An interesting interview that I read prompted me to write this blog ahead of the one I intended to. The said interview is the one where Shobha De was the guest on Karan Thapar's show Devil's advocate. Although I do not necessarily concur to everything she says, the fact that she is strongly opinionated makes me take notice of her and either agree or disagree with her. Although I ain't any social commentator, I would still like to put down my perceptions. How do I perceive this recent, over-glorified (rather over-GORY-fied) Bombay vs. Mumbai divide?
I have always felt that the city has both a Bombay and a Mumbai flavor to it but perhaps the flavors were not distinct and the city seemed to be a great amalgam of the two discrete cultures. The Bombay culture was probably a more closer and personal identity to people who had migrated to this city decades ago to pursue a dream and realize it. These were the people who never perceived Bombay as a part of Maharashtra but always thought of it as the fulcrum of what Indian represented- A cosmopolitan city, a land of opportunities and a city of aspirations and a city of harmony. While Chennai carries a distinct essence of Tamilnadu, Kolkata of West Bengal to elucidate my point, Bombay has been an independent entity in itself where all these different essences juxtaposed in the most beautiful and harmonious manner. These people who spoke different languages were bound by their common sensibilities and their intense urge and drive to accomplishments and the desire to carve their own niche.
Having said that, there were these second kind of people who identified more with the makeover of Bombay to Mumbai as they felt (and rightfully so if I may add) the new identity and name to a considerable extent salvaged the strong and rich cultural and historical identity of Mumbai which stems from it being a part of Maharashtra. These people felt that it is very necessary for everyone to imbibe this cultural and linguistic aspect of Mumbai and undo their "Bombayite Avtaar" and the don the "Mumbaikar garb".
Let me quickly cite an observation. Having lived in the US for over 4 years now and having lived in the East coast and the mid-west, I have realized that this country too has four distinct regional identities- The east Coast, The Mid-West, the South and the West Coast and every city in these 4 zones conforms completely to its regional and cultural flavor. (was that the longest sentence in english there????) Since the linguistic diversity here is not as pronounced as it is in India, this cultural demarcation is not as polarized as it is in India. Since USA is perceived as a superpower and a highly developed nation, the statement I made above may seem counter intuitive to many.
Coming back to why i thought to write this blog is the happening in the city over the past few months seem to be disturbing the fine Bombay vs. Mumbai balance that the city has exhibited. I don't know what the common man feels or does his opinion even matter even if he chooses to voice it. Do I want to live in Mumbai as an Indian or reside in Mumbai as a Mumbaikar. My definition of a Mumbaikar is the one who epitomizes simplicity of thought, living tolerance dedication and resilience. Does one need to speak a particular dialect to exemplify their "Mumbaikar" self or is it an innate quality every resident of Mumbai bears unhindered by any barriers whatsoever...I do not know the answer!!!!!
Friday, October 31, 2008
Tuesday, October 21, 2008
Santa Singh Banta Singh Balle Balle!!!!
Before I embark upon my blogathon, I wanna reveal the title of my next blog. It's gonna be "Walk the Talk" that hopefully shall be a befitting reply to "BlueKing". And why dis I choose to post this blog first?????? Is it giving SRK movies some more privilege to dwell in glory before I wield my butcher pen again. No its actually a conscious effort from my side to take a detour from the movie path that I've been treading along for quite some time now.
I tried to push myself (read my pen) to translate my thoughts into words on paper. But guess my pen had again decided to get into a celibacy mode restraining itself from every interaction with paper (Guess my pen has some commitment issues...I should prolly rechristen it to Chandler...).Ironically the pen that I choose to write my blog with is "Papermate" but guess I should now hunt for a pen thats called "Monicamate". But the comprehensive victory over the Aussies at Mohali seems to have shaken off the "Sanyas avtaar" of my pen and here I am writing again.
The victory at Mohali is certainly special. Firstly, Sachin surpassing Brian Lara's world record. Although here I must admit that Brian Lara's grace and elegance will remain unrivaled and the countless matches he has won for WI singlehandedly will always remain firmly and fondly etched in the minds of every cricket lover. I know that was quite an outlandish statement to make almost taking away from Sachin's incredible feat. So I apologize. But in my defence, the admiration for Brian Lara that I have surfaced at the wrong time. So coming back to our own cricketing legend-Tendulkar has made every single of the 1 billion Indians proud. Now for the bigger picture, I guess its raining glory for Sikhs!!!! Every Singh is proving to be a King!!!! Akshay Kumar started it, Dr. Manmohan Singh demonstrated it (the Confidence Vote) and our TURBANATOR (Harbhajan Singh) has now completely testified and justified this statement by proving to be a TERMINATOR for the Aussies!!!
