Delhi 6: A Motley Microcosm

“Delhi 6″ tries to realize a lot of things as a film – and even though it succeeds mostly, this, in itself, turns out to be its nemesis. Rakeysh Om Mehra brings alive the eclectic and rich sights, aroma and flavours of Chandni Chowk through its characters and music. But for anyone who has yet not been touched by the diversity of “Purani Dilli” (Old Delhi), the movie might be little overwhelming.

As a story, it is the oft-repeated tale of an NRI boy coming to India and falling in love with the country and the country’s girl, but the script elevates the film to another level. Though, some sub-plots in the film tend to feel awkward at times, Mehra largely manages to imbue his story with the perfect hues that turn the chaos of Old Delhi into a visual splendour. As a director, he adds subtle touches of brilliance to seemingly ordinary proceedings, some of which would make you laugh, but some which you would just miss – as the scene in which the local politico barges in the middle of a Ramleela. Someone who has not attended the night shows of the local Ramleela is most likely to miss the satire behind the episode. In another scene towards the end, children throw the monkey mask onto the burning effigy of Ravan. It is an understated moment but symbolically, it says a lot. Mehra has these, and many such snippets, strewn throughout the movie, for which one needs to watch the movie carefully and be able to appreciate the localized influences.

The movie’s narrative relies heavily on the characterizations and the director must thank his entire cast for ably supporting him. Each of the characters lends authenticity to their part and though it is difficult to say who was the best, Divya Dutta gets my vote for her small yet powerful role as the fiery Jalebi. Deepak Dobriyal as Mamdu shows a great potential (I happened to like him in Shaurya as well) as he metamorphosed from a happy-go-lucky neighbourhood guy to a distraught fanatic. Watching Atul Kulkarni as the simpleton Gobar, it was hard to believe that he was the bellicose Laxman Pandey of RDB; truly a versatile actor! Vijay Raaz as the vile policeman makes you loathe him, which is proof enough of his superb performance. Waheeda Rehman has perfected the role of the affectionate grandma, and she seemed to be having a lot of fun along with the affable Supriya Pathak and co. Rishi Kapoor played his part with aplomb, as did veterans Prem Chopra and Om Puri. (It seems that I am just left with the pigeon Masakali and Pavan Duggal to say a good word about, so I shall move on…

Despite the huge ensemble of supporting actors, the lead pair manages to deliver impressive performances as well. Sonam has a stereotypical role which didn’t give her much scope to showcase her potential but she proves her acting prowess in many frames, particularly the “Masakali” track. Abhishek Bachchan, who has met with some criticism for faking an accent, doesn’t really deserve the brickbats. He brings out the initial apprehension of accepting India quite naturally; watch him as he dances with the woman folk in the “Genda Phool” track, cute.

A. R. Rahman’s score in “Delhi 6″ is notches above his Oscar winner, “Slumdog Millionaire”. The film’s music evokes so many emotions so much so that it becomes a character in itself. The “Arziyan” qawalli leaves you spellbound as the camera panoramically sweeps across the expanse of Jama Masjid – it is one of those moments that stir your heart. The divine invocation of Goddess Durga in the Aarti “Tumre Bhawan Mein” is soft and pious and is used to great effect in the film. Enough has already been said about “Genda Phool” and “Masakali” which are ruling the charts because of their musical merit. Being an ardent advocate of including more classical music in films, I must thank Rahman and Rakeysh Mehra for reviving the magical vocals of Ustad Bade Ghulam Ali Khan in the “Gujari Todi – Bhor Bhayi”; Shreya Ghosal does an outstanding job of rendering it as well.

Hand in glove with the music is the awe-inspiring camera work. The surreal song “Dil Gira Dafatan” is remarkable in its concept. In this masterpiece, the music and cinematography complement each other so well that it is hard to blink your eyes as you watch bylanes of Chandni Chowk mingle effortlessly with the streets of New York. The Ramleela sequences have been conceived and shot very well; and they have been juxtaposed effectively with the events running throughout the story.

The Black Monkey (“Kala Bandar”) urban myth finds prominence in the plot, but ideally I would have like the story treated differently. The film tackles communalism in a clichéd fashion, as is evident in the hasty and somewhat half-baked ending. But I’m ready to forego all that for the vivid portrayal of Old Delhi that “Delhi 6″ leaves on my senses.

“Delhi 6″ is a thought provoking film, which might not appeal as much on first viewing. In fact, it is tempting to write off the film as boring and preachy. But as you think about it, and there will be moments which will keep coming back to you even after you have left the theatre, it grows on you. I am already in a mood to go and watch it a second time.

