Category: The Beauty of Art


23.

Filed Under: Fourth Dimensions, The Beauty of Art, Voice of the Winds by Ram Anand — Leave a comment
November 7, 2011

I WAS born on November 8, 1988. Yes, in two days’ time I will be celebrating my 23rd birthday. Maybe celebrating isn’t the right word to use. I am approaching this birthday in a way quite different to all my previous ones. With a profound sense of gratification- the kind of maturity that life infuses in you as you get more experienced. Yes, it’s not about getting older, it’s rather about getting more experienced.

My view of life has been rather monotonous, albeit with constant drama. Being a passenger has never been my cup of tea. Like a spiritual guru once said, life is like a caravan. But a caravan has so many seats. You can sit comfortably at the back and enjoy the ride. Or you can side at the first passenger’s side. The question is- are you aware of your seating? I knew I wanted to be the driver. It hasn’t been easy driving my own caravan for 23 years. There were terrains, roads, and mountains. And there were times the caravan was plunging blindly into a dark alley.

But if life had ten mountains, I probably have just finished crossing the first. I’m nowehere near done, or nowhere near my destination. But the first one was always going to be the most difficult one. If life’s ride is defined by a rainbow, then I have seen all the colours, tasted each one of them. So I do have a faint idea how to climb the next mountain- and I will be climbing it without any confirmed expectations as to what I will see at the peak. Life has an ironic way of rewarding us. It’s always good to admit that we don’t know. Because we can be pleasantly surprised.

Those who knew me well enough, probably would have expected me to come out with few more articles before the launch. Yes, I have plenty to say still, but now that I have a craft on my hands, I think I’m going to let my firstborn do the talking instead.

I’m writing this today because this will be a crucial week. Tomorrow is the birthday of someone very special. No, it’s not the ‘special’ that you thought about. There is this man, his name is Kamal Haasan. Yes, it is ironic that I was born just a day after he had done. Probably it is my way of viewing every single thing in life as a miracle.

To say that he is an inspiration is an understatement. He started this whole dream inside me. This dream to tell stories to the whole world, to do something new with every move, even if that meant failure. I, just like Kamal did when he was 21, thought of slitting my wrists because no-one in this world would understand or relate with our ideas. But then again, also like he did, I found some fellow craftsmen who reinforced the fire and passion inside me. Even when it was pitch dark, I kept going. Because the lamp that I lit doesn’t lie on the side of the road, but rather within me. It’s something no-one can take away from me.

Kamal once told a bunch of students that he doesn’t view Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi as an inspiration or a guru, but rather as a peer. Kamal Haasan, similarly, is my peer. Because I know we share similar ideas, similar passion.

Yes, the latter was a man who features prominently in the history of this world. But like Kamal said, that doesn’t mean we need to be in a lower dais. I, too, like this dais. This arrangement. There is a spectrum called cinema, and Kamal is trying to make this world a better place within his small enclosure of cinema. Yes, I’ve only written a book, but within my 200 pages of literature, I too, am trying to make this world a better place to live in.

My birthday is nothing but a summary of all my surroundings, all that I have absorbed over the years. The hard and good times I have went through. All the stories I have heard and listened. I am but a sum figure of all these stories built around me.

And then we have the book launch on November 12. As I said, let the firstborn do the talking.

I will not be writing any articles for the next six days till after the launch. I guess its time for some serenity. But in the meantime, if you have an ear for music, and do not have an existing bias with Bollywood, you can click on the link below (subtitles provided):

Some seven years ago as well, this song made be believe that sometimes great minds think alike. The lyrics resonated similarly to the first poem I ever wrote when I was 16.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zKgm_wPh1HU&feature=related

Oh, my dear travellers, keep travelling.

And remember, we are not here to make ourselves shine brighter than others. We are here make each other shine as brightly as the next.

Comment

Why, Malaysia?

Filed Under: Fourth Dimensions, The Beauty of Art, Voice of the Winds by Ram Anand — 3 Comments
November 4, 2011

I have one good friend. He is gay. No, he is not a friend that I ever attempted to avoid. In fact, I go to him whenever I need guidance and advise about the choices I make in life. If anything, he’s the busier one among the two of us. I set up appointments to make sure I keep in touch with him. He doesn’t gossip. He doesn’t fling his fingers around and bitch about his colleagues or friends to me. He doesn’t have an obsession with muscles. He is not effeminate, nor is he masculine. He is successful, very successful, I would say. He’s a Hindu, but he has studied Islam. He has been a Christian missionary. He doesn’t have anything against religion. He never deviated from the path of God. If anything, he has more spirituality than I do. But people think I’m normal, whilst he is not.

Why, Malaysia?

I know of this one organization- an organization where hundreds of people call in everyday seeking for help. No, they are not seeking pardon from Lord for who they are. But they call in to have their voices heard, beneath the cloak they wear everyday when they walk to be part of the society. They are on the brink of destruction. They feel like jumping off buildings. Some lost their jobs because of who they are. Some lose friends, family. Most are stripped off their dignity. They want to slit their wrists. So they call in, hanging on to one last final thread. All they want to hear is one thing- that there are others like them out there. They are not alone. But this organization does not operate openly. They do it quietly, like an unwanted stash hidden somewhere under the surface of a society. When we sleep, there are plenty of tears here, stories of unrivalled misery and difficulty.

Isn’t it supposed to be very easy? Like they say, it’s a disease, a disorder of sorts that stems of deviating from a right path. Maybe when they lose jobs and are shunned to a corner, they could just wipe their tears and seek remorse? Go back to being ‘normal’? But still they don’t see a life for themselves in such situations. They see it as the end.

Why, Malaysia?

I do not know the answers to what’s right or what’s wrong. I’m not pretending like I do. If these acts are indeed wrong, why aren’t we letting God decide? Why are we trying to do God’s job? Is it okay to hurt and shun another person who did no harm to you, or to any other person for that matter, just because you ‘think’ it’s wrong?

I look up at them. Yes, I do. Probably some might even think there’s nothing we can learn from them. Probably there is. Because we take so many things for granted in life. We coast through life without as much as swimming or in some cases, not even bothering to know what a struggle actually means. The society has its uniforms, and we wear it everyday, making rounds and repeating our daily routines. And when we fall into a pit, like most of us do at some point of time, we whine and grapple to find a holder that can hoist us back up. We have the luxury of choosing our struggles. They probably don’t.

Can you imagine being stopped from loving someone? To love someone but unable to hold their hands? Or even loving someone with the knowledge that you can’t plan a future with him or her?

Or maybe if you think they are wrong to be who they are, why not live your life well and dignified to demonstrate that your path pays dividends? Why make a noise when others are not in tandem with you?

Probably because we are scared. We are afraid of that little of change, that little bit of acceptance. We are afraid because we might look in the mirror and feel our struggle is nothing compared to theirs. That our lives resemble cowardice compared to theirs. So we make them as our struggle.

But in this process, are we learning? If you are normal, you might not need to accept them, but the least you can do is to always open to your mind to what you can learn from your surroundings. Isn’t that the whole purpose of life itself, to learn and evolve with time?

No, not all gays couples comprise of effeminate and ultra masculine combinations. Not all transsexuals bitch and whine. Not all of them come from a poor upbringing. Then again, are we forgetting that even among us normal people, there are negative and positive characters?

Why, your thief, your carjacker, your acid splasher; are they not ‘normal’ people? Do we use some select characteristics to paint the same picture on an entire group of people? If that’s the case; all of us are robbers, murderers, and molesters, no?

What picture comes to your head when we talk about homosexuals? Is it that of a man kissing another man, or a woman kissing another woman?

That’s called sex. The word gender has a different meaning. If you think of sex while talking about gender, are we a generation who have completely thrown the crucial element called ‘love’ out of the window?

We marry and divorce as easy as the passing clouds. But they fight hard to keep even a single relationship going. To be accepted by friends and family. Why are we on our high horses? Do we know, or feel, what they went through or are going through?

Even if that is a disease, do you look down upon a person who has cancer?

Why, oh why Malaysia, are you so ignorant?

Comment

Best of the decade- Hindi cinema

Filed Under: Fourth Dimensions, The Beauty of Art, Voice of the Winds by Ram Anand — Leave a comment
October 25, 2011

It’s Deepavali eve, and I have completed my compilation of ten best movies of the past decade in Bollywood. However, in order to remain true to the spirit of Indian cinema, I’m calling this Hindi cinema and not by its cheap moniker called Bollywood. There are notable absentees in this list, the most telling one being Ashutosh Gowariker’s ‘Lagaan’ and Deepa Mehta’s ‘Water’, both which were highly acclaimed and got close to Oscar glory.

I have also left out Kamal Hassan’s masterpiece ‘Hey Ram’ because I have already featured it in my Tamil-language compilation. Otherwise, ‘Hey Ram’ clearly has a special place somewhere beyond this following list.

10. Black (2005)

Director: Sanjay Leela Bhansali

Cast: Amitabh Bachchan, Rani Mukherji.

Plenty of critics would argue that this film deserves to be higher up the ranking, or maybe even in a no.1 position. But I have always maintained that you can’t simply call a film ‘the best’ because it attempts to be different or features very unique performances alone. The main reason why Black only got as far as no.10 in my list is because the film can get a little slow in narration at times and it takes a patient viewer to enjoy it, and even more patient to be able to enjoy repetitive viewing.

Black tells the story of a blind and deaf Anglo-Indian girl, whose family contemplate sending her to the school for special kids until they hire an erratic old teacher from a special kids’ school to personally tutor their out-of-control daughter. What follows is a series of events that tightens the special bond between tutor and protégé, and when the old man starts suffering from Alzheimer’s, his protégé takes it upon herself to help him recuperate.