Guess its now the turn of Santa Singh and Banta Singh to take a few pot shots at others!!!!
I tried to push myself (read my pen) to translate my thoughts into words on paper. But guess my pen had again decided to get into a celibacy mode restraining itself from every interaction with paper (Guess my pen has some commitment issues...I should prolly rechristen it to Chandler...).Ironically the pen that I choose to write my blog with is "Papermate" but guess I should now hunt for a pen thats called "Monicamate". But the comprehensive victory over the Aussies at Mohali seems to have shaken off the "Sanyas avtaar" of my pen and here I am writing again.
The victory at Mohali is certainly special. Firstly, Sachin surpassing Brian Lara's world record. Although here I must admit that Brian Lara's grace and elegance will remain unrivaled and the countless matches he has won for WI singlehandedly will always remain firmly and fondly etched in the minds of every cricket lover. I know that was quite an outlandish statement to make almost taking away from Sachin's incredible feat. So I apologize. But in my defence, the admiration for Brian Lara that I have surfaced at the wrong time. So coming back to our own cricketing legend-Tendulkar has made every single of the 1 billion Indians proud. Now for the bigger picture, I guess its raining glory for Sikhs!!!! Every Singh is proving to be a King!!!! Akshay Kumar started it, Dr. Manmohan Singh demonstrated it (the Confidence Vote) and our TURBANATOR (Harbhajan Singh) has now completely testified and justified this statement by proving to be a TERMINATOR for the Aussies!!!
Guess its now the turn of Santa Singh and Banta Singh to take a few pot shots at others!!!!
Tuesday, October 7, 2008
Minisha Lamba vs. Dow Jones!!!!
I shall definitely explain the title (explicitly needless to add) as I proceed with my blog.
Since I've been inundated with work over the last few weeks, I thought that watching a movie would be a great stress-buster and the movie that I chose to beat my stress was Kidnap. (was it a good choice???) Yes coz it gave me the momentum to get into some light hearted writing after some serious blogging. Well as the title suggests, kids ought to nap during this one coz the leading ladies have been too generous in shedding clothes. But unfortunately for the director, adults too will nap during this one.
Imran Khan graduates from being a chocolate boy guy next door (JTYJN) to an angry young man- a la Amitabh Bachchan from his hey days. But I guess Minisha Lamba's ample cleavage show towers over his anger and the scene where he gawkily stares at her...... amidst a serious sequence with sanjay dutt is absolutely hilarious. I could kinda read his mind. What was Sanjay Gadhvi (the director-if I may add further of the super successful Dhoom series) thinking when he made me stare at Minisha Lamba who can do anything but even remotely turn on a guy!!!!!!!! Well I would like to tell him Sweetheart.. Sanjay gadhvi was not thinking at all and this movie is the biggest testimony to that. Coming back to the plot (for the director who thought that a plot existed) Minisha Lamba is the daughter of the richest Indian alive (Sanjay Dutt) and Imran Khan kidnaps her as he has some old scores to settle with her father. The director in this own words termed this movie to be an edge of the seat thriller. he is right up to the point of edge of th seat. But where he gets it wrong is the thriller part. Its actually a laugh riot coz the dialogues are so insanely mouthed by the charcters that they will definitely throw you from the edge of your seat as you are rolling with laughter.
Some of the dialogues from the movie,
Imran Khan to Minisha: This is a kidnap. Maine tumhe kidnap kiya hai. Do you know what a kidnap is??? (I guess all that was left in the scene is presenting her with a Thesaurus to look up the meaning of kidnap...)
Sanjay Dutt to the cop: Maine mere assistants ko mere dushmanon ki list banane ke liye kaha hai... (as though he is trying to make a grocery list)
Imran Khan to Sanjay Dutt: Mujhe revenge chahiye..(something like when you walk into agrocery store/vegetable vendor and say Mujhe do kilo aata chahiye ya sabzi chahiye...as though revenge is something thats sold off the shelf...and Sanjay Dutt is the guy selling it...Phew....)
Finally, the performaces by the two leading ladies is so intense and superlative that perhaps Naseeruddin Shah could take a lesson or two from them.
I am being too harsh I guess. the director has made some remarkable progress too from his previous Dhoom attempts.
For starters, Minisha Lamba's necklines have plunged several notches deeper than the greatest plummet witnessed by Dow Jones in the last four years and this nose dive in the necklines and amount of clothing worn is way ahead than those sported by the ladies in the Dhoom series...Only point being- there is a hope that the bank bailout plan will help resurrect the US economy and Dow Jones but I wonder what will bailout the producers from this debacle called "KIDNAP".