Hollywood Bollywood – Slumdog Millionaire

It is the season of over-hype waves and things working by riding on them. An undeserving “Ghajini” becomes an all-time hit and now we have Danny Boyle’s saga of amchi Mumbai, “Slumdog Millionaire”, sweep awards all across the globe. Though the narrative of a slum-dwelling chaiwalla, Jamal Malik, holds your attention, haven’t we all seen better?

Boyle seems to have drawn his inspiration from Bollywood, which over the years has brought the poverty-stricken reality of Bombay/Mumbai on the screen through the likes of a “Salaam Bombay” or a “Satya”. The movie is a tell-tale of all that is wrong with India, only this time it is an outsider who brings to us the plight of slum dwellers, communal riots, the beggar mafia, the fleecing of foreign tourists, the prostitute business, the underworld, the abusive police alongside an eternal love and longing – all in Bollywood eshtyle!

I don’t understand the criticism that is being heaped on the movie about it depicting our country in a negative light. Boyle has presented what our filmmakers have been doing for decades. The film captures the darker shades of Mumbai but hasn’t everyone from RGV to Madhur Bhandarkar done it before. I would honour the director’s prerogative to not sugarcoat his subject, even if it means stringing in cliché after cliché.

Some of us have gone ahead and challenged the film for projecting India as a “Third World dirty underbelly developing nation”. In fact, I believe it is quite the opposite. Alongside all that is shown as wrong, there is an undercurrent of hope that flows throughout the film. The film manifests the much-talked about “spirit of Mumbai” through the resilience of the protagonist. The ability of the characters to survive against all odds, come what may, forms the fabric of the screenplay.

The premise of how a slum dweller knows the answers to all the questions in KBC (Who wants to be a Millionaire?) and goes on to win the show makes an interesting story. And it is in the answers that the story of Jamal’s life unfolds. Even though the film is in no way extraordinary, what is surprising is how Boyle churns out a potboiler that has Bollywood written all over it. In our typical “filmy” fashion, Jamal goes about finding his childhood sweetheart and expressing his love for her. I can’t believe a foreign director can see India this way! As an Indian, fed on a staple diet of Hindi cinema, this one barely seemed any different.

That the western audience has accepted the film in a big way and that critics are lauding it with awards is more to the credit of the marketing team behind the film. The publicists deserve every bit of praise for being able to package the film in a way no India-themed movie (no not even “Lagaan”, and I was too young to notice what stir “Salaam Bombay” created in its time) has ever been done before. I do hope it goes on to win the Academy Awards, at least for Rahman’s work (even though in the same breath, I should add that the musical genius has far better works that have gone unnoticed). 

And at a time when (borrowing a dialogue from the film) “India is at the centre of the world”, this is good news for Indian cinema. Going by the response “Slumdog Millionaire” has received, “the song and dance factory”, which Bollywood is commonly seen as by the world, can come up with crisper ideas and market them well to the world. Perhaps, a western audience is becoming willing to hear an Indian story, the Indian way!

THAT was Ghajini???

Ghajini only goes on to show what hype can do for a movie.

The movie may well be on its way to become one of the biggest grosser in Bollywood. But at best, it matches up to an above-average Sunny Deol flick. Had the movie not featured Aamir Khan it would not have been nowhere close to what it is now.

Bollywood has had a history where many a venture has sunk despite hype but what worked for Ghajini was a sustained and immaculately planned publicity campaign. That it was Aamir’s sole movie in the whole year, and was coming a whole year after his poignant Taare Zameen Par, already had the nation in good anticipation. This combined with the publicity given to Aamir’s (over-hyped) physique and supposed eight-pack took the hype to newer altitudes. The marketing team also made sure the bulked-up Aamir was visible in malls and public places. Days before the release, one could see the once-considered reticent Aamir giving interviews on every possible show on every possible channel. Newspapers and websites were flooded with Aamir’s 13 month rigorous training to get his look. Also, to engage a larger segment of the audience, romantic promos augmented the initial action-oriented posters.

The end result of it all had to be a bumper opening for Ghajini. Needless to say, all this wouldn’t have worked so well for another actor; but Aamir’s hysteria is unparalleled and his fan following spans all sections of gender, class and religion. The loose ends of Shahrukh’s “Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi” also proved beneficial for this film and the “thinking” audience thronged the halls to see if Aamir had fared better. For the rest, who weren’t really the star’s fans, they went anyways to see what all the hype was all about!

So how did I find it?