The film’s features some of the best performances of the decade, especially from Rani Mukherji who played the role of a blind and deaf woman. Amitabh matches her with his brilliant performance as an erratic teacher who later has Alzheimer’s. Sanjay Leela Bhansali, the king of melodrama, allows the film to flow on its own, and his choice of location and backdrop of an Anglo-Indian family also suits the film perfectly.

Black is an aesthetically rich film that will delight any cinemagoer, and deserved all the awards that came its way. And it is by far SLB’s career best work.

9. Delhi-6 (2009)

Director: Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra

Cast: Abhishek Bachchan, Sonam Kapoor, Waheeda Rahman.

This movie had a mixed reception when it came out, but in my opinion, a clearly re-hashed ending does not mean that Delhi-6 becomes any less awesome than it is. Many people might have gone to the theatres expecting to see another ‘Rang de Basanti’, but just because the movie does not feature action and aggressive patriotism does not mean that it lacks soul. In fact, if you could appreciate the subtlety, it has more soul than most movies put together.

The movie is about an American NRI who accompanies his ailing grandmother back to her old hometown in downtown Delhi. He becomes a passive observer as the different facets of the society unfolds in front of his eyes, from a pair of bickering neighbor brothers, an wannabe actress, and also the nuisance of the ‘Kaala Bandar’, a mysterious monkey-like creature which commits theft and injures people.

The film is best social commentary of the past decade, and probably Indian viewers felt the sting because no other movie attempted to be so honest in stripping naked the hypocrisy of the Indian culture. There is one classic scene when a man glorifies how Lord Rama is equal to all beings but shuns away someone who is from a lower caste in his own society.

Abhishek’s role is that of a passive observer, something that did not go down well with many Indian audiences, but that is the core element of the film, and he plays the role brilliantly. Sonam’s character is slightly annoying but she plays it well. AR Rahman’s musical score is one of the best, even though the movie did not do justice to all those great tracks.

The movie is about loving something despite its imperfections and trying to make a change. Atul Kulkarni’s climax monologue is worth remembering, while the whole allegory to ‘Kaala Bandar’ and how it relates back to the society is also brilliantly written.

8. Dev D (2009)

Director: Anurag Kashyap

Cast: Abhay Deol, Mahi Gill, Kalki Koechlin

At some point of your life, you might have come across a spoilt rich brat, who is an absolute ass, and chose not to be too close to him or her. If you wanted a peek on how their personal life would be like then Dev D is one great watch.

With raw honesty, the film tells the story of a lustful son of a millionaire, who gets heartbroken when his childhood love marries an older rich guy. He turns to alcohol, drugs, and prostitutes- one of them being Saro, a girl who decides to enter the prostitution business after a MMS scandal featuring her making out with her boyfriend spreads like a wildfire, causing shame to her middle class parents, who subsequently disown her.

The film is a modern day adaptation of a classic 1917 novel Devdas, but its modern twist written by Abhay Deol himself along with Anurag Kashyap makes it very much relevant.

With some serious badass acting from all involved, a very straightforward direction, and a cult musical score, this film walked away with plenty of acclaim and also a good box office performance.

7. Taare Zameen Par (Stars On Earth) (2007)

Director: Aamir Khan

Cast: Darsheel Safary, Aamir Khan.

You’ve got to give to Aamir Khan for knowing the exact pulse of his audiences. In hardly unexplored theme, the movie tells the story of a dyslexic kid, whose parents almost lose faith in (not realizing that he is dyslexic), and how his teacher helps him attain that awareness and subsequently play to his strengths.

A simple film that would delight audiences from all walks of life, Taare Zameen Par was like the perfect Disney film, with the right amount of tartness and sweeteness and makes it feel like a small fairytale. There are plenty of emotional scenes, all powered by an excellent performance from child actor Darsheel Safary.

Aamir Khan steers the vessel with immaculate ability in his maiden directorial venture, and also through his dialogues tackles a very essential factor of the Indians’ result-oriented mentality when it comes to education.

6. Omkara (2006)

Director: Vishal Bhardwaj

Cast: Ajay Devgan, Saif Ali Khan, Vivek Oberoi, Kareena Kapoor.

Here, Hindi cinema proved that they make Shakespeare’s work look great even in the celluloid of the much-maligned Bollywood-ish routine. Set in a dry land in Uttar Pradesh, this adaptation of ‘Othello’ is about a local gang leader who chooses one deputy over another to succeed him.

The left out deputy hatches a devious plot to incite hatred and jealousy among his leader, his first deputy and also his leader’s ladylove, resulting in a tragic ending for all involved.

The setting and backdrop helps the film a great deal, bringing out the dark mood that is maintained throughout, while the star-studded cast does not disappoint one bit. Vishal Bhardwaj’s script is the work of a genius and pays genuine tribute to Shakespeare’s work.

5. Guru (2007)

Director: Mani Ratnam

Cast: Abhishek Bachchan, Aishwarya Rai.

Guru, by a distance is not Mani Ratnam’s finest but it certainly is Abhishek Bachchan’s best performance to date. In a decade where Bollywood had moved to multi-starrers, dual roles and stretching performances had gone out of trend. That was until Abhishek made his critics eat their own words by displaying so many different shades in a narration, which documented a man’s rise from the age of 30 till he was 60.

The film told the story of an industrialist wannabe who starts his life in Mumbai as virtually a nobody but works his way up, by sometimes being ruthless and cunning, but ultimately creating an industry that helped created thousands of job opportunities, at the expense of some very personal losses.

Abhishek was meteoric in the lead performance, and so was Aishwarya, who played the role of his older but fiercely loyal wife. The film had an ensemble startcast, and everyone else, including Madhavan and Vidya Balan did justice to their well written but rather short parts.

The master filmmaker that is Mani Ratnam has written many scenes that are worth applauding, and that is reason enough to make this an excellent film.

4. Chak de India (Buck up India) (2007)

Director: Shimit Amin

Cast: Shah Rukh Khan, Vidya Malvade

Definitely not your typical Shahrukh movie, as it did not come with incredible hype like most SRK films do, but it definitely made a wave at both of the box office and among critics. One of the most likeable films of the decade, Chak de was a sports film with a difference.

The film told the story of a disgraced former Indian national hockey team captain, who attempts to make a comeback by coaching the national women’s team to World Cup glory.

The film is extremely well shot, as all the actors genuinely practiced hockey and the hockey game scenes were shot with great authenticity. Sharukh delivers an incredible performance, somewhat restrained as the bearded, disgraced coach trying to redeem his pride. The film does not have the typical song-and-dance routine but is instead a simply well made sports film. Easily Hindi cinema’s best sports film of the decade.

3. 3 Idiots (2009)

Director: Rajkumar Hirani

Cast: Aamir Khan, R Madhavan, Sharman Joshi

A loose adaptation of Chetan Bhagat’s novel, 3 Idiots upon release went on to make an absolute splash for an entire generation. This is a movie that was a massive cult hit, with the dialogues still reverberating among the younger Indian generation until now.

The film told the story of an off-the-beat student at a highly respected engineering college in India, whose dean is a strict disciplinarian. This student comes in and changes the whole complexion of the education system there- he does things creatively with plenty of hands-on approaches yet still becomes a class topper. He befriends two of the lowest ranked students in the class, both of whom do not feel like they belong at the institute at the first place. And this results in a comical merry go round.

This film is a tale of friendship, love, and above all celebrates a different form of education, one that is less rigid and more expressive. The film has everything- from rich visuals, plenty of genuinely funny moments, some great acting, and plenty of evergreen dialogues.

Watching this would definitely make your day and make you want to come back to the film. A masterpiece, and a movie of a generation.

2. Rang de Basanti (Paint it Saffron) (2005)

Director: Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra

Cast: Aamir Khan, R Madhavan, Soha Ali Khan, Kunal Kapoor, Siddharth.

Another massive cult hit. RDB told the story of five carefree youths who get extremely frustrated and takes up arms after an army pilot friend of theirs dies in a plane crash but is later labeled by a corrupt minister as a bad pilot in order to hide his own corrupt practices.

Exquisitely written and directed with panache, the film moved an entire generation when it came out. There are scenes that will make you weep, and no film in the past decade highlighted the pain of losing a loved one better than this film. The frustrations that drives these youths over the edge is also highly relatable. The ensemble cast is perfect, everyone do an excellent job, including Madhavan, who made a simple cameo but left the greatest impact.

Siddharth does his role so well that he overshadows the veteran Aamir Khan himself. Rakesh Mehra’s direction, embedded with AR Rahman’s fresh musical score, all worked in favor of the film. Hardly a single flaw existed in the whole movie. A class above.

1. Swades (Motherland) (2004)

Director: Ashutosh Gowariker

Cast: Shah Rukh Khan, Gayatri Joshi.

The film gives a feel of nostalgia. Ashutosh, the director, has not made a good film for nearly four years now and has completely dropped off the radar, while Gayatri Joshi became a one-film wonder. This was the one and only film in which she acted, leaving the audiences wanting for more. The bertrayal of the decade is the fact that this movie flopped at the box office. But it subsequently became a cult flick, attracting an almost universal critical acclaim.

Patriotism never had a better advert than the story of a NASA scientist who falls in love with the deepest, most rundown areas of India. The film had some gut wrenching scenes that depicted poverty in India, but at the same time celebrated the sense of culture that exists in the country and the sense of purpose that the scientist finds back in his motherland. Shah Rukh Khan, sans his typical machoness, proves that he can act according to the script alone with a very controlled performance that bought tears and memories for plenty other NRIs all over the world.

‘Yun Hi Chala’ was the best music video in the industry over the past decade, while AR Rahman’s subtle musical score makes it, in my opinion, the best album in Hindi cinema history.

A story about humanity will always remain strong in the memories of people. The true masterpiece of the decade.

