analysis of the movies (well the movies i feel like analyzing...) so if you may be looking for reviews of the latest films, this may not be the place for you...but if you want to know what others think of your favorite or not so favorite movies, this place may help you out (or at least i hope it does)

I for some time now, have been experiencing increasing discomfort linked to the mainstream hindi cinema and I sincerely believe that most of the people who work in this type of cinema ( I refuse to give them titles like 'actor', 'director', 'musicians' etc because I believe they have a long long long long way to go to even be called these...and that too in the driest sense of the word...) are basically...well...not good...at all.

But to be fair, I am more than willing to have a democratic discussion about whatever I write and whatever you may write...

So I hope that you like this place and well...you like it!

This is all I can think of right now...so let the journey begin!

-Rae

PS - I realize my screen name "Rae' may be thought of my corny and highly dumb attempt to link myself to Satyajit Ray...its NOT...'Rae' is merely the result of a facebook quiz...and theres no more to it...

PS 1 - This place might (and most likely than not will) be filled with sarcasm and irony (cos I love them) so be alert... :)

PS2 - Just to remind you, i have said again and again hindi films will be the most common topic here but there will be other things too including english movies and if I am lucky other languages and things outside the cinema world too...(probably)

PS3 - I am open to suggestions but just one request - please keep this place civil. :)

PS4 - Have FUN!