The film is loud and the background score louder. This morning I concurred with my colleague who told me that he left the hall with a heavy head after watching this film. Even the overall music, barring a song or two, is forgettable and below-average by Rahman’s standards. Majority of the songs stand out of the story and merely extend the length of the film.

If action happens to be your genre of choice, you will enjoy the punches and villains being banged on walls and windows. If not, then you’d be sitting at the wrong place for those parts of the movie. What however holds your attention is the narrative; the director manages to engage you through the entire film. When the gore goes heavy, a romantic flashback alters the tone and pace of the movie. In this regard, the editing is slick and crisp. So even if the film could put some of you to sleep, it won’t give you the opportunity to yawn!

In terms of performances, Asin wows with her refreshing act. She lights up the screen and (due apologies to Aamir’s fans) steals the thunder from right under the actor’s nose. It’s a pity she didn’t get her due with the superstar taking most of the credit. You wait for her to come on screen; be it simple acts of helping people around her or faking up her romance with the business tycoon – she portrays the character of affable Kalpana with élan. In fact, it is the flashback sequences in which she appears, that were most enjoyable.

It is surprising that Aamir, known for choosing his films very selectively, opted for this South Indian remake. Even though his character is central to the film, he doesn’t have too many dialogues. As a guy suffering from short term memory loss, he shows his frustration to a degree but doesn’t have much else to do than beat up anyone and everyone coming in his way. Perhaps, the director could have focused more on the confusion and tribulations he faced due to his problem. As the business tycoon in flashbacks, his witty act makes you laugh. But in one of the scenes when giving interviews to international media, he didn’t sound convincing as a magnate. All in all, his performance was satisfactory in the context of the film. He didn’t break any new ground with this, as some people claim. As for achieving the macho look, I don’t think with the support available these days it is such a Herculean task for an actor known for his sincerity and perfectionism.

As the bad guy Ghajini, Pradeep Rawat disappointed; he tried hard to mouth Haryanvi dialogues but was neither effective nor convincing. Perhaps, the movie would have been elevated to another level had the villainy act been more polished.

The cinematography by Ravi K. Chandran was par excellence. And be it the exotic locales of the Guzarish song or dark shots of the climax sequence, he has shot them all brilliantly. The action sequences have a South Indian influence even though some of them are executed well.

Ghajini, as a one time watch, was entertaining even for someone like me not particularly into action movies or Aamir Khan. But the cult status to which it has been elevated is definitely not justified. It is a clearly over-hyped and has garnered undue credit than what it is worth. I’m sure people had higher expectations from Aamir but for fear of being sounding different, no one wants to admit that.

India Divided

“India is my country and all Indians are my brothers and sisters…” so went the pledge we took in school. But years later, I don’t see these thoughts resonating in our people.

In recessionary times like these, rumours and speculation are no longer confined to the corridors of IT companies; these half-truths become published as news on mainstream websites. It’s a pity that without adequate authentication or getting their facts right, panic and hysteria is being created.

This piece of news was as quickly circulated in our organization as it was published by rediff. But what is sadder is how our countrymen responded to it.

Now when I read a piece of news or an article, I generally browse through the comments section to know what other people like me feel about it. It helps to get a better and often varied perspective to the issue at hand.

A masala news as this was bound to get a lot of comments considering IT guys have ready access to the internet. I scrolled below to read the comments and was shocked to read how people had reacted to the posting. As if accusing Narayanmurthy and Azim Premji for recession wasn’t enough, the responses to the comments were no longer even in the context of the article; they had taken their own life.

People who negated the news met with brickbats and were asked for their employee id. Even though some of these comments were comic (increasing lines of code to fake productivity), others were downright abusive. As I moved to the next page of comments, the topic veered to religious conversions, Brahmins, Mayawati, Dalits, Devegowda and everything unrelated to the article.

It is heart-aching to see people in India condemn their fellow citizens at the slightest pretext. We often talk of racism against Indians, whereas in reality we ourselves need to set our act right first. By dividing India on the basis of caste, religion, state, region, we are doing more harm to us than a slowing economy or job layoffs can do.

Adi Ne Bana Di Jodi!

Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi is a commendable attempt by Aditya Chopra to provide the audience a wholesome family entertainer. But let me warn the viewers beforehand. In order for you to enjoy this film, you have to acknowledge the cinematic liberty Adi has taken – he wants us to believe that a wife will not recognize her husband after he shaves off his pencil moustache and undergoes a wardrobe change. But isn’t cinema all about bringing alive a make-believe world! So, just as we embrace a Spiderman or Krisssh, knowing very well that it is fantasy, I’d allow Chopra this expediency.