Tags: , ,
Comment

Best of the decade- Tamil cinema.

Filed Under: Fourth Dimensions, The Beauty of Art, Voice of the Winds by Ram Anand — 3 Comments
October 23, 2011

The following is strictly my take based on the Tamil films I have watched over the last decade (2000-2010, 2011 not included). First and foremost, many Tamil cinema connoisseurs will argue to have some of Bala’s films to be included in the list. The glaring absence in my list is Bala’s films, as I still consider he makes his films a tragedy for the sake of it, without any proper justification behind it (the recent Avan Ivan ending reaffirmed this belief). Though I have appreciated his work, they are nowhere near good enough to feature in this list.

Similarly, Shankar, the box office kingmaker, does not feature in this list. He still lacks originality, and his executions are nothing but that of a commercial filmmaker who makes his films with greater budget and flair. The screenplay of his films still represents the archetypical Tamil film hero-villain-heroine graph.

10. Evano Oruvan (That common man) (2009)

Direction: Nishikant Kamath

Cast: R. Madhavan, Sangeetha, Seeman.

Easily one of the forgotten films of the decade, Evano Oruvan was Madhavan’s maiden production venture, and a remake of award-winning Marathi film ‘Dombvilli Fast’. It created nothing but a small ripple in the box office when it released, but it is fair to say that has been the case with most of the greatest Tamil films that has been made.

The film told the story of a middle-class husband and father whose frustration with the whole corrupt system pushes him over the edge, leading to him murdering those whom he despised. The film’s specialty is that it tells a story of a man who does not plan nor organize his crimes, but instead simply kills out of frustration and later roams like a headless chicken, lost. Despite that, the police force goes berserk trying to track him down, exposing the glaring dysfunctional system that is in place.

The film features an unforgettable monologue by Madhavan delivered at the middle of a pavement while talking to a disabled painter, in which he talks about dreams, frustrations, and yet eloquently rants about how the need for security compromises one’s dreams. The film’s protagonist is a character that best epitomized the frustrations that exists in our society today.

Madhavan delivers a performance of a lifetime, which in my opinion surpassed his portrayal of Inbasekaran in Mani Ratnam’s Aayitha Ezhuttu. Seeman also delivers a talismanic performance as the police officer that tails the protagonist.

9. Raavanan (The Devil) (2010)

Director: Mani Ratnam

Cast: Vikram, Aishwarya Rai, Prithviraj, Prabhu.

This is a movie that divided opinions when it released last year. But if we were to forward a decade or two, I am pretty sure this movie will be a celebrated epic, just like the impact Mani’s Iruvar has left more than a decade after its release.

Raavanan, which told the story about a tribal leader who abducts the pretty, strong-willed wife of a self-obsessed policeman, was a visual poetry in motion. The camera captured the tiniest details, and even though the story was wafer-thin, the manner with which the story was told was second to none.

The acting was top notch, from Vikram to Prabhu to Prithviraj, everyone delivered a talismanic performance in the two-hour movie. The music by AR Rahman was a landmark, including a aesthetically captured ‘Usure Pogudhey’, which for me was the best music video of the decade.

Cinematography is this film remains one of the best you’ll ever see in an Indian movie, with the ‘Naan Varuvene’ track at the end of the movie sure to haunt you. Apart from all this, the film brilliantly used the backdrop of a religious epic to explore the grey shades of humans.

The film might not have found its takers financially, but intellectually it will linger on in our memories for a long time.

8. Pudhupettai (The new area) (2006)

Director: Selva Raghavan

Cast: Dhanush, Sonia Agarwal, Sneha.

Another movie that did not exactly set the box office on fire when it was released. The dominating argument against this movie was a ridiculous one, that the lead actor Dhanush was nowhere near ‘muscular’ enough to don the lead role of a mafia leader.

Pudhupettai was an epic on so many levels, it told the story of a thin slum schoolboy who runs away from home after realizing that his father murdered his mother. Becoming a beggar without choice, he later gets accidentally acquainted with a drug smuggling underground mafia, and from then on makes a meteoric rise to become a gang leader.

The core theme of the movie is about how a physical misfit can still make it in the ruthless mafia world. Sneha boldly plays the role of a prostitute, while the overall mood and music of the film is spot-on for a movie that explored the darker shades of our society.

The ending was worth weighing in gold, as was Selva’s handling of the script. Easily one of Selva Raghavan’s best works so far, Pudhupettai remains the best modern ‘Godfather’ I have seen in Indian cinema.

7. Paruthi Veeran (The Village Warrior) (2006)

Director: Ameer Sultan

Cast: Karthi, Priya Mani.

Writing about this movie reminds me what a shame it has been that Ameer left direction after directing this National Award winning movie. He has not been seen for a good five years now, though his next directorial venture is set to release.

The film tells the story of an anti-hero, a small village thief in Madurai, who works hand in hand with his equally corrupt uncle. Like a tragedy of Shakespearean proportion set in the dry lands of Madurai, this three-hour film narrates the downfall of this man as he falls hopelessly in love with his first cousin.

Karthi, despite being a debutant, delivers a lifetime performance accompanied by an matching performance by Priyamani, who went on to win a National Award for her performance.

This is one of the rawest film of the decade, with gruesome village violence showing the audiences the darker side of village life compared to the typical culture, tradition, and comfort that is shown in most Tamil films.

This film will leave a lump on your throat, which is a very rare achievement coming from a Tamil movie. The ending, in spite of its violence easily portrays of the best poetic justice dished out in recent memory. Classic.

6. Vaaranam Aayiram (Strength of a Thousand Elephants) (2008)

Director: Gautham Menon

Cast: Surya, Sameera Reddy, Simran, and Divya Spandana.

Tamil cinema has an obsession with dual roles. Almost all of the leading actors have, at some juncture of their career, played dual roles in their films. Kamal Hassan went as far as playing ten different roles in Dasavatharam. But with his controlled portrayal of a modern father and son pair, Surya stole the cake for the last decade.

In his career-best performance, Surya played the role of a son who was beset by the tragedy of losing his ladylove, and his ambiguous bond with his smoking-addict but extremely loving father. The film does not pretend to show the best father-son relationship you will ever see, instead it treats the relationship in a realistic manner.

It’s not only Surya’s guile that amazes you, but also Gautham’s sensitive direction, aware to each and every flinch of emotion. Divya Spandana and Sameera, unlike other Tamil film heroines, do not show flesh- instead thay have such dignified, strong-willed roles that you end up admiring them. Music by Harris Jeyaraj is melodious to say the least.

5. Vinnaithaandi Varuvaaya (Will You Cross the Skies For Me) (2010)

Director: Gautham Menon

Cast:  Silambarasan, Trisha Krishnan.

How much of an impact can be a boy-girl love story have on a generation? VTV will answer your question. If treated well enough, even a boy-girl love story can become an instant classic.

With Gautham at helm once again, the film tells a love story almost resembling real life, that of a middle-class young Hindu man who falls in love with an older Christian woman who lives in upper floor of his house. How an innocent love story transforms the lives of two people is what the movie is all about.

With a poignant, nostalgic ending, sincere performances, a very carefully crafted classy script, and a timeless music score, Gautham has rearranged the order of classic love stories in Tamil cinema history. The fact that the film went on to become such a cult hit is further testament to the impact it had had.

Some great cinematography and some really memorable dialogues add further punch for the film. The movie of a generation.

4. Aayirathil Oruvan (One in a Thousand) (2010)

Director: Selva Raghavan

Cast: Karthi, Andrea Jeremiah, Reema Sen.

Indian cinema is busy searching for a science-fiction caper that will bring them on-par with Hollywood, but fact remains that they already have a film that can match any other Hollywood production in this film.

After the ambitious Pudhupettai, Selva got more even more ambitious in making this mystical and historical adventure film about a group of archeologists who head to Vietnam to attempt unearth the mystery of a lost Cholan generation, which they discover, to their utter shock, still exists in dark caves in deep forests. This discovery leads to the unraveling of some dark, well-kept vengeful secrets between two factions that feature prominently in Indian history.

The film will not appeal to everyone as it requires repeat viewing for a viewer to be able to understand what is the film’s embedded context, especially in the second half. The film features a very authentic Cholan Tamil accent that you almost can never understand without the aid of subtitles. The foul language and innuendos in a way represent the stark contrast between the current generation with the generations of yore.

The film’s biggest appeal is its highly original story and screenplay. Selva Raghavan has written arguably the most original script of the decade and executed it with gritty characters. Karthi once again is excellent, while Andrea and Reema both have astounding female characters. Parthiban makes a great cameo, while GV Prakash’s majestic musical score is arguably his best work to date. Timeless.

3. Hey Ram (O Lord Rama) (2000)

Director: Kamal Hassan

Cast: Kamal Hassan, Shah Rukh Khan, Rani Mukherji, Vasundhra Dass.

Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi has been treated with a halo on his head and constantly glorified as a ‘Mahatma’. But what about those who hated him, those who were affected by his decision, and ultimately the group of Hindus who wanted him dead?

This film, crafted by the genius that is Kamal Hassan, explores the anti-Gandhi movement from the point of view of a layman who gets affected by Gandhi’s decisions.

The film tells the story of a British India archeologist who sees his Bengali wife brutally raped and murdered by a group of Muslim fundamentalists during the colonial war between Hindus and Muslims. Frustrated with the lack of action by Gandhi against the Muslims, he joins a Hindu fundamentalist group and is eventually chosen to assassinate Gandhi on the group’s behalf.

A man is only great if seen through his enemy’s eyes. And this film does that very thing. Kamal Hassan’s direction is a good decade ahead of its time, as was his acting and his myriad of emotions. Naserrudin Shah does brilliantly in the role of Gandhi, while the film’s ability to recreate the carnage and tension in India during the pre-Independence era makes it stand out. A near-perfect film.

