"Raavan Rathore"

Honestly, I thought I shall begin the new decade's blogging session with my take on "3 Idiots" and was even a complete page into writing this piece. But even whilst writing, my mind was preoccupied with the "Ruchika Girhotra" case and how the system has made us all "IDIOTS" and how this case is a sheer travesty of justice. My thoughts, my questions or rather I, me myself may seem trivial in the larger scheme of things, a voice too feeble to be heard let alone leaving an impact. But I still think, in a society over-ridden by cynicism we must believe that "We the people" can still make a difference or at least attempt to make a difference however humble the beginnings are...
Coming to this case, my heart bleeds thinking about the father of that minor who was molested by the former Haryana DGP Rathore, to the same father whose son was falsely implicated in several cases, denied water and food, imprisoned for several month...Their fault-they took on the system, they took on Raavan Rathore..Nineteen years of relentless struggle yields them the unimaginable verdict from the perpetrators of criminal justice-" Six months bailable sentence for the accused-who goes scot-free on the very same day!!!!! Well as Kiran Bedi rightly put it-Its no longer criminal justice but in fact justice for criminals. The man walks out of the court with a big smirk on his face-a smile implying his money power, his political power, a smile that most transparently exposes the nexus between police, Bureaucrats and politicians. This historic judgement was pronounced taking into consideration Rathore's age and his mental agony over 19 years. A simple question to the man behind this verdict-Was he blind to the age of the victim-She was fourteen when this monster molested her. A bright child, an aspiring tennis player completely withdrew into a shell post this incident. Life was never the same.Finally the child succumbed to the torture three years later. I think why just single out Rathore as the villain in this story...There are several "Raavans" in this case..From the police who failed to even register an FIR, the government that most disgustingly recommended Rathore to a president's medal to the then ruling government that chose to hush-up the matter and played the perfect accomplice in this heinous crime.
Why did it take a public outrage, a media intervention to rake this issue up in an attempt to grant justice to this family. Even now the blame game continues...The Chautala and the Bansi Lal government passing on the buck to each other and no-one taking any affirmative action. The only person who hasn't changed loyalties in this case, a rare case of a witness not turning suddenly hostile and fighting with undeterred conviction is Aradhna Prakash-Ruchika's friend. Hats off to this woman and her family for taking on the system and facing the repercussions for a case that has not affected them directly...
Many cynics might argue that if there is a loser in this battle-it is Ruchika herself and her family for we all know that it is nearly impossible to emerge victorious in such a vicious battle. But should we really not do anything and accept corruption and crime as a way of life????????? Is everyone so stripped of conscience???? If only one public figure would have had the nerve to stand up for the cause....A closer examination at the cause itself-Why isn't molestation as serious an offence as rape?? Or we girls brought up with an immunity to face this in everyday scheme of things-be it traveling by bus, trains to any public place. I agree laws have been amended-Punitive measures against eve-teasers.But it's always the money-deprived, power-deprived offender that is targeted.But when the culprit is the law-maker himself everyone sings a different tune. In an attempt to glorify the diminishing crime statistics, the police even shy away from lodging an FIR let alone taking any action.
Even today, its only the media and a select "we the people" that are taking some affirmative action on this. Public figures are still embroiled in several trivialities. The political brigade is engaged in several important activities like keeping a tab on a peer's twitter, or playing the boss game with Krishna clarifying that he is the ultimate boss to his Parth tharoor (Pun intended)....or lambasting a book on Jinnah to seeking massages within the confines of Raj Bhavan...The entertainment Moguls are busy too fighting credit issues over story or blogging incessant self eulogies on their recently released film on progeria or paa or whatever.....Nobody takes a stand..Diplomacy is a deeply ingrained trait...
Until we have more people taking stronger stand or atleast recognizing pertinent issues, we will have several Raavans like Rathore and Kasabs who miraculously change their testimony every minute. Until such a time Mani Ratnam can consider making Raavan-2, Raavan-3 or may be even Raavan-100!!!!!!!!!!!!

Learn the new "ABC" Congress Ishtyle!!!!