Through a not-so-long-back flashback sequence, we are introduced to Surinder Sahni who, least expecting, gets to marry the girl he has fallen in love-at-first-sight with. Only problem is, the marriage is a result of circumstances rather than love or even a pondered arrangement. The end result is two individuals, with very different love quotients, set up to live life together.

It is a very interesting premise and what makes it more so is the manner in which Aditya Chopra paints his characters.

Surinder Sahni is a person who is as diffident as it gets, and depicts a love so pure that it is almost incredible. Shahrukh, in this avtar, excels and is at his winsome best. Your heart goes out to him as he goes about his daily chores, or requests his wife to entertain his friends, if she can, he politely adds. In this another scene, where he gazes the lunch box, prepared by his wife, he leaves you in splits. This perfect look of naivety, love & admiration has King Khan’s signature all over it. This and many such brilliant moments etch out the ingenuous character of Surinder Sahni.

On the other hand is Taani, the once-ebullient girl, who is willing to forego her past self to a new life as Surinder’s dutiful wife. But even while she would pack his lunch, clean his room and entertain his guests, because she has “willingly” accepted this marriage, she can’t love her husband and tells him so. There is a real element to Taani’s character and Anushka Sharma brings forth her predicaments with a quiet confidence.

Also, praiseworthy is Vinay Pathak’s portrayal of the loud-mouthed yet sensitive friend of Surinder. Like all his performances before, Pathak makes his character believable. He has some good dialogues to boost of and he fits well in the method of things. It is he who helps Suri transform into Raj, so he can woo his better half by being the “hero” she craves.

This might seem a silly premise and it is actually that, but still Aditya manages to add some substance to it through his screenplay and dialogues. He has generously used SDIPA (Shiamak Davar’s dance school) and their actual instructors to take the story forward. I wasn’t whole-heartedly convinced of Raj’s character as it could have been depicted better from the over-the-top yet inadequate Jat that came across. Also Shahrukh’s performance of this manifestation pales in comparison to the taciturn Suri.
What I think Aditya wanted to show was a clash between the extrovert and the introvert and he was out to (predictably) make the underdog win it. And I think it is this bias that shows.

At a point in time, when I feared that the film would turn into another musical (Dil To Pagal Hai – II), Aditya carefully, and thankfully, steered the screenplay back to the main plot of Suri and Taani. What however, he could have done better was to emphasise more on Suri’s display of love (even though Suri mentions to Bobby that he wants Taani to see it on her own) which would have made the choice Taani makes more convincing. Perhaps Aditya wanted things to be more subtle and left it for the audience to fill in the lines. The end message that he wanted to convey is that, with time and patience love conquers all!

The music, which has always been the hallmark of an Aditya (or Yash) Chopra presentation, is surprisingly understated in the movie. The songs are situational and again far fewer in number in comparison to earlier movies. When I first heard the songs, I found them of a pretty low standard for an Aditya Chopra movie, but after watching the film, they grew on me. In the same breath, let me add that it is still nowhere near the high standards that Yash Raj has set for itself.

The predictable story could have been a damp squib had it not been for splendid performances. The screenplay keeps slipping but picking up soon after at many places. The cinematography is adequate and though there are no Swiss locales to be shot here, Amritsar has been captured well.

As director, Adi Chopra sparkles in a number of places. Consider the scene where Surinder places the rose on the table and then, true to his reticent self, puts it back, or the lunch box scene, or the heart-to-heart tête-à-tête between Suri and Bobby. And I’m sure thanks to Adi, a number of Amristari lads will queue up for being recruited in Punjab Power so they can propose to their girl in the innovative manner Raj does!

In this quite unlike Yash Raj film, the medley song “Hum hain raahi pyaar ke, phir milenge chalte chalte” stands out with high production value. It is a tribute to Bollywood’s yesteryear actors and you wish it goes on and on as one leading actress after another is serenaded by Shahrukh.

No matter whether or not, you like the movie, but please do stay till the end credits roll. Adi had saved the best for the last. Suri’s narration of their honeymoon to Japan is the high point of the movie, it’ll surely make you laugh and you’ll come out of the hall wanting more of the endearing Surinder Sahni!

Miss you Nike!

Ya, that’s what I called my iPod nano – Nike.

I still remember the day when I pulled Nike out of that uber-cool packaging and held it tenderly in my hand, lest it got scratched. The shiny back of the first generation Nano was the first thing I noticed and once I it switched on to see the small display light up in colour, I knew I was in love.