2. Kannathil Muthamittal (A Peek on the Cheek) (2002)

Director: Mani Ratnam

Cast: R Madhavan, Simran, P.S. Keerthana.

The subtle ‘Vellai Pookal’ has to be the decade’s best composition. And within those lyrics lies the poignancy of a brilliantly made film which explored the Sri Lankan war through the eyes of a nine-year-old girl.

A Lankan born baby is adopted by a middle-class Tamil family, and when she discovers the truth about her birth nine years later, she demands to meet her biological mother. This brings her adopted parents, a couple of literature writer and television presenter, to a civil war torn Sri Lanka, seeking the girl’s real mother, who was a LTTE rebel.

Mani Ratnam’s tackles a topic so delicate which such carefulness and invests plenty of love into his characters and story. All the performances are assured and mature. The music elevates the film to a new level. Most importantly, as is the case with most Mani films, the dialogues are almost flawless and almost all worth remembering.

Like a little peek on the cheek, the film takes a poignant way in looking at a war that is often viewed with very serious spectacles.

1. Anbe Sivam (Love is God) (2003)

Director: Sundar C

Cast: Kamal Hassan, R Madhavan, Kiran Rathod, Nassar.

Well, here we are. What more need I say about this film? Yes, it is a loose adaptation of the 1987 Hollywood film Planes, Trains and Automobiles. But everything else is a class apart. “Who is God?” that is a quintessential question that is sensitive for most. But once again Kamal, who wrote the script, takes a sensitive issue and boldly tackles it.

The film’s core message is that Godliness can be found in humans, that the act of love is in itself the presence of God. An eye-opener and a social commentary of so many levels, the film also has some great laughs, including some of the most touching scenes you’ll ever see in a Tamil film.

Kamal’s sincere performance will bring tears to your eyes, while Madhavan provides a jolly company all along. Kiran’s performance was so charming that you begin to wonder why she couldn’t perform with similar maturity in her other films instead of simply showing her flesh.

Comment

For Steve Jobs, and for myself.

Filed Under: Fourth Dimensions, The Beauty of Art, Voice of the Winds by Ram Anand — 3 Comments
October 6, 2011

Steve Jobs passed away today. When I booted up my Macbook this morning and opened my Safari, there was his image, with his thumb and index finger gently drubbing his chin, looking intently on screen. That was the image Apple had as they posted his obituary all over their website. Something about that picture stood out (note, it’s now my profile picture). It had a bit of age, one that showed that Steve has now aged, white beard accompanying him all over with a round-shaped glasses to go along with it. His receding hair gave him away. It was actually a far cry from the looker he was when he was still in his 20s. But something still stood out- one of elegance, a calmness that tells you this man’s always thinking, always finding a way to reinvent himself.

Then I went to Facebook and I scanned through several posts. The news of Steve’s death was spreading like wildfire. There were all kind of obituaries written for him, from a simple, unadalturated RIP to a lengthy description about how he was an inspiration. And then there were the slew of those who said Jobs’ inspiration to them was the fact that he taught them how to make ‘easy money’. I was startled.

Steve Jobs did not make ‘easy money’. Apple was not one of those easy-puny marketing schemes that a guy would be narrating to you while buying you a fattening KFC lunch. No, this was innovation. He drove a Mercedes because he innovated. And that story was not made of a bed of roses. At only 30, he was kicked out of the company, only to come back and save when it was floundering 12 years later. It perplexes me how much this generation has taken into this ‘easy money’ mumbo jumbo. For me, that term should cease to exist. I frown at every person who tries to persuade me into signing up for any such marketing schemes. No, this was not easy money. Please do not insult the value of innovation and creativity. I bet every other guy who sits and sets the motion rolling about ‘easy money’ never bothered to think about how to make this world a better place. Steve, in his own i-this and i-that way, managed to contribute, however petty it may sound. There’s no calculator to judge how much you’ve changed the world. But at least he did what he did with purpose. That’s what made him whom he was.

This is a guy who always wore a black sleeve T-shirt and a Levi’s jeans wherever you saw him, even when he is busy launching various products. This is a guy who didn’t bother to delcare how rich he is. For all those easy money schemers, keep arsers like Donald Trump as your idols. I’ll not argue one bit.

Because if your idea of making it big is all about walking out from a limousine and then spitting wisdom in a packed conference room, pointing fingers to the crowd and saying ‘you too can make it, you too can make it’, then don’t call Steve Jobs an idol.

Steve Jobs isn’t about the money. And he would tell you. Not everyone ‘can make it’. Yes, that’s a bummer, but that’s the truth. The ones who ‘make it’, and later leave an impact and legacy like he did, are the ones who can fall onto a bottomless pit and later come back up stronger than ever. Steve spent 12 years outside of Apple, never losing his vision for the company. That one ‘can be you’. But you need to be strong, resourceful, and above all always have a purpose for what you are doing. And if your definition of ‘making it’ is about how big a millionaire you’ve become, then don’t read further.

For me, you can have 400 million and still ‘not make it’.

A few days ago I received an e-mail from a pen pal of mine from India. I hardly knew him, and he added me only after reading several of my posts and stories on my website. After I announced my forthcoming novel last month, he surprised me recently by sending me few cover designs for my novel, though me and my publishing team have already finalized them.

When I asked him why he had sent me those, he told it was his ‘gift’ to me, because I have inspired him through the little work I have done so far.

It was no big deal if seen in a matter-of-fact manner. I am not going to use his designs to replace my existing covers, and I conveyed the same to him. But somewhere beneath all this, there is this silver lining, that tells that one keystroke for a word here can affect or inspire one person in India, whom I have never met or spoken to before.

And slowly it dawned on me, in my small little world, I’m already ‘making it’.

As vague as it may sound, every time you believe that you can change the world, you tend to connect the dots with something superficially higher than you. Perhaps, just perhaps, that’s all you need in life.

Steve, you path may have ended, but the chain of dots you helped initiate has now become the tool of my journey. However small, even through a particle, we all live on via these connected dots.

Tags: , , , ,
Comment

Rockstar (Hindi)- Music Review by Ram Anand

Filed Under: Fourth Dimensions, The Beauty of Art, Voice of the Winds by Ram Anand — 18 Comments
October 1, 2011

It is here. After months of teasing an entire legion of supporters that swear by the ‘Rahmanism’, AR Rahman has returned as a music composer for an Indian film for the first in time in almost a year.

2010 was a glorious year for ARR fans in a sense. For a man who averaged one or two films a year ever since the turn of the millennium, a practice that saw him reach the peak of international recognition, ARR delivered four albums last year. But with the exception of Endhiran, which was a typical commercial mix that did not explore ARR’s ability to deliver soulful compositions, none of the other films succeeded. Both Raavan and Jhootha Hi Sahi had excellent musical score, but they got drowned along with the films’ unconvincing run in the box office.

It was a case of delivering a lot only to have a part of it widely recognized. Grapevine has it that Imitaz Ali (Jab We Met, Love Aaj Kaal) wanted to make Rockstar a long time ago and had always wanted ARR to be part of the team, and vice versa. It is easy to understand why. Though we pride ourselves as a musical industry, it is not often that a pure musical is made here. Rockstar is one of that select few- a project that would allow ARR to fully express the musical versatility he normally brings to a table. I have always encouraged Rehman to go ahead and make films with young director (Gautham, Imitaz, Abbas to name a few) instead of sticking to some veterans who have passed their sell-by date and hardly do justice to his music (read Subash Ghai).

So without much ado, it is time to review the year’s most anticipated album, for which the demand was accentuated by the fact that T-Series took an awfully long time in releasing the music. (A full week from the originally planned date).

The specialty of this album, note, is ARR’s decision to use only Mohit Chauhan as Ranbir Kapoor’s singing voice. This is in itself a refreshing, logical decision miles away from the image of having one actor mouthing songs sung by so many different singers even while playing a musician- and this soundtrack has a whopping 14 tracks- I’m reviewing the 11 tracks, leaving out the instrumental numbers.

Phir Se Ud Chala (Mohit Chauhan)

The album begins with ‘Phir Se Ud Chala’, which starts with a very traditional chorus, and slowly slips into a catchy tune, with Mohit Chauhan, trying to do the Masakali thing again here, made famous two years ago through Delhi 6. It is unconventional, but tell me the last time ARR did something that followed this conservational rulebook? The song is a romantic ballad about flying away with love, has few keyboard mixes thrown into it. Simple in length and with a heavy North Indian flavor to it, Phir Se Ud Chala gives you a breezy feeling. I would say this is a very good one, if only the others that followed weren’t so mind-blowing.

Rating: 3/5

Jo Bhi Mein (Mohit Chauhan)

“Whatever that is I have got to say..” that’s how this song starts (translated, of course). That tells you everything you’ve got to know about it. With a small ‘yaya’ at the start and the sound of the crowd singing along with the singer, it reminds of you of Bob Marley. ARR uses instruments that almost reminds me of ‘No Woman No Cry’, but makes sure there are modern undertones. The lyrics are wonderful, a form of self-expression. This song is about Jordan and everything he has got to say as a musician. This is rock, but not the adrenaline type that we often tend to assume as rock. This is soulful rock. Mohit flexes his vocal muscles magnificently and you’ve got to love it when he soulfully goes high pitch. Just listen what this composition has got to deliver. With a little patience, you will feel utterly connected, an effect only the brand AR Rahman can give.

Rating: 4.5/5

Kateya Karun (Harshdeep Kaur, Sapna Awasthi)

It’s a bit like Rang de Basanti, a Punjabi folk rhythm starting the song off with consistent interludes. This is the rhythm you heard when you saw the first trailer of Rockstar. But the cuteness in full length is almost unlimited. With brilliant interludes in between that make the song a great blend of folk and blues, this one works big time, and will have you tapping your feet big time. Harshdeep Kaur is brilliant big time. Let’s just ‘ding-a-ling-ding-a-ling’.