Second Progress:
Vidya Malvade plays Minisha's mother and looks perhaps just a few minutes older to her daughter and very ably competes with her daughter in the neckline department. ( A case of child (read infant) marriage I guess.. oops is this regressive then??????
Third Progress:
Reema Lagoo the quintessential mother of Hindi movies (second only to Nirupa Roy who played an ailing/blind/widowed/poverty-stricken -why slashes- most of the movies it was all of the above together) to Vijay aka Amitabh Bachchan in all the movies) now plays a grandmother in this movie- A sure progress for her.
Finally, the director thinks that he has extracted such a great and intense performance from Imran Khan that in one of his interviews compared Imran's performace to Marlan Brando.
I end my blog by saying "May Marlan's soul that is twisting and tossing in his grave post this statement rest in peace"
Since I've been inundated with work over the last few weeks, I thought that watching a movie would be a great stress-buster and the movie that I chose to beat my stress was Kidnap. (was it a good choice???) Yes coz it gave me the momentum to get into some light hearted writing after some serious blogging. Well as the title suggests, kids ought to nap during this one coz the leading ladies have been too generous in shedding clothes. But unfortunately for the director, adults too will nap during this one.
Imran Khan graduates from being a chocolate boy guy next door (JTYJN) to an angry young man- a la Amitabh Bachchan from his hey days. But I guess Minisha Lamba's ample cleavage show towers over his anger and the scene where he gawkily stares at her...... amidst a serious sequence with sanjay dutt is absolutely hilarious. I could kinda read his mind. What was Sanjay Gadhvi (the director-if I may add further of the super successful Dhoom series) thinking when he made me stare at Minisha Lamba who can do anything but even remotely turn on a guy!!!!!!!! Well I would like to tell him Sweetheart.. Sanjay gadhvi was not thinking at all and this movie is the biggest testimony to that. Coming back to the plot (for the director who thought that a plot existed) Minisha Lamba is the daughter of the richest Indian alive (Sanjay Dutt) and Imran Khan kidnaps her as he has some old scores to settle with her father. The director in this own words termed this movie to be an edge of the seat thriller. he is right up to the point of edge of th seat. But where he gets it wrong is the thriller part. Its actually a laugh riot coz the dialogues are so insanely mouthed by the charcters that they will definitely throw you from the edge of your seat as you are rolling with laughter.
Some of the dialogues from the movie,
Imran Khan to Minisha: This is a kidnap. Maine tumhe kidnap kiya hai. Do you know what a kidnap is??? (I guess all that was left in the scene is presenting her with a Thesaurus to look up the meaning of kidnap...)
Sanjay Dutt to the cop: Maine mere assistants ko mere dushmanon ki list banane ke liye kaha hai... (as though he is trying to make a grocery list)
Imran Khan to Sanjay Dutt: Mujhe revenge chahiye..(something like when you walk into agrocery store/vegetable vendor and say Mujhe do kilo aata chahiye ya sabzi chahiye...as though revenge is something thats sold off the shelf...and Sanjay Dutt is the guy selling it...Phew....)
Finally, the performaces by the two leading ladies is so intense and superlative that perhaps Naseeruddin Shah could take a lesson or two from them.
I am being too harsh I guess. the director has made some remarkable progress too from his previous Dhoom attempts.
For starters, Minisha Lamba's necklines have plunged several notches deeper than the greatest plummet witnessed by Dow Jones in the last four years and this nose dive in the necklines and amount of clothing worn is way ahead than those sported by the ladies in the Dhoom series...Only point being- there is a hope that the bank bailout plan will help resurrect the US economy and Dow Jones but I wonder what will bailout the producers from this debacle called "KIDNAP".
Second Progress:
Vidya Malvade plays Minisha's mother and looks perhaps just a few minutes older to her daughter and very ably competes with her daughter in the neckline department. ( A case of child (read infant) marriage I guess.. oops is this regressive then??????
Third Progress:
Reema Lagoo the quintessential mother of Hindi movies (second only to Nirupa Roy who played an ailing/blind/widowed/poverty-stricken -why slashes- most of the movies it was all of the above together) to Vijay aka Amitabh Bachchan in all the movies) now plays a grandmother in this movie- A sure progress for her.
Finally, the director thinks that he has extracted such a great and intense performance from Imran Khan that in one of his interviews compared Imran's performace to Marlan Brando.
I end my blog by saying "May Marlan's soul that is twisting and tossing in his grave post this statement rest in peace"
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