The love affair had actually started a couple of weeks before, when I first saw the pictures of the newly launched iPod – Nano, they called it – on Apple’s website. I had already heard about iPod’s sound quality and I couldn’t wait to have one of my own. It was overpriced considering my budget and I was in a dilemma if I actually needed this expensive music player, when there were cheaper options available. Obviously nothing, at that time, matched the aesthetics of Apple’s products. And the opportunity of possessing the latest from the iPod family (and be able to show it off once I returned back to India) was too hard to resist.

I spent the next hour intuitively playing around with iTunes and added the few mp3 songs that I had on my laptop to my new toy. I hooked up the earphones and caressed the outer wheel with my finger, lightly making a circle on it. The songs scrolled by and the Nano made a light “clik-clik” sound; happiness suddenly had a new sound! And as I played my first songs on Nike, I could not help but marvel at the incredible clarity of the sound that filled my ears.

I’m not one among those persons who blindly copies entire albums from the internet to their music players. I have a distinct, even if eclectic, taste in music and I ensured that unless I really liked a song AND I had entire information about that song, it did not find a place in my Nano. Consequently, I devoted a lot of time in the next days with my audio CDs, internet and iTunes swelling up iPod to a sizeable library.

I noticed the many apparent deficiencies of the iPod Nano – not having an in-the-box charger, no FM Radio, no sound recording, no ability to add tags, no sorting of songs – but I chose to live without them. And this was because iPod did what it did, best – play amazing music! I’m not exactly an audiophile, but I love to hear my music in its pure and brilliant form and Nano did an awesome job of it. In the initial months, it used to stay with me constantly whether I went to office (even though it wasn’t exactly allowed, I fitted neatly in my pocket to go unnoticed) or out on trips. On a bus journey, it made hours go past like minutes. I can’t keep track of how many times I’ve fallen asleep to the tune of my favourite songs playing on this little thing.

I still remember that rainy day very vividly, when I had to urgently be at work and had no means of transport to take me to office. I yelled out to rickshaw-wala outside my apartment and as I settled under the leaky hood of the rickshaw, I carefully pulled out Nike from my pocket. So fond am I of rains and rain songs, that I created a special Genre for Malhar and Classical Songs of Monsoons in it. Just as I played Anand Malhar sung by Kishori Amonkar, I was transported to a different world. Suddenly, the incessant blowing of horns by vehicles around ceased to exist. The only sound that remained was that of the divine notes praising the rains and clouds. It seemed as if the rain drops had started dancing to the exquisite notes of “Barsat Ghan Aayo Rangilo”. It was truly an ecstatic moment and one that will stay with me forever. And I have to thank my iPod Nano for many such special moments.

I’ve had a wonderful time playing the Music Quiz on the Nano, and in fact it is a great way to remind yourself of a certain song that you’d have forgotten existed in your library of some 400 songs. I almost always got all the songs right, considering I had every song hand-picked and tagged correctly.

I’ve had to buy accessories for the bare Nano in the form of a USB charger and an FM transmitter. The FM transmitter is a handy tool which turned my Nano into a mini-radio station; a great way to listen to it on long road trips in my car with an outdated music system. I found the iPod covers available in the market way too pricey. My mother very lovingly made out little sleeves at home, so I could keep my Nike snug. My thoughtful sister brought a cover for it when she came back from USA. I never had the heart to remove the transparent film that came stuck on the front of the Nano, even though it had started peeling off from a side.

A couple of weeks back, after Nike turned 3, my wife least-expecting asked me for a mirror to check her makeup. I polished it against my shirt and held out the shiny back of my Nano to her face. She smiled and I proudly returned it to its case.

Then last week, out with us on a trip, Nike vanished. I got down at a couple of places during the journey and by the time I realized, I couldn’t figure out where it was; the thorough search of the car was in vain. I still cannot come to terms with the fact that I’ve lost my favourite possession. This piece is an ode to Nike – my iPod Nano. I’m not sure when I can replace it but definitely it is a must have for any music lover.

“Raga On” Anyone?

“Rock On” seemed to have become a cult movie already within days of its release. The Monday late-night show in the neighbourhood multiplex (which usually isn’t jam-packed on a weekday) was proof enough that the curiosity had got the better of me & despite a tiring work day, I went on to see what all those rave reviews were about.

I couldn’t agree more to the fact that the movie managed to blend its soundtrack perfectly with the story, without any one overpowering the other. Now I’ve never been a rock fan, but my musical sense thoroughly enjoyed the rock tracks, at least in the context of the movie. What, however, impressed me more was the sincerity of the characters! Each performance in the film was first-grade and I can bet that this is what will keep the movie going. What stood out for me were the performances by Luke Kenny and Prachi Desai.

