Big Bother and an unlikely winner…

Last week was really weird with the mind-boggling media coverage and the scrutiny around the happenings in the UK Reality TV Show “Big Brother “. While Shilpa Shetty in a bid to boost her sagging career definitely did herself a lot of good by accepting 3 Crores to be a part of a show, even she would have been pleasantly surprised at the publicity that last week’s events have generated.

There is no denying the fact that the comments made against Shilpa were in bad taste and smacks of big-headedness. But some issues are being missed.

The point is, when you have a show that’s primarily trying to capitalise on selling private moments and reactions in a bunch of people’s lives you are asking for or rather fervently hoping for nasty things to be said and done. Now is that a justification for racist comments to be made, guess not but there’s only that much importance that one should attach to it. What if one of the participants had commented about the accent of a Spanish woman? (one of the remarks made about Shilpa was about her accent). Would we have considered it racist ? Maybe not. The problem is that of we being self-apologetic about what we are. I think Indians who raise a hue and cry about this issue are burdened with embarrassments about the way we look, speak and react in day to day lives. That to me is unwarranted. All sensible souls around the world irrespective of race are sane enough to admit the existence of various diversities. So when some Jade from the corner of the street who is probably not even capable of spelling India right at the first go, passes idiotic comments, the maximum that we might want to waste as a reaction should be “oh-really…God save you”. And what did we find ? Every media house worth its name (and even those who aren't worth their name) devoted a sizable % of their air time covering this episode. The Indian government opened diplomatic channels to condemn the actions. I am certain that there were much more important issues that warrant utilisation of resources. Jade and her gang in Big Brother …Don’t even bother. Stooping so low to react to an insult is worse than the insult itself.

Also, as a nation we should get rid of our hypocritic double standards and wake upto realities in our back yard. If any experience of watching Big Boss (the Indian Cousin of Big Brother) is enough qualification(I watched exactly 3 episodes), I can say that our version is more racist. We had a couple of struggling TV “stars” commenting about a South Indian participant that “she is apparently an actress, obviously you cant expect better looking things among Madraasis (the all encompassing category that south Indians are clubbed under by some people from the north)”. Another set of participants in one of their late night gossip sessons said something like “Anu and Carol are ‘models”, you expect them to encourage men to be all over them” and so on…….. lets leave the show behind for a moment

Lets pose a questions to ourselves – the common folk. We would have all come across or even contributed to comments traded by North & South Indians about traits such as accent, intelligence, behaviour and colour. So were those instances of racism? If so, then where did this anti-racist streak in us suddenly crop up from? Or are saying that its ok if we don’t appreciate our diversity but its not ok if foreigners fail to appreciate it. Now at the Government – There are still real issues of racism in India with Dalits not let into temples, not allowed to contest panchayat elections, people from the North East being discriminated against when it comes to jobs and a whole lot of things (now don’t tell me that all this is regionalism or casteism and not racism- its all garbage from the same dump). Affirmative and punitive actions aimed at correcting such practices have long been on paper with no real momentum. So lets not waste our time raising a diplomatic row about a wannabe celebrities ramblings. Far more important things should occupy a developing nation’s government’s “to-do” list.

Alas, who’s benefited from all this? Jade I guess – there was news that she got ￡30,000 to do it a bare-it-all interview about what actually transpired in those few days. Huh....So much for all the wasted effort

At Last.....

It has taken me 25 years to get this achievement on my CV and boy I can now safely hold my head high and tell many friends of mine that “Ya, I have been there and done that”. I should whole-heartedly thank SK for this. After all he was the one who called me on a typical Tuesday morning ( there’s always a typical Tuesday morning just like there is a typical Sunday morning, Monday morning, Wednesday morning and so on…) and offered me a chance to finally do it. His suggestion was that we try to make it on that week’s Friday night. I hesitated a bit for I knew I couldn't get back home after midnight but then I thought “what the heck….I can always sleep at a friends place”. So I said yes and he did the needful. There was this eager sense of anticipation from Thursday morning. I couldn't even share the excitement with people at work for I was not sure about what they would think. Friday was this absolute “down-the-drain” day at work. I just was in no mood to do any work. I cancelled meetings; dilly dallied on calls and postponed pending decisions to next working week. After all, the feeling was so overwhelming that I didn’t want to take wrong calls at work as I my boss keeps telling me that I am involved in making potentially earth shattering decisions for our business. (huh)

And then the time arrived. I reached at around 9.45 p.m. and as usual SK was late. I had to wait outside, for half an hour at that. A quick look at the watch, an eye on the entrance, a look behind the shoulder and then restless tapping of the feet……it was one tiring wait. Finally SK did run in and we went in. The moment had arrived……..