Well the new mantra of the government seems to be, Observe "A"usterity for "B"achat of a few thousands of rupees by travelling "C"attle Class........Austerity is the new word that has suddenly found space in the dictionary of the government. So the government thinks...Mrs. Gandhi traveling economy, kicking out certain "twittering" ministers from their five-star cocoons will alleviate the nation's poverty and help India prosper...Well when posed by this question, the government spokesperson said that the entire intent of this "Austerity Drive" has been misconstrued... It is just the govt.'s symbolic gesture of expressing solidarity with their less fortunate countrymen including the drought-struck, flood-struck and several other crisis-struck people. Well if its just about tightening purse strings, then I guess for a purse that holds "crores" depriving it of a few thousands would not really make it unhappy!!!!Recession that has burnt big holes in everybody pockets has somehow left our ministers pockets unscathed....Is flying economy the best the government can do? How about taking some "Real Decisions" and giving pink-slips to non-functional MPs whose designations just exist on paper and who serve no real purpose..What do you save out of this..Millions of rupees that goes into providing unnecessary security to these ministers, footing mammoth bills of their accommodations in plush villas, foreign travel (read vacations) and of course the baggage that comes along..the high handedness of these ministers and their kin....the list is just endless...If only the govt could curb the ostentatious display of wealth at the weddings of their kin..Right from making the invitations in gold (I am sure they would even make these in rhodium)...to booking an entire city for the weddings, to making a 1000 crore meal, to deploying the entire national security for the elite guest list upto hiring certain "Khans" to dance at the weddings at the cost of only a few crores by certain "high-flying" ministers (pun intended) is certainly no austerity. The net result of this ugly gala event-complete consumption of every possible resource-both monetary and energy sources!!! Wouldn't real action be targeting these ministers and confiscating their "Fodder" and "Shoes" wealth and utilizing these resources for more productive developmental work....It is ironical that so many of these ministers that claim to save money by cutting down on their foreign travel never travel even once to their respective constituency!!!!! Stationing oneself in the slightly less cosy "Govt Bhavans" instead of five-star hotels is certainly no austering!!!Why do these "Bhavans" need months of work of face-lift each time an MP leaves making way for another one to move in?????? Do these ministers just plunder everything from the Bhavans that you need to redo the place to make way for another plunder....
Well I wonder if these "austere ministers" think this gesture is equivalent in measure to the "forced austerity" that a farmer in Vidarbha faces when he has to mortgage his home to fend himself and this rain-deprived farm or to the misery of the "Cattle-Class" aadmi whose pockets have been completely deflated by the "inflation" balloon that doesn't cease to grow bigger by the day!!!!
So yes travelling economy by his elected representative or a pretense of giving up on your five-star luxuries is the most over-simplified answer that will certainly not please the voter!!!!!!

Reality Shows!!!!!! Realllyyyyyy????????????????????????