Luke’s Rob is perhaps the most understated of all the characters. He doesn’t have a wife or a romantic inclination and compared to the opportunities Farhan or Arjun had to show their prowess, Luke’s canvas was limited. And yet he not only stood on his own, his portrayal of a man passionately in love with his music and friends was endearing. Just watch him in the scene when he receives a call from KD (Purab). His eyes light up, his voice can’t contain the excitement and the ecstasy of a long-lost friend calling makes him rush to the balcony. It’s a brief moment, but one that shimmers.

Another one is Prachi trying to sing “Ajeeb Dastan Hai Yeh” – the hesitation, the innocence and the rough edges of her voice used to great effect! She brilliantly manages to bring forth her character, that of a dedicated wife who finally begins to understand her husband and his dreams, through this moment.

 (I will now completely digress from what I started with.) 

It was also this particular scene that got me thinking of why Indian Classical Music doesn’t bring about the same passion as Rock Music does. My guess is that the houseful multiplex would have been devoid of an audience had a similar film with Hindustani music as the theme been shown. I’m not trying to put any genre of music above the other. What follows are just some observations from someone who doesn’t get to hear too much of his musical taste in the public domain.

Though even in new age Bollywood, some songs are inspired by Shastriya Sangeet, the brilliance of our musical heritage is limited to a Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s Devdas or Mahesh Dattani’s Morning Raga (albeit it was more fusion than pure classical). I was looking forward to Jodha Akbar to recreate the Tansen era in its full musical grandeur. However despite good songs, it was a far cry from the expectations a classical music fan would have had from it.

I do not entirely blame the Bollywood fraternity from shying away from embracing classical music in a big way. They deliver what the public wants. I’m often surprised how very few Indians enjoy a classical raga-based bandish or a thumri. Most of the people around me think of classical music as a musical affliction, consider the case in point.

DD Bharati is Doordarshan’s endeavour to promote Indian heritage and, once in a while, it does beam some really good archival recordings of Classical stalwarts. But the channel is lost in obscurity in the sea of MTV’s and Channel V’s. And when I switch on this channel in the presence of family or friends, I get responses ranging to shock to repulsiveness and in almost all cases I have to flip the channel.

There have been attempts where popular artistes have tried their hand at trying to blend classical with popular music such as Shubha Mudgal, Pohankar father-son duo (Piya Bawari) or the recent “Classically Mild” album by Sonu Nigam. The success has not been overwhelming; in case of Sonu it was a let down, and this perhaps explains why such initiatives are far and few.

Organizations such as SPIC-MACAY have been doing their bit by conducting classical concerts, even though largely concentrated in metro cities like Delhi. At one such concert where Kishori Amonkar performed, I was amazed to an impressive crowd turn up. It was one of the few moments when I realized that I am not alone in my love for Hindustani Classical. But I had my sister along with me, whose stolid behaviour constantly reminded me otherwise. Perhaps Kishori ji read her mind when rebuked the audience, who were also getting fidgety towards the end of the hour long performance, that these days people were lacking the discipline while attending a concert.

I’m not sure if like the cyclical nature of all things, we would ever get back to roots of our muscial traditions. But I’m keeping my fingers crossed for a “Raga On” meeting with the success of “Rock On” and winning the adulation of a progressing India.

Bollywood 2007

Thanks to a friend who is a big movie-buff, the last 12 months saw me watching more movies than I ever have (Can you imagine I even sat through “Cash”, a movie where neither the cast and crew nor the audience had a clue of what was happening in it!). So it becomes natural to wrap up the year with my Bollywood moments of 2007.

A relatively unknown line-up of directors ruled the marquee in 2007, as the Yash Chopras and Subhash Ghais took a backseat and focused on their production houses. The debutante directors nurtured their nascent ideas into experiential (I’d rather use this word than the cliché “experimental”) films like “Honeymoon Travels Pvt. Ltd.” (Reema Kagti), “Bheja Fry” (Sagar Ballary) and “Taare Zameen Par” (Aamir Khan), to name a few. Even though they may not have raked in big moolah, they did get the attention of an audience who is developing an appetite for offbeat subjects which, in fact, are closer to life.

While 2007 brought many character artists to the forefront, the not-so-popular mainstream actors were not hesitant to play smaller roles. This was primarily because storylines moved from a linear format to parallel threads strung together at some points. “Life in a… Metro” is a case in point, where disparate episodes blended into each other against the backdrop of a metropolitan. The movie brilliantly captured the emotions of a changing world. Another such film which relied heavily on characterizations rather a mono-toned story was “Honeymoon Travels”.