Rating: 4.5/5

Kun Faya Kun (AR Rahman, Javed Ali, Mohit Chauhan)

Oh, oh, oh. Take a bow. Every time AR Rahman composes a devotional song, it sounds so soulful that you’d think if God were listening, He himself would have a smile on his face. After a typical slow, warm-up start, the moment the song goes ‘Kun Faya Kun’, you are already witnessing one the best Sufi compositions ever dished on screen. Having loved both ‘Khwaja’ from Jodhaa Akbar and ‘Arziyan’ from Delhi 6, this is another wonderful addition to that legendary list. I may be a Hindu, but this kind of compositions breaks all religious barriers and makes you clap along with them. It’s a solid seven minutes of one of the most pure, soulful compositions you’ll ever hear this year and beyond.

Rating: 5/5

Sheher Mein (Mohit Chauhan, Karthik)

Speechless. Not everyone will appreciate this composition. But anyone who knows music will know how difficult it is to compose something like this. This song is a personification of Jordan’s talent. It begins with Karthik crooning to certain lyrics, which Mohit (Ranbir) will later so uniquely improvise up till the end of the song. This is a conversational song that has its own purpose and tells a story on its own. It’s not often you get to hear something like this, don’t you? Mohit, by the way, is just awesome.

Rating: 4/5

Haawa Haawa (Mohit Chauhan, Tanvi, Vivianne)

Suddenly out of nowhere a composition that is very Arabic in nature. The way Mohit croons immediately gives you the Mediterranian feel, which is maintained throughout the track. Against, in a Masakali way, ARR experiments, makes it conversational, allowing Mohit full freedom to go high and low pitches alternatively. The song also has hints of European setting, and is very carefree in nature. Good listen.

Rating: 3/5

Aur Ho (Mohit Chauhan, Alma Ferovic)

A dramatic rock composition, it starts with Alma Ferovic’s soulful chorus. Mohit goes incredibly high pitch and proves what he can do as a dramatic singer. Mohit simply has to be one of the best singers in his generation, and this song, helped ARR’s orchestra backed composition re-affirms this fact. A soul-searching, epic-sounding number.

Rating: 3.5/5

Tum Ko (Kavita Subramaniam)

The opening lines reminds me of ‘Waiting for You’ from Jhootha Hi Sahi, a song that I initially didn’t rate too highly but later went on to grow immensely on me. This song wouldn’t need to wait so long on me though, thanks to the infusion of tabla, making it a fusion of Western and Indian sounds. A romantic ballad, this was sung with controlled refrain by Kavita Subramaniam. The arrangements outshine her vocals, but if you wanted a romantic groove from AR Rahman, there, you have got it. It however is very similar to ‘Tu Muskura’ from Yuvvraaj as well.

Rating: 4/5

Nadaan Parindey (Mohit Chauhan, AR Rahman)

‘Nadaan Parindey Gar Aaja’. This is a homecoming rock composition. If you request ARR compose a homecoming song, he never fails to infuse such rich emotions to it. Within seconds you are tapping your feet to it. Even within a rock realm, ARR has this incredible ability to suck you into his music. A simply amazing composition. Mohit’s interludes brilliantly compliments ARR’s vocals at the beginning. This is AR Rahman ki Jaadhu.

Rating: 5/5

Tum Ho (Mohit Chauhan)

Tum Ho is basically the male version of Tum Ko. But this is not a direct rehash of the same tune. It reminds me of the male and female versions of ‘Jaane Tu Ya Jaane Na’ in JTYJN. One carried a sadder anthem while the other was catchy, simple, and more romantic. Here, Tum Ho, which has some magical piano usage, is the romantic one while Tum Ko had a pang of sadness in it. A slow ballad that’s reminiscent ‘Oh Venilla’ AR Rahman.

Rating: 4.5/5

Sadda Haq (Mohit Chauhan)

By this time, you must have been wondering where is Rockstar’s anthem song, Sadda Haq. First of all, here’s some news for those who do not know. Orianthi, Michale Jackson’s ex guitarist, has teamed up with AR Rahman for the year’s greatest anthem song. This song will be on everybody’s lips for eons to come, like how Rang de Basanti was. This is a generation’s song, a hot-blooded composition and will make your veins pump. At least once while listening you’ll get this urge to smash something in front of you. The lyrics ‘why are you preaching truth when you can’t stomach the truth’ will linger with you for a long time. AR Rahman has left the best for the last. A maximum marking doesn’t do justice to this number. Full of anger, frustration, and hardcore rock arranged so beautifully, all I can say is ARR knows how to even make angst sound so catchy.

Oh eco friendly, nature ki rakshak, mein bhi hun nature.

All I could say is- ‘Chamak Challo’ what? Rockstar is the big deal. The biggest deal of the year. Just keep saying ‘Sadda Haq’, because AR Rahman is grooving again. This is one of his best albums in an illustrious career.

Salut! Magnifique!

Tags: , , , ,
Comment

Mankatha- Redefining bad

Filed Under: Fourth Dimensions, The Beauty of Art by Ram Anand — 2 Comments
September 1, 2011

It’s been two decades and fifty films since he made his entrance into the film industry. He is one of the select few who saw success and fame knock his door without having a godfather or related contacts in the film industry to help him succeed. That factor has long been a massive reason why he has a legion of supporters and why, despite having his share of detractors, he is renowned at large as the King of Box Office openings.

If you had happened to watch Mankatha, his 50th film directed by the rising directorial star Vengkat Prabhu at any theater today, you would have had a sense of the kind of support he attracts.

The first five minutes of the film, with a regular macho fight scene, was evidently designed just to prelude the grand ‘Thala 50’ credit that followed after. But you need not cringe even if you are not a fan, because what Ajith Kumar does in the next two odd hours proves why deserves to be where he is, and how he is not like a regular do-gooder hero who bashes a villain.

Name me another Tamil actor as famous as him who’d be willing to take up a villain role to commemorate his 5oth film. I bet we could count the amount of actors with our fingers.

Mankatha is the story about a illegal gambling mafia that runs the show in Dharavi, Mumbai at the backdrop of the IPL cricket season. A corrupt, suspended police officer Vinayak Mahadevan (Ajith) masks himself as a dignified policeman while at the same time plotting to loot a massive 500 crores that is being transferred among the Mumbai underworld dons as the pressure intensifies from the special police squad designed to eradicate illegal gambling, led by officer Prithviraj (Arjun). At the same time, a group of four small-timers, sub-inspector Ganesh (Ashwin), bar owner Mahat, IIT topper Prem (Premji Amaran), and gambling chettiyar’s right-hand man Sumanth (Vaibhav Reddy) are planning their own heist on chettiyar’s money.

How these multiple characters come together to play a game of dangerous hide-and-seek with plenty of money and gunfights forms the crux of the story.

Trying to get the best out of a multi-star cast is not an easy thing, but this has precisely been the highlight of Vengkat’s three-film career. But it must also be noted that he had never teamed up with any A-list stars beyond the comfort of his loyalists (Premji, Shiva, Aaravind, Vaibhav, Jai) up until now. In this film, you see him juggling between Ajith, Arjun, and Trisha while allocating space for the likes of Aaravind and Vaibhav.

Ajith proves that he only needs a good script to perform to the best of his abilities. If his decision to act as a baddie in his 50th film isn’t commendable enough, then his performance will eradicate any doubts about his potential. It also gives you a kind of longing that he never quite got the opportunities to flex his potential in his many years in the film industry. He dances, drinks booze, cracks comedy, riles in punchy one-liners, laughs sadistically, sleeps with random women, kills without mercy, and spews four-letter words with alarming realism in this film. There is even one noir moment in the film when he says ‘I am a bad man’. Being bad has never looked so cool on screen.

Arjun tries to match him punch for punch in the few scenes he gets for himself, and manages to give a decent account of himself, though I’m still wondering what might have been had the role been done by the actor who was supposed to do it initially- Nagarjun. Though Arjun ain’t a bad choice, he has done such roles umpteen times in his career it was almost as if it had nothing new to offer.

Vaibhav and Jayaprakash were both convincing, while Vengkat’s decision to give his brother Premji a role in this film can be questioned, as it did look out of place in some scenes.

Aaravind did well in his role as Jayaprakash’s loyal henchman, while Trisha exuded the most charm among the female leads though the film evidently belonged to the guys. Lakshmi Rai was seductive yet destructive in her negative role, while Andrea and Anjali both received limited screen time. But with an abundance of talent, they manage to leave an impression, though Anjali more or less only showed her body in the song Nee Naan.

Yuvan’s music bodes well for the film, though the score falls more on the average bracket and won’t be considered to be among Yuvan’s better works.

In the writing and directing department, Vengkat displays the traits of a first-time director with this venture. Mankatha is the film where he needed to outgrow his comfort zone of making urbane comedies using B-list faces. Plus, Mankatha had a serious theme and needed expert handling in the screenplay department. At large, Vengkat succeeds. But there definitely is room for improvement. Premji’s character was out of place while several scenes in the first half appeared unnecessary.  The song Vada Bin Lada and Open the Bottle both had no place whatsoever in the narration. And some suspense scenes were handled amateurishly. It is fair to say Ajith’s electrifying screen presence and body language overshadowed in loopholes in the film’s narration.

But the beard that he has been sporting since production commenced shows how much hard work he had put into the project, and the effort alone is one worthy of recognition. One plus point is though the film seems like a regular heist movie, it was not inspired for any Hollywood flick per se.

And yes, this climax is worth weighing in gold, especially compared to the stale ones we get treated with at Kollywood day in, day out.