Back after a long hiatus... My recent visit back home (India) has been a disclosure of sorts. Reality TV has arrived in India and how.....I could possibly fill up an entire post just enlisting their names. And I can assure you that 90 % of these are absolutely redundant with each of these being a virtual clone of one another. Well virtual because, there are certain disparities of course..These being the channels that air them and of course the "judges"...I so need to make a quick mention of these "Judges"...So these are either once upon a time languishing actors or "ANUmol" music directors that out of job as they have passed on their mantle of plagiarism/inspiration to their "PRITAM" disciples (Hey I just meant cherished disciples)...or certain directors that are at the anvil of a mid-life crisis...Not knowing should be repeat a colossal error by making a sequel to Elizabeth or by making a film that will make people again say "Mogambo Khush Hua"...and of course the blog will be incomplete without mention of this judge who thinks being a judge on every reality show is her birthright....
But amongst these countless reality shows, there are a couple of shows that have created a huge stir amongst our "Berozgaar Netas"..These are Sach ka Saamna and Is Jungle se mujhe bachao....
Sach ka Saamna is just a shameless clone of "moment of Truth"- wherein participants are asked some utmost personal questions completely undressing their minds and souls. Some of the questions include "If your husband were to remain ignorant-would you want to sleep with another man?????? or In your most intimate moments with your wife, have you been thinking of another woman???? I must admit these questions completely stumped me and several others. But did it lead to us switching off the television...Infact NOT- evidenced by the highest TRP this show has been generating and has become the highest money spinner for Star Plus...
So now the judgement passed by the MP's "These shows are corrupting the minds of the youth and these need to be banned..(Banning seems to be magical solution to every bane...) How I wish I could bane all the 552 men who use the parliament forum to discuss these ludricrous issues skirting a very serious burning issue of the hour...India is certainly not shining for the AAM Junta (or as saif Ali khan would prefer saying--The Mango People)These people are not able to afford Chawal and Dal and vegetables-prices of which are sky rocketing and this hour of crisis these self appointed moral police think its more important for them to feed us "good culture" and "Morals" which are values they certainly don't personally subscribe to!!!!!
Again, I am not trying to justify reality shows and certainly do not concur to Star Plus's rebuttal on these allegations by saying that "We are just religiously advocating the paradigm "Satyameva jayate" and citing Gandhi and Gita as precedents for truthfully answering such preposterous questions!!!
These shows are simply catering to the voyeur in the viewer that seeks pleasure in another man's misery. When you aroused this natural instinct of the viewer, how does the channel expect to offer a simplistic solution by asking the viewer to simply turn off the television if he finds the contents objectionable?
Blame all this on the plummet of electronic media and entertainment to precarious levels..Blame all this on the need of the channels to thrive, sustain competition and the birth of a new channel everyday. It has almost become a norm "Entertainment ke Liye Kuch Bhi Karega" (I don't get credit for this-This is yet another reality Show!!!!!)
We certainly do not need shows like "Iss Jungle Se Mujhe Bachao" wherein a celebrity's (I cannot fathom, why are these third-rate actors/models even called celebrities) in the first place!!!!)claim to fame is donning a bikini and bathing in an open jungle with ten cameras' zooming on them. News Channels are not far behind...These news channels further promote these shows by playing the bikini clip repeatedly in the name of stirring a so called moral debate!!! Oh I guess I shouldn't come down so heavily on these news channels..They do provide some important breaking news as well like "An elephant went berserk on the sets of an Aishwarya Rai bachchan-Abhishek bachchan movie titled Raavan and killed it mahut!! and a title for this byte "Haathi bana Raavan and Pati-Patni aur haathi!!!! Oh there is other breaking news too! Emraan Hashmi- the serial killer(oops kisser) denied house in Mumbai with Emraan shouting from rooftops-Minorities are soft targets!!! and then very conveniently stating this was all a case of miscommunication...Well the news channels on this particular day gave him more footage than all his movies put together-Iske kya hai Raaz? I do not know!!!!
We certainly need a regulatory body or a television censorship of sorts to bail us out of this ugly situation in the name of entertainment. But the bigger need of the hour is regulatory body to remind these 552 men to bail us out of a bigger crisis called "INFLATION" (There is nothing more left to inflate!!!!) that has dawned upon us...I wonder if they would say........

"The Three Mistakes of my Life"