Surprisingly, conventional romance was placed on the backburner in 2007. The exception to this was “Jab We Met”, which ironically coincided with the lead pair un-meeting in real life. The movie with its witty dialogues, captivating screenplay and sprinkling of family drama ensured that the audiences were entertained. It was one of the rare movies this year that made me revisit the theatre for a repeat show. In a year, where a movie and its music did not meet with simultaneous success, this movie again was an exception.

The lyrical “The Namesake” (even though not Bollywood) was one movie that warmed my heart with its theme and performances. Tabu’s poignant portrayal of Ashima could easily be termed as one of the best performances this year. Also remarkable was her character in “Cheeni Kum”, a cute romantic comedy. The hatke-love story, fortunately, didn’t meet with resistance in a country where the lyrics of a song can raise political emotions.

My taste of comedy came in the form of “Dhamaal”, a desi version of “It’s a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World”. Even though some scenes were straight lifts from the original, it was a funny movie. Especially commendable was Javed Jaffery’s performance, which deserves the award for Best Actor in a Comic Role. A so-called psycho thriller “Bhool Bhulaiyya” with its ensemble cast was a strictly one-time watch. “Om Shanti Om”, for all its hype and masala, was again just above average. Take out SRK from the film and I doubt if it will find any takers.

This year also saw the Yash Chopra clan churning out movies like RGV’s Factory, even though they were entertainers unlike RGV’s insipid cinema. However, the effect of mass production is visible on the quality of Yash Raj Films. How else would you explain their “Jhoom Barabar Jhoom”, a movie which was inanity at its cinematic best? Even though the movie had one of the most mellifluous tracks of the year – “Bol Na Halke Halke” as well as the groovy title track, the music couldn’t rescue the film. I however liked their other 3 family dramas – “Ta Ra Rum Pum”, “Laaga Chunari Mein Daag” and “Aaja Nachle” – even if expectations were higher. It is high time that Adi Chopra comes out of his directorial hiatus; he still seems to wonder how he can live up to DDLJ expectations after “Mohabattein”.

The path-breaking movie of the year definitely was “Chak De! India” which not only won critical acclaims but also set the box office registers ringing. However, I don’t see too many movies in the sports genre repeating its success because there is only a limited variation you can bring in to the subject of underdogs winning the final battle and comparisons are inevitable. “Dhan Dhana Dhan Goal”, which looked like a poor cousin to Chak De, sank because of this despite the fact that it was above average fare.

Also in the same league as Chak De, “Taare Zameen Par” went against conventional Bollywood rules. There was no heroine romancing the hero, no item numbers or grand sets, just songs which complemented the screenplay, and a meaningful story with a message. In both the films, casting plays a great role in ensuring their success. The research and vision of the directors and their conviction in their subject makes the movies the masterpieces they are. I sincerely hope that more such films continue to entertain us.

I missed out on quite a few movies but intend to catch up on these – “Saawariya”, “Gandhi, My Father”, “Dharm”, “Johnny Gaddaar” and “Manorama Six Feet Under”.

Bollywood is constantly evolving, new subjects are being explored and different genres being explored. In all this, I just have 2 issues.

One is the mind-boggling crores that our actors are beginning to charge for their movies. There is no rationale that the actors encash their superstar status in such a brazen manner. Eventually, it is the audiences that will have to bear the brunt by shelling out more money. And I think it is unjust for the movie-goer who has already seen a multifold increase in the ticket prices in the last few years.

Second is the constantly shortening shelf-life of film music. There was a time when songs reigned the charts for months (even years in some cases). Now all it takes is a couple of weeks for a song to be forgotten and get dumped into Gigabytes of never-to-be-heard-again songs. If there’s a flip side to the new wave of Bollywood films, it is that they don’t have permanence in music. And for someone for whom Bollywood music is the bridge to Indian classical, there is a dearth of semi-classical songs that Hindi movies were once replete with. I hope there are musically-inclined people in our Indian film industry that can tap the vast heritage of Hindustani and Carnatic music and fill this void.

Looking forward to an even better Bollywood in 2008!

SMS Freak!

How many of us would spend 15-20 minutes in composing an SMS? Well, call me a freak, but I do!

This Diwali, much like other festivals, I gave the fancy forwards I’d received a miss and decided to give a personal touch by keying in my wishes, replete with special symbols. It turned out to be a futile (and heartbreaking at that) exercise as none of the 35-40 recipients got any text, just a blank SMS (atleast that’s what the 5 people, who were kind enough to inform me, had to say). And this when I thought, I had learnt my lessons from the past…

When I first got this mobile phone with multilingual capability, I was pretty excited that now I could type SMS in my national language. So when I woke on this cold Lohri morning, I thought it was a good option to stay in the warmth of my quilt and type my Lohri greetings in Hindi. It turned out to be quite a workout for my fingers and revision of Hindi “varnamala” (alphabets).