All in all, like Ajith says, this is his f***ing game, and you better not mess with him. Go and watch this bad man.

Rating: 7.5/10

Tags: , , ,
Comment

The Dawn of Love- a Ram Anand short

Filed Under: Fourth Dimensions, The Beauty of Art, Voice of the Winds by Ram Anand — Leave a comment
August 26, 2011

He walked down the plaza in Barcelona, conscious of every single step that he was taking. It’s impossible to be spotted somewhere around this town, he thought to himself ,as made his way towards Gaudi’s masterpiece.

He moved into the open road while making sure that his cap and his shades were well in place, and momentarily let his gaze flutter as hew saw a gold Maybach pass him by on the road. He had always liked the car, and never made a secret of his desire to own one.

But the irony is that he could now afford a Maybach, yet all he does is look at it and wish he could have it. He pretended like he didn’t have a pocket. Like he didn’t have a bank reserve that could easily dip his hands into.

To his utter horror, the Maybach suddenly reversed. Several cars that were tailing the luxury make stalled and started honking in sheer displeasure. Some bothered to stick their heads out of their windscreens, and admired the car.

It’s okay if a Maybach were to break the traffic rules, because it is, afterall, a Maybach. The traffic police wouldn’t make too much of a fuss about it. Not even in Barcelona. Not in London, Moscow, or even Beijing. It’s the same everywhere. And he knew the same treatment won’t be afforded to a Ford Fiesta should the driver be doing the same thing.

The car halted right in front of him, and for a moment he regretted for not having walked on. He shouldn’t have stayed put and starred at the car. The windscreen rolled down, albeit slowly, and he saw a dark figure with a mismatched shades and a brimming smile. He did not like what he saw.

“Kumar!”

He smiled and nodded back. There was no point in walking away now that he has been recognized. Bloody hell, Indians are all over the world. He looked around to see if he sees any other Indians around. There were none in sight. But nevermind the Indians, the Spaniards, Catalans, and Americans were already starring at him. When a Maybach stops for you, no matter where you are or how unknown you are, you immediately become a somebody, at least for that five minutes.

The politician and actor got wouldn’t get down from his car. That will be too much of a work for this 55-year-old man who still duets with actresses half his age. He was wearing a bright red color shirt. Kumar resisted his temptation to pass a comment on this matter. He was a junior and has been told to keep his mouth shut when it comes to criticizing the seniors. Even the costume designers in the industry won’t have much to say about the dressing choices that some of these senior, and even junior actors make. If they want pink, pink goes. And the audiences suffer.

Yet the audiences won’t ask questions, for when they exit the theater the actor’s default TV channel will be there to extract the best comments from them, and they need head straight to their ‘fan club’ and rally behind their favorite film start, someone whom they call as their ‘leader’.

“No, I’m fine, thanks sir,” he tried his best to match the man’s native Tamil- as he was invited into the Maybach.

“Just bought it, isn’t it nice?” the man asked. Kumar smiled and nodded. He was a soft-spoken person, at least in front of his seniors. Either he speaks in their favor and sucks up to everything they do, or he pretends to be a humble, soft-spoken star that respects his seniors. He chose the latter. After some brief enquiries, the man took off gliding in his Maybach again. Kumar sighed in relief. That was, of course, not the name he uses in his profession. The name Kumar would displease his director, producers, and everyone in his family. Kumar was nowhere near stylish enough to befit a film star. But he felt like he has never been any other person than this Kumar- a young man slightly lost in his tracks, someone who’s never been completely satisfied with his life.

He plugged in his earphones and switched on his iPod. At least this would distract him from the people around him, and he wouldn’t bother knowing even if some Indian dude was watching him curiously.

He walked towards Sagrada Familia and planted himself at a corner outside the building. He wasn’t there to visit Sagrada per se, but instead to ogle at the people who are visiting Barcelona’s international symbol. He has been to Sagrada many times before. Two of his directors have already found it appealing to shoot Kumar’s duets here in Barcelona. And being a Catholic himself, a fact many of his fans are unaware of, he has personally visited Sagrada two more times on his own.

Something caught his attention. The face that had caught his attention was lost somewhere in the crowd, but Kumar knew with an amount of certainty that he had laid his eyes on someone. Whether it was someone he knew or just someone whom he’s attracted to, he didn’t know. With the sunlight almost blinding, a svelte yet petite Indian woman emerged among the bustling crowd.

Kumar now knew why she had caught his eye. Because he had apparently caught hers. She seemed to abruptly halt in her steps and instinctively looked directly at Kumar. She seemed to be taking ages figuring out whether he is who she thinks he is.

“Don’t be a baboon, please,” he muttered under his breath, looking in the opposite direction.

She let loose a wry smile. In a manner similar to Kumar, she was dressed in all black, and was of dark complexion. A dark legging accompanied dark shoes, skirt and a top. She looked like she’s jumped straight out of the 12th floor of a corporate building.

But instead of an evening coffee, she was holding Barcelona’s travel brochure in her left hands. He could not figure out if she belongs in Barcelona at all or if she is a tourist who is not dressed like one. Compared to the hoards of other tourists who were wearing tops, loose T-shirts, and shorts that screamed relaxation, she seemed very much out of place.

And after a fluttering gaze and a familiar smile that seemed to linger forever, she continued her way into Sagrada. Kumar sighed- she was a civilized woman.

And he decided to do something that he logically shouldn’t do at that point in time. He stopped trying to hide himself. He unzipped his blazer, casually tucked it atop his sling bag, and walked into Sagrada. There was some sort of attraction that he had felt with this woman in black.

He walked casually, all the while keeping his eye on the woman, who was pretty much behaving like a tourist. She managed to steal a couple of glances at his direction. She knew that he was watching. And he knew she was watching. There was some sort of understanding- some sort of chemistry- some sort of innocence in this little game.

And then she halted as he was walking closer to her. With a feet as quick as a ballet dancer, she rotated around, readily wearing a warm smile on her face, and faced him eye to eye.

“The Junior Superstar,” she may have called him by his on-screen moniker, but the way she had opened her conversation with him could fool anyone into thinking she’s a long-lost friend of his. Her legs were still crossing each other, and her maneuvers told him something about her that made her choice of dress even more puzzling. This woman is a dancer.

He hesitated and felt an awkward moment hanging up in the air, but it disappeared soon after as her smile made him feel at home.

“I don’t know your name,” he said, returning her warm smile and summoning courage to take a step closer to her. As words came few and far between, he took time to notice her in better detail.

Kumar always wondered why producers salivated at the prospect of seeing a milk-colored navel. Every single actress he’s been paired with, every single actress he has seen in and around the industry, donned the same color. Even the odd dark-colored actresses he happens to meet from time to time, have their heads dipped into a dung of make-up just to make them look fairer. He pitied them. And he never understood why being fair was considered as a part of being beautiful.

What Kumar was seeing in front of him right now in Sagrada Familia in Barcelona on a hot summer evening- is what he considers to be real beauty. She was not hot, nor gorgeous, nor sensual. Yet she was beautiful, elegant, and above all, confident. He could still remember how fair-skinned North Indian girls would jump nuts and peanuts wherever they see him, and battle each other in a queue. When they do come close to him, all he could hear were squeals, shrieks, and excited voices. By the time the girls could calm down, their five-second date with the star will be long gone by.

“Parineeta,” she said. His eyes lit up. “Wow,” he said. “I know, that’s not a moniker though. You have to credit my parents for that.”

She offered a handshake. He took it without hesitation, though he knew sometime very soon, this day will end, and her participation in his life will also end.

“What does it mean?”

“Angel”

It came to the tip of his lips, but he stopped himself. She does look like an angel, but he doesn’t want to be mistaken for a flirt. Because he is not one.

“Nice,” he said instead.

She leaned against the lamppost and looked at him from hardly inches away. The manner with which she looked unsettled him. For the first time, he felt that the evening’s innocence was waning away. They had now spent two hours together. They had taken the TMB Metro around the city, and even paid a visit to the Camp Nou stadium.

“You don’t remember me, do you?” she asked. The question stripped off the entire freshness that he was feeling that evening. There’s something more to this woman in black.

He shook his head, perplexed. His summoned the deepest reserves of his memory but could find a grain of memory that made him remember her. It’s not entirely surprising that he forgets some of the women he meets because he meets way too many of them anyway to remember, but if he did actually meet Parineeta before, it would impossible to have forgotten her.

Either he was blind back then or she was not the same Parineeta that she is today.

“Of course, I expected a tad too much,” she said, sighing for the first time since he had met her. Her smile waned a little.

“I danced for you. With you actually. Three years ago, your debut film,” she said. A slow realization seeped into him.

“You didn’t know, but you changed my life. And I had to meet you today. Sometimes fate can be cruel.”

He felt like he was trapped in an accused’s cell without ever being guilty of anything. His only mistake here, as he could deduce, was the fact that he was such a huge star that he could notice all the details around him.

“We were shooting a song in Mauritius. I followed you almost everywhere. That was a habit. I worked with several leading choreographers back then. Whether it was you or any other actor, I just followed them around to get a peek into their personal life.”

“If you ever wished that there was a person who would notice the smallest, tiniest habits you had in your life, that person was me.”

He looked with a mixture of amazement and embarrassment.

“You had qualities, you know. And I’m not comparing you with other actors alone, I’m comparing you with all the guys I’ve met in my life. And you stand tall.”

He wanted to say thanks. But she is not saying this to compliment him. He knew that much. This time, he wasn’t about to miss anything.

“I fell in love with you.”

He knew this was about a romantic feeling, but still hearing those words shook him. God knows how many times he has heard women yell those words at him, even attempting to kiss him in some instances. There were even some nutcases who cried while professing their love for him, wanting him to accept them as a part of their lives. They were those who named their kids after him, and threatened to commit suicide under the name of their love for him. It all seemed fake.