I wish I could chronicle my life's three biggest mistakes, but I am unable to....Is it because the mistakes outnumber "three"???? Not really...The mistakes I am talking about are decisions I made at various junctures in my life. But somehow, deeply ingrained in me in this thought that these are not really mistakes, but experiences that happen for a reason. Every experience increases the slope of your learning curve and the curvier it is, better for u...(pun totally INTENDED).Well this post is definitely not going to be a self introspection voyage.
The title has actually been plagiarized from Chetan Bhagat's third book entitled the same. I agree he is no Booker or Pulitzer material.His books are just a literary (prolly too strong a word) adaptation of a 70 mm commercial masala caper exemplifying boyfriend-girlfriend relationship and friendship with a good measure of "titillation" (ain't being explicit coz I don't want the censor board to jump at me)...Having said that, I have enjoyed his previous two attempts at writing, coz they kept me entertained for 3 hours and and at the end of 3 hours I could say paisa vasool. Like every movie does not have to be path-breaking, every book needn't be written for a booker. So after some frantic "Amazonic" search, I managed to lay my hands on this book and Boy!!!! was I disappointed!!!!!!!!!
The primary reason being, in all likelihood after writing 90% of the book, the author suddenly thought..."Can I win a Booker by scrambling in 10 pages of Godhra massacre and make my mark as a writer trying to address a socially relevant cause. How I wish that this dramatic enlightenment had dawned upon the author a few pages earlier. I wish he had handled this issue with a lot more sensitivity, poignancy and detail. This is one incident that has perhaps left an indelible impression in the minds of every Indian, to the extent that this is still a stumbling block in the way of a certain man vying for the "PM's Kursi" in the ongoing general election. Coming back to the book, it does have its endearing moments, but falls miles short of what could have been a perfect amalgam of entertainment conveying a powerful message.
Having made a passing remark on the ongoing General elections,(I know some of you are more familiar with the same being called as the Great Indian Circus) I would probably wanna pen down my thoughts on the same. Firstly, what struck me the most about this election was this celebrity bandwagon high on glamor quotient motored by the man himself Karan Johar, endorsing the General Elections and asking the youth to step out and vote.These celebrities who seem completely out of sync with the country's political scenario are just reading their lines straight off a tele-prompter which says" Go Vote, your vote counts in bringing the change we need". If you were to ask them, what kind of governance will bring in that change, the answer would be "I don't know" or perhaps "A govt. that will resist another 26/11 episode. The reason is, this whole celebrity campaign was generated with a myopic agenda centered around 26/11 attack on Mumbai. The campaign seems completely blind to other pertinent issues plaguing the nation like economic reforms and its implications on the industrial sector and "Aam taxpaying Junta", rural and agricultural empowerment, inflation, recession, red tapism et al. I am not being apathetic to the 26/11 incident..Hurt I am and do appreciate the efforts that are going into nailing the brains behind this operation...But I also realize that what we need at this point is not just a leader but a VISIONARY who will look beyond myopic agenda. The day such a leader addresses a campaign, we will surely see the polling rate surge beyond the 50% mark where it remains stagnated at over the last two decades despite the attempts by these "unaware" celebrities trying to spread "voting awareness".
Until then, May 16th 2009 will just remain a day that just paves way for a certain politician occuyping 7 racecourse road and the day all the numerous election promises start biting the dust.

Delhi-"6" Crosses the boundry but just falls short of going over it!

"Rehna Tu Hai Jaisa Tu
Tujhe badalna na chahu raddibar bhi sanam
Bina Sajawat na Milawat- Na Zyaada nahi Kam.......
This says everything about the movie. It's just as real a film can get. Going by the age-old adage that "Art is a reflection of reality"- this movie is definitely the mirror to everyday life one leads. The movie is pure (bina sajawat and milawat) as the lyrics of this most beautiful composition of the movie (I am sorry Masakali) go. This song is perhaps one of the most best music pieces I've heard in my life. While I am at it, lemme take a stop before I plunge into the review and just devote some deserving time to this song. The lyrics of this song do not follow the typical lyrical diktats but are yet so poetic. Another interesting part of this beautiful song (I need another superlative adjective) is the flute piece that plays for a good long 2 minutes at the end of the song. Rarely, do you get to hear such standalone music pieces in a song without any lyrical intersperse.
Now coming back to the film, this was one movie that I was very keen on watching ever since the inception of the movie. This was coz of the humongous influence Rang De Basanti (RDB) had on me that tops my favorite movie list. And boy, I wondered RDB is a tough act to follow. Unfortunately for Rakesh Mehra (the director), it will be very difficult for the audience to view this movie objectively without drawing parallels to RDB. So the big question, Does the film work????
For me, "YES", but am sure it will open to mixed response from the audience. For starters, the movies heavy on "Chandni Chowk" (CC) flavor, that is very difficult for someone (includes me) who is unfamiliar with the CC milieu to relish the flavor instantly. When I say heavy, it is heavy indeed as the director invests a good hour into every nuance of this colorful place that it will take some patience to sail through this hour. I was totally out of sync with the concept of a fervent ram Leela, the local political goons and how even the "Gods" have to succumb to the local politician's bhashans whose nostrils flare while she is giving hose speeches....But what made me sail through was the intense passion of the director that the film reflects. Everything is so real, so grounded...When I say that, I mean the clothes, the body language, the make-up )or more so the lack of it)- basically the absence of every "K" element of film-making. I have seen the movies of directors who claim to have made realistic movies- by this they mean they are just making the protagonists wear non-designer clothes. The performances in such "realistic" films is