For instance, to arrive at ‘m’ as in मेरे (“mere”), I had to mentally recite “प फ ब भ म” and try a couple of numbers to know that it was not 6 (keypad prominently displayed MNO for help), but number 8 that I had to press 5 times! At the end of a good half an hour, I was pleased with the results. I had managed to amalgamate Hindi and Punjabi into a couple of lines that seemed to fit into 160 characters.

It didn’t take too long before my pride came crashing down as people replied back saying they received just boxes or absolutely no text as SMS. The monthly bill later revealed that Airtel considered the Hindi alphabets more than 160 characters even though hardly anyone was able to read anything of it! From that moment on, I decided to give Devnagari script a miss for Short Messaging Service.

Special occasions apart, I put in some effort for even my everyday SMS. For one, I don’t like SMS short-hand; which means you is ‘you’ and not ‘u’, see is ’see’ and not ‘c’. And it just doesn’t at “See you at 6.” I find it difficult to end the SMS in a short single line even if it sufficient to convey the message. Brevity be damned, it just doesn’t seem “paisa-vasool” to me!

The underlying thought is – when I’m being charged the full amount for 20 characters as for 160, I might as well go on and add another 100 to ask about the weather or communicate more details. End result – most of my SMS-es are in the range of 150-160 characters.

So a “c u at 6″ would, for me, turn out as 

“Hi, woke up just now. Hope the day’s going well. See you around 6 pm today. Is it possible for you to pick 1 litre of toned milk on the way to my place? “

Of course there are exceptions, but they too revolve around the 160 rule. I might give the ‘you’ a miss if I see my SMS is getting into 162 characters. So I would go back and adopt the ‘u’ even if it means a minute more and a li’l more exercise for my fingers.

Scoorge McDuck would be so proud of me!

India Poised to India Realised through SMS?

When I first read about ”Lead India” – an initiative of The Times Of India, I thought it was a step in the right direction. To me it then meant that as a responsible media house, the Times Group was leveraging its power and reach to make a difference in the way a nation is being lead. But as I read more, I found it odd that all they were eventually looking at was to identify a single person (in a country of over a billion), give him/her Rs. 50 lakh for a welfare project & “place them at the doorstep of opportunity to participate in the next Lok Sabha polls”!

The process of selecting this leader is inspired by these oh-so-popular singing competitions that have seem to have become the bread-n-butter of our television channels. So SMS it is, and TOI is no leaving no stone (page) unturned to garner SMSes for these contestants.

Right now, the eight finalists are seeking votes from the nation & one is supposed to decide who will do more good for the nation than the other by watching them as part of a (believe-it-or-not!) reality show on TV. I don’t know what to expect from this show but proceedings so far give me a feeling this is going to be a variant of “Indian Idol” with quality losing to quantity.

I have a problem here.

 The very fact that an initiative like this is being treated like a “Miss India” beauty paegant or an “Indian Idol” run, demeans its spirit. Here we had courageous citizens who dreamt of making a difference to India, who thought they had found a platform to do their bit for the nation. Instead, they were labelled contestants, as if they were to run for a race. Each contestant was supposed to outsmart the other by voicing their views on national issues (Almost like the idealistic GDs one participates in at the time of seeking a job or admission for MBA). TOI had a brilliant concept at hand and they should have steered it in a different direction.

In place of going from shortlisting 3 “semi-finalists” from 8 zones, they should have had the jury select a Taskforce of 100 (or even more) “Realisers” from each city. Looking at the publicity TOI has managed for ”Lead India”, I’m sure getting sponsorships for welfare projects would not have an ardent task. Perhaps, in place of looking at national/regional parties offering election tickets to the winners, they could have forged partnerships with India’s leading corporate houses to take up group initiatives with this army of “Realisers”. The true power of such a campaign could have been realised through working at the grassroot levels than heading for the Parliament House.

I might be unrealistic in my idea of it all but I surely know that a handful of genuine people in politics cannot make any remarkable contributions in the running of this country. The true leaders of India have been outside of the politicial system (take the case of Narayan Murthy or A. P. J. Abdul Kalam). Politics in our country, looking at the current state of affairs, will only tie down the hands of these emerging leaders.

Media has immense potential to make a difference. Let us hope TOI can tide over mere hype & SMS to deliver their dream of “India Poised to India Realised”.