But something was different about this confession. This was true. She was in love with him. He felt genuinely flattered.

“I was helplessly in love with you. We I returned to India I couldn’t concentrate on my job. It didn’t actually dawn on me that I love you until I started dancing with other actors. I was even promoted by my master to be a first-line dancer. But something was missing. Why should I fall for you when I had zero chances of being with you?”

“I didn’t want to be the typical girl who falls at your feet and drools over you. But no matter what I said, to my friends or to you, I was always going to be categorized as another one among those who are crazy over you.”

She chuckled.

“I don’t even drool over you. I always thought you are over-rated, both in terms of your star status and looks. But the person you are,” she stalled.

He didn’t need her to complete the sentence. He felt like he was the best person in the world. For a moment, he didn’t feel like a lost soul, like how he always did.

“I quit dancing. I never felt complete. Plus being in the industry meant that I came across you from time to time. But I always was, and will be, anonymous for you.”

He realized how much insecurity lay hidden beneath that exuding confidence.

“I just joined an accounting firm here in Pamplona. I have an aunt here. The next best thing for me in life after dancing is Mathematics,” there was a hint of regret in her voice.

“I came to Barcelona for a small day trip as my firm has a meeting here.”

Now he knew the full story.

“How long since you quit?”

“Two months,” she almost laughed.

“And I just had to meet you. And you just had to follow me.”

“Well..”

“What made you follow me? What made you spend this evening with me?”

He couldn’t answer that question.

“I think I know why. But I know it’s pointless.”

She knew that he knew, and vice versa. He was attracted to her. He didn’t need to tell her, but he felt like he owed her the verbal confession.

“I was attracted to you. Guess you caught my attention afterall,” he said, smiling. He was hoping his positive undertone would completely erase the negativity that is surrounding their conversation right now.

He looked at his watch. He had less than two hours left. He simply did not have enough time to console her, though he badly wishes he could be there for her. He felt like this woman definitely deserves better than this.

She needn’t be the girl who loves a guy that every other Indian girl is crazy about. She deserves better than that.

But life doesn’t work that way. Kumar knew that a long time ago.

She afforded a smile. “Now what?” she asked, looking him straight in his eyes. He felt unsettled again. It was a look that was expecting some sort of returns from him. Kumar had nothing to give Parineeta.

He shook his head. He had no idea what’s next. He knew what’s next for him. He in fact knew his whole itinerary for the rest of his stay in Barcelona, but telling that to Parineeta will resemble ignorance of the highest order.

She reached out for his hands. He gave in. She clenched his right hand in her palms.

“Stay with me. Let’s be together. Make it all worth it.”

He hated saying no. He liked her. He would have loved to have her as a friend, but now she has left him with no choice but to ensure that this evening will their last one together. He was very sure she would opt to stay away from him completely after his rejection, now that she has even proposed.

“Pari, you know that I’m married, right?” he asked.

She nodded. Of course she knew.

“Remember what you were busy doing in Mauritius?”

Now he remembered, and he realized why he probably never noticed Pari following him around. Back then, nothing mattered. Not even the director. Meera was everything for him.

“It was a getaway I had with Meera. I spent all my spare time with her. We were getting to know each other,” he said.

Meera was introduced to him by his father, and a few other family friends. After rejecting two other girls that were suggested by his parents, Kumar found Meera to be independent and appealing enough, and thus gave it a shot. Mauritius was where everything fell into place. Few months later, she became his wife in a grand Catholic ceremony. He glanced at his ring.

“One of the reasons why I fell in love with you. The way you treated her. I knew how tricky it was for you. But the way you would treat her in front of the crew, and the way you rejected all the extra attention she got but still treated her respectfully. I don’t know, I just haven’t seen it in a man.”

He felt flattered again.

“And yet you are asking me to be with you even though I’m a married man?”

“There’s no other man better than you out there. And you know, you got attracted to me. That means something I guess.”

For the first time during the conversation, his voice wasn’t muffled anymore. He knew what to say next.

“No, that means nothing. I grew up pretty much in a box. Do you know that this has never happened before in my life? This whole instant spark and attraction thing? I have acted out these scenes so many times but yet it never really happened to me. Yes, it happened with you, but that doesn’t mean I want to spend the rest of my life with you. I didn’t touch you. I didn’t want to even talk with you. If you hadn’t turned around, I would have just watched away and went back home.”

She looked disappointed, and he understood exactly how she felt.

“I don’t have a filmy love story with Meera, but we know each other. There are many things in my life that I wished would be slightly different. I do wish my father hadn’t decided almost every aspect of my life, but there’s one thing I’m very clear about- I do love Meera. That was never a mistake. I’m with her because I chose her.”

He turned away from her and looked intently at the crowd of people in front of him. He summoned a little courage, and placed his hands firmly against either side of her cheeks. It was his way of showing solidarity. She allowed herself to cry a little. He knew these tears were hiding in her.

“Pari.” She looked at him. He had her full attention. “You loved me for the guy I am all this while. If I take your hand right now, I’ll stop becoming the guy you have always loved. You will be just as unhappy with me around even if I hold your hands right now. I want to be selfish. I want you to love me the way you have always done.”

Slowly, she stopped crying. “You are wrong. There are guys like me, why, there are even those who are better than me. Just open your eyes. Love should not close your view of the world. Let it open your views wider. Let it be an instrument of more freedom. Dance again, you are good at it. I can tell just by looking at your mannerisms. Someday, you’ll find a worthy guy. And he’ll be all yours. But for that you need to open your heart. Stop saying I’m the best there is.”

“I might be the best so far, but you have not seen enough. I can tell. Because when you have seen enough, you will very well know who you want to be with. You want to be with me just because you think I’m the best. Be with someone in order to be with someone, including for their flaws. Not just because you think they are the best.”

“I have my insecurities too, but only Meera knows about these. And she’s there throughout my lapses.”

She proceeded to hug him. But she wasn’t crying. It was a warm, cordial hug.

It was later after dinner, and Kumar trotted slowly to bed. He wasn’t intending to tidy anything up. He just wants to drop dead on the bed. “Idiot!” Meera slapped his shoulders. “Ouch!”

She held his hands like an authoritarian and dragged him over to the dining table in their rented villa. She took the cross necklace from her neck and dangled it neatly on the stool.

“Kneel,” she pinched his hands. He was slightly sober. She never does this, she was hardly religious. This must have been a special occasion. “What’s special?”

“We are going to pray.” He kneeled lazily. “For whom?”

“Parineeta.” He eyes opened widely. His sleep was just stolen away by an invisible fairy deep into the stars hovering above the Barcelona sky.

“Why?”

“So that she finds love that makes her laugh next time.”

He smiled. Now he realized why he had always pretended not to have enough money for a Maybach. His Volkswagen was enough. That was all he needed.

“Let’s rent someother place for tomorrow?” he asked. “Maybe a smaller apartment?”

He had that small insecurity. She married a rising film star. He can’t blame her for wanting to go bigger, and not smaller. “I was about to tell you this is too bog for us,” she retorted in her stern note, before she began peeling her away her prayer for Parineeta.

But his thoughts were elsewhere. When he sleeps later, he will feel as if as he had lived this life well, so far. There’s no struggle that needs to wait until tomorrow. He didn’t need a Maybach. He had Meera. When it comes to her, he never felt like a lost soul.

And compared to the mismatched senior star that just bought a Maybach, his soul is still pretty much at the right place.

As for Parineeta, the sincere prayer of a woman who doesn’t know the definition of jealousy should take care of her.

Tags: , , ,
Comment

Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara- Movie Review

Filed Under: Fourth Dimensions, The Beauty of Art, Voice of the Winds by Ram Anand — Leave a comment
July 22, 2011

It is almost insulting that in the build-up leading to Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara’s release, the film was mindlessly compared to Hollywood products like ‘The Hangover’ and also the half-good ‘Wild Hogs’.

For the record, it is not only Americans who have the divine right to organize road trips and the concept of making a film based on a road trip is as old as yore. The only difference is that this concept is hitherto infant to Bollywood, which has a habit of either churning ultra-rich niche NRI family sagas or pure desi style bashing movies, both which are pretty disconnected with the grassroots.

Coming in the era where high-end and half-decent Bollywood movies are not meeting box office returns and Salman Khan is busy reversing the maturity clock by raking the moolah through convenient remake of South Indian masalas, it’s fair to say originality has been running thin in Bollywood.

ZNMD might not seem to be very original in nature but the fact remains that the writing and presentation of the film simply makes it the freshest all-rounder Bollywood film in recent memory (I’m excluding Delhi Belly due to its nature of catering to select audiences). And it’s fair to say this will go down, for me, as the best film of 2011. Because it ranks right up there with the likes of Rang de Basanti and Swades as among the best Bollywood movies ever made. And that says a lot.

In tandem with previous Akhtar productions such as ‘Dil Chahtha Hai’ and ‘Rock On!’, the film has multiple characters and is a moving, subtle, coming-of-age story with everyday characters that laugh, cry, love just like the regular decent men you meet in streets.

The film begins with Kabir (Abhay Deol)- whose family runs a construction business- proposing, somewhat unconvincingly, to Natasha (Kalki Koechlin of Dev D fame). With the marriage finalized, Kabir and his two best friends from school- Imraan (Farhan Akhtar)- an advertising copyrighter who constantly presents himself as the funny man of the lot, and Arjun (Hrithik Roshan), a money-minded stockbroker who intends to work mad until he is 40 and then retire into a lifetime of comfort- decide to finally embark on their long overdue road trip to Spain- a pact they had back from school.

The pact is simple; each of the three will choose a destination and a sport that the other two must follow. But as they travel through the interiors of Spain, their road trip takes a life of its own and begins changing the direction of their gusty, pre-conceived notions of how life should be like.