I finally watched a movie on its First Day and “Guru” is the one that would find its place in the History Books. Watching a movie on Day 1 I am told is quite an event. There’s this buzz outside the cinema hall; once in, the trailers and ads are booed; credits are applauded,;stars introduction shots are welcomed with rapturous whistles and so on…

It seems the environment is simply electric (maddening – if you are a neutral observer) if it’s a movie starring a south Indian “mass” star say Rajnikanth or Chiranjeevi ( Coconuts are broken, Camphor is lit, the cut outs are bathed with milk, rosewater and nowadays beer am told). Of course I didn’t expect any of that for Guru mainly because of two reasons. A Hindi film in Chennai isn’t expected to get that kind of a welcome as it basically is not “mass” and Abhishek + Mani Ratnam + A.R.Rahman is anyways not a “mass” combination. But believe me it was undoubtedly the most revved up atmosphere that I have ever got to see in a cinema hall. The fortunate few who managed to get their tickets were actually waiting for the movie to end so that they could get out (collars up) and give the 'aam junta' their 2 cents worth of views about the movie. I thought I should just put my two cents worth stuff in my blog.

For people who go with the expectation of watching a great Bollywood Movie Guru might be a disappointment. It’s a story that we all know about (Dhirubhai is quite popular and though Mani keep’s denying it, the movie is at least a 95% adaptation) and given that its almost real life you don’t have the luxuries of a comedian, villain, fight sequences and the works….The climax is a tad weak too. But if you want to watch a well made film you would be at the right place.

The film is technically brilliant in aspects such as photography, editing, re-recording and art but that’s not all. Starting from the credits (when names are printed on a paper with a yellowish tinge) till the 360 degree camera roll in the final scene Mani Ratnam offers many pleasant variations from run of the mill cinema. The screenplay is peppered with unpredictabilities that add beauty to the flow of the film.

Courtship and marriages have often occupied hefty and boring reels in Indian cinema but here it is handled with a casual knack. Guru’s initial brainwave about marriage and his exchange with his 'would-be' father in law are brilliantly done accentuating his character without any attempt to project any filmatic fluff.

The intimacy that develops between AB jr and Ash is captured refreshingly in the scene where the couple starts smacking each other in their bedroom. Trust Mani to present the most intimate moments in a way that it most naturally unfolds…the scene leaves you with a smile and will stay etched for quite some time to come.

Madhavan makes his mark by underplaying his emotions as the role demands. For all practical purposes he is the villain in the film. He goes about his business in no-nonsense manner and his relationship with Vidya Balan is a nice little side story. Mithun finally can claim some respect from the current generation afetr a sensible portrayal of the media baron's role.

The portion that stands out is the one where Guru goes to Madhavan’s house apparently in a mood to fight only to know that Vidya Balan (they share a Brother-Kid sister kind of vibes) is married to him. It’s a tough situation and the director and the actors could have been excused for some cinematic output but Mani and his actors take your breath away by staging a beautiful scene.

The hospital scene in which Guru meets his long time aide is heavy situation no doubt and would have been handled as a tear jerker by 99% of our directors. It has its share of emotions but then ends beautifully on a pleasant note.......Here again Mani’s knack of infusing humor and creating extraordinary moments out of seemingly ordinary ones is on full view.

In all, Guru according to me is a must watch simply for being a film that’s been handled differently. As mentioned earlier it has its weak points. Its not racy all along but that’s pretty much expected as the attempt is to deal with a man’s life and not an F1 race for it to have twists, turns and thrills all along. The celebratory jig after Guru’s kids are born could have been avoided to put it mildly, and the climax is really weak. But if 90% of the movie is good enough to give you a satisfying feeling, in today’s Indian Cinema world, the unanimous choice should be to just watch and like it.

Homecoming

The last couple of months that I have spent in Chennai have truly been eventful to say the least. After all, the 8 and half years that I spent away from my hometown has indeed been a long time. I should admit that Chennai has prsented me with a fair share of troubles in the last two months,

I have definite issues in figuring out routes, remembering names of roads (my sense of direction is probably the worst one could ever have) and curse the crazy traffic jams at flyover construction points.

I hate the city’s extremely humid weather (and its winter here!!!) and invariably get into fights with the city’s famed auto rickshaw guys (A 3km ride costs 40-50 bucks- that is if you speak fluent Tamil!!!!).

Rains leave the roads with more water than Cauvery ever had (the area in which I stay apparently had a ferry boat service during last year's floods), yet ‘Metro Water’ tankers routinely rumble around supplying water to apartments and establishments (…also routinely knocking down poor pedestrians on the roads).

Most of the New Year bashes insisted on couple entry (Huh lets not get into that) and Rotis even in the best restaurants have more maida than atta

...........But homecoming has beyond doubt been a great pleasure.

Chennai for me has its own charm that I have failed to experience in the three other places that I have stayed in and I would be the first one to accept that the feeling its more because of the ‘hometown emotion’ that I carry. The city has changed a lot in these years but somehow there are elements that have stood still to retain their character. And interestingly those unchanged traits are just the ones that seem to provide me with a sense of elation. It might sound odd though but I even feel safer in the prosperous presence of the old ‘Madras’ characteristics that are on offer. To be frank most of these are trivial and some actually aren’t even aspects that have perceptible implications in day to day life (definitely not in my life) but are quaintly beautiful in their essence.

Marina, Santhome, Elliott’s and the likes – This one undoubtedly tops the list - the beaches. They are definitely not the Goa or even the Vizag types in terms of beauty but the beaches are a proud possession and something that I have missed in other cities. Bustling crowds, thousands of peddlers, secretive lovers next to discarded boats, the really long walk in the sand……

Old Tam Songs in Chai Stalls blaring out of FM Radios– Ilayaraja’s 80s’ classics wafting along with the smell of sugar and the boiling milk. The spontaneous hum that sets off from the heart and a hint of a curve that the lips form to smile, memories about getting ready to go to school in the good old “AIR Akashavani” days……

Saravana Bhavan et al. - The choicest of South Indian food at incorrigibly affordable prices (at least compared to eat outs in Delhi, Bangalore and Hyderabad). These places do have their Family/Leisure dining rooms but the fun is eating in the Non-A/C and sometimes “stand and eat enclosures”…Order, eat, relish and leave, all in 15 minutes……

Suburban Trains – The most underrated mass public transport system among the 4 metros. High on reliability (A train every 5 minutes, 4AM to Midnight), Low on cost (a first class season ticket comes at 440 bucks per month for a 50 km daily ride), the resting place of the “astro-technical” wonder – the weighing machines, excited chatter amongst aging parents about how their kid just got picked by Infosys (“the campus has all facilities” ,”she has been told that she should have her passport ready”). A massive conclave of humans all of whom have this binding hope ……getting one of those elusive seats in the cramped compartments..

Maargazhi Maasam Prayers - Maargazhi is the month in the Tamil calendar that is dedicated to religious activities. Temples are decked up, early morning prayers and ceremonies are arranged, loudspeakers blare out devotional songs played from aging cassettes, crowds throng the temples……. honest attempts to get quick-fix solutions to the moral dilemmas they face in an increasingly unscrupulous world.

Music Season – 10 prestigious and 100 also ran Sabhas, 25 “hot in the circuit” and 250 wannabe vidhvaans, 30 days and thousands of concerts. The high pitched chatter amongst eager music lovers, full families decked up to attend the social gathering called a katcheri and also by the way enjoy the Thodis and the Kambodhis, Moms and grandmas from various families exchanging notes about prospective grooms and brides for their kids…..Life for a month is this beautiful musical.

I haven’t gone to the beach even once in the last two months, I frequent the Mochas’ and the Amethysts’ than the Saravana Bhavans, I haven’t gone to the temples since Maargazhi started and same is the case with the Music concerts ( I travel by the suburban train twice daily). But it hardly matters……..The spirit these things signify are all pervasive. You can feel it in the city. Typical of old times’ Madras……it got changed to Chennai much after 1998 when I first left my hometown

When the Devil decided that Satan should be hanged….