A story about three people who live in a box, one way or another, and how all of them break free to become free spirits, the film resembles what is wrong and what is lacking in the life of many young adults today- a willingness to take risks, a lack of concern for money, and the ability to push their own boundaries.

You’d be forgiven if you had thought, based on his shirtless perfect-body depiction during the film’s promos, that Hrithik is the star of the show. But the fact remains that the man who is the brains behind the film itself- Farhan Akhtar steals the show.

He takes the cake by clearly giving the film its best laughs, its best tear-jerking moments, and its best moments of depicting cowardice, uncertainty and even insecurity. And not to forget the stupidity of throwing a Blackberry out of a traveling car- he reminds you of someone you’d definitely know from your school days- the joker with a tinge of sadness in his eyes. You simply have to love him, and with this, Farhan proves that he can stand tall along with a Bollywood hunk and still come up trumps. The debate can now be put to rest- Farhan is an amazing actor.

Hrithik comes in a close second- he starts out pretty plain, and his scenes with Katrina do not bring any added spark to the story, but he comes up trumps with the way he underplayed his transformation from a money-minded broker to a man freely consumed by love and lots of laughter. Proving his pedigree in doing different films, Hrithik’s stock can only continue to rise if he continues to do films that feed his passion rather that films that will help girls reach their ‘climaxes’.

But then again, there are slots where he was able to tear off his short, engage in a passionate liplock, sing in his husky voice, and also groove with his exquisite dancing movements (topless of course). That should keep the fans happy.

Abhay Deol, though in good form, can do better than being the ‘other’ actor in a film like this. Known for his uniqueness and his normal tendency to do roles that are contrary to the regular ‘hero’ image etched in Bollywood, it is somewhat fresh to see him as a plain ‘good guy’. He doesn’t flirt, cracks jokes at the right places, palates to the desires to make the trip a memorable one for his family, and dresses less fancy compared to the other two. And he seems to be the only one of the three who had a clear idea of what he wants in life. Somewhat serene.

Katrina Kaif is good, but honestly there could be better choices. The characterization means that she doesn’t have to try too hard to hide her slang, but still she tries to be elegant and mysterious but fails, especially in being mysterious. A choice along the lines of Priyanka Chopra or another proven actress would have added the sensuousness to the character, or at least wouldn’t have looked very much out-of-place while trotting down a Harley-like ride down a Spanish road.

Kalki Koechlin is decent, and if she was meant to be the pricking fiancée, she was successful in bringing out the annoying shades of her character.

On the technical departments, what stand outs most is the fine parts of writing. Though the story is not exactly novel, the screenplay, written by Zoya Akhtar and Reema Kagti, is dished out with a flavor of poetry, and mixed with great cinematography that captured natural beauty without fail, the film could be used as a great tourism advert for Spain, if at all the country needs any. The ending of the film is great and resonates the tone and tempo that has preceded it all along.

The dialogues, written by Farhan, are top-notch, and in fact there are many tidbits you can actually note down and re-post in your Twitters or Facebooks. Javed Akhtar’s poetry for Farhan’s reciting scenes are magical, deep, and very meaningful.

Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy come up trumps once again with their music for an Akhtar production. Every song fits the situation. ‘Dil Dhadakne Do’ sets the tempo for the film while ‘Paint it Red’ and ‘Khaboon Ke Parindaay’ are both composed with the right about of tartness to fit the serene feeling they were trying to create.

‘Senorita’, though good, seems a little forced, while ‘Der Legi Lekin’ and ‘Sooraj Ki Bahoon Mein’ are average.

I personally would have preferred an ending without the regular ‘what happens after’ end-credits song, which, in this case, is ‘Sooraj Ki Bahoon Mein’, but I won’t speaking for everyone when I say a more hanging ending would have done the film great poetic justice.

Zoya Akhtar excels in her second directorial venture. She doesn’t attempt to change the film’s pace anywhere, which is almost Swades-like. Some might not like it, but the cinematic experience that comes with such pacing is unrivalled.

There isn’t too much to credit her for as all other technical parts are executed brilliantly and the film is filled with such capabilities. Perhaps her achievement is that she allows everyone to just put their heart and soul in the work, and this works wonders for the film.

Congratulations Zoya, for even if ZNMD doesn’t succeed at the box-office, it will join the likes of Swades and other films in becoming a Bollywood cult film- this I’m sure of.

I say ‘Dil Dhadakne Do!’

Tags: , , , , , , ,
Comment

Who’s the Malaysian?

Filed Under: Fourth Dimensions, The Beauty of Art, Voice of the Winds by Ram Anand — 1 Comment
June 14, 2011

I thought I had spaced out for a moment when my eyes fixated on a watch shop in front of me, even though the bustling street with a beaming aroma of evening food was offering so many other feasts for the eye. I recorded with my lenses as a woman, presumably in her late 40s, slowly rolled down the shutter for the shop. Business ends early on a Sunday.

The shop sported exquisite brands, from Rolex to Swatch to Casios- and I wondered how good business would have been for them that day. Then a middle-aged man, apparently the shop owner, trotted down the only open shutter and reached for an old EX5 bike. He messed around with the old, worn out red helmet that was on the bike, and began pushing almost in slow motion at the compound of the shop.

Just when I thought he would get on the bike, usher his wife to pillion with him, and ride back to a comfortable home, he pushed the bike in reverse, and with one big push, brought the bike into the shop with him, under the one remaining open shutter. As he moved in, his wife reached out for rusty steel, and dragged down the shutter. This shop is their home.

There is nothing so poor about this image, nor anything that is so rich about it. But this is the image of Malaysia in all of its glory. Exquisitely branded at the first view, but in ground reality- this is nothing but a modest nation that loves to rests its shoulders on small comforts and mundane routines.

I have long refrained from writing anything too political, because it gets monotonous when keeping in mind my job as a reporter. Politics is poisonous for a creative mind like mine even if it forms such a major part of our lives. The circus that happens in politics insults my intelligence and is just literally stupid.

But it does get to your nerves when some dumbfounded decisions made by some self-proclaimed champions at the top brass seep into our lives and begin affecting it. The latest straw, this week, was when the government suddenly decided to be stringent with their online policies and banned some ten awfully popular downloads and files sharing sites because they infringe ‘copyrights’.

For one, I’m not one of those customers and layman looking for an easy way to lay my hands on a movie, one who is grumbling cause I can’t take shortcuts to watch excellent ripped qualities of Hollywood products anymore.

Being a future film-maker and a novelist myself, I know very well what copyrights are worth, and I would be a mad man if my products are ripped off and seeded out for free consumption- causing me to incur losses.

But the Internet revolution had started a decade ago, and I think it is more than adequate time to gauge the impact the online revolution could have on the traditional forms of finding entertainment.

But had movies gone any less profitable in the past year just because they are now available as free downloads?

If you look at the global box-office records, nine out of ten of the world’s most profitable films to date have been made in the last decade alone. Titanic is the only film in the top-ten which was made before free Internet downloads were widely available. How can that be translated into impacting a film’s success-failure ratio?

The fact is, even with such downloads at hand, films, music, books, and other copyrighted materials make more than enough money to enable Hollywood actors to buy mansions or to enable singers who had one runway hit song three or four years ago to still survive making one bad album after another.

The day when I see these actors, directors, producers, or singers visit my local bakery shop and settle for a modestly-packaged bun for breakfast the way I do- then I will believe that all these downloads are actually affecting the industry.

Copyrights is nothing but cowardly excuse from those who are looking to leech out even more money for their products than they already are doing. So millions can keep fattening their bank accounts whilst we keep increasing our expenditure budget from our meager salaries.

Yes, United States already have a system in place where they can track such illegal downloads, and Malaysian authorities will probably soon cite examples such as that in this matter.

But if you want to emulate another country, emulate them in matters that improve the welfare of the society first before you emulate matters that will just please some swaggering corporate entities who will probably cut a good deal back for the top brass.

Are we getting free healthcare, or even free education? The answer is No. Everything in Malaysia is paid for, including provided public parking spaces, and even private parking spaces. From oil to gas to food, we literally pay for everything. The government keeps telling us that the reason for this money milking is called taxes, so that they could serve us in return.

Serve us in return? Do you repair our creaking water pipe for free then? Or do you give us a free car service? Do you even provide special subsidiaries to purchase a vehicle? Do not speak of welfare when you ask us to pay income taxes, land taxes, and even road taxes.

We are already experiencing trouble getting to theatres and watching movies due to traffic jams and a whole lot of expenses that come with it. Why ban downloads? So that we would go to theatres even more often than we already are, so that we pay the inflated ticket prices that we are charged with?

Just walk in to a Speedy Video Store and you would notice that the DVD release of a new Hollywood movie costs you a staggering RM60 to RM70. Is that the amount you expect us to pay in order to get some good entertainment at the comfort of our sofas during a silent Sunday?

Malaysia’s urbane beauty is nothing but a beautiful piece of overpriced jewellery that hangs in a showcase box and hardly on someone’s neck. Look at the mushrooms of posh, ridiculously priced condominiums in Jalan Duta and other surrounding areas. How many of them are actually occupied?

Why don’t you, for once, take a ‘righteous’ action that would shake the foundations of droves of men and women who go sailing in a crystal clear ocean in Mauritius because they have nothing better to do, or those who have a ‘guest house’ in Palm Islands in Dubai, rather than keep shaking the little left of us?

Before you know it, you might be writing your own obituary as far as power and positions are concerned. Don’t tell us you haven’t been warned. Or don’t dare call us betrayers when we leave.

The matter of fact is- you are betraying the faith we have placed in you.

Comment
Copyright (c) 2010. Ramyuva. All Rights Reserved