Congratulations to President Bush. Can we all rise from our seats and applaud the man’s successful attempt to immortalize his name. It’s a signal for the start of a great New Year. He has successfully authored a chapter that would find its place as another unforgettable one in America’s modern history. On December 30th 2006 as the noose tightened around Saddam’s neck the gasp that went out was so loud that one could have heard it from any where in the world. After all when millions of individuals who care for silly things such as ‘moral justice’ and ‘national sovereignty’ are strangled all at the same time you expect the noise to travel farther than the trivial 40076 km that the earth’s circumference offers as a challenge. Yet almost all of us and definitely those who matter chose to just duck under the noise hoping that it would count as being non-existent.

While Bush’s statements of the act being a ‘milestone’ and loads of other crap was definitely expected what was bothersome are the reactions of most of the ‘un-biased’ nations outside of the ‘Colonial Cousins Coalition’. India for example was ‘disappointed’ as was expressed by the External Affairs Ministry. Wow, how appropriate and well placed one should say!!!! Our parliamentarians are ‘devastated, pained and distraught’ to see the Indian Cricket team losing 0-4 to South Africa and what’s the reaction towards an execution arising from a mockery of a trial ……er…… ‘Disappointed’ is it? Very interesting.

Its not about whether capital punishment that too ‘death by hanging’ is acceptable or not. Its not even about whether Saddam deserved to be hanged or not, being the perpetrator of a long list of heinous crimes that were committed under his careful supervision for over a decade and a half. Those are topics for another day as those are different issues in themselves. The issues here are the oft repeated ones about 1) the right of a nation, however powerful it might be, to poke its nose into a) Sovereign affairs and b) Judicial Exercises , of another nation and of course 2) the fairness of the trial

But by now the USA has gotten so much into the habit of playing Football (American Rules at that) with other nations’ affairs that am not sure if it even remotely pinches them anymore. One wonders if that feeling of numbness has spread far and across a majority of nations that have just got accustomed to the game and are taking it as a way of life. ‘After all as long as it’s not our country or surrounding why bother’ seems to be the popular refrain. I had this wild thought that crossed my mind a couple of days back. In India we have no dearth of politicians who occupy their proud slots as MPs and MLAs after having been involved in varying degrees of criminal activity do we? We would more than welcome and even fervently hope that they are taken to court, prosecuted and punished for their crimes…a la Shibu Soren. But how ok would we be if one day Mr. Bush (in his extended role as President of three parts of the world – US, Friends of US and Foes of US) orders an enquiry and consigns a couple of them to the gallows??? Not very good am sure, for we are not talking about the appropriateness of a wrong doer being punished, but about the appropriateness of who should have the right to decide on rights and wrongs and the way to go about the decision.

Ok, for a moment let’s even forget and ignore the Sovereignty part. Lets assume for a moment that a war torn, leadership lacking nation such as Iraq does not have the bandwidth to conduct a high profile judicial exercise. Was a fair trial conducted? While the US, the other members of the coalition and the interim Iraqi government would all like us to believe that it indeed was the case, its no world secret that the trial was a farce. And come to think of it, we might be downright crazy to even expect that a fair trial should have been conducted in the first place. For, in a fair trial Saddam’s lawyers could have rightfully called 4 main characters of the American cast as prosecutable witnesses. President Bush’s right hand men at various stages (Cheney, Powell) and his dad Bush Sr. were all prime characters in the ugly precursor game that was played in the 1980s in Iraq/Iran and the Arab Nations by the US. Many of the Iraqi dictator’s ghastly crimes (the same ones that formed material during his trial) were performed under their noses and even abetted by them to a great extent. So, fair trial, did we say? Ho-hum

With the execution episode now dead and buried (literally too) the US has created a deeply divided Iraq and a much more antagonised ‘Islamic Nations’ gang. Also evident is a desire to break into unrecognisable pieces what remained of the world order. Iraq was just Bush’s version of a demo equipment, Somalia is waiting in the wings (of course it wont hog the headlines as its not glamorous media material) and a lot more nations are just brewing in their barrels. Thanks once again Mr. Bush You have successfully just tightened the noose….not just around Saddam’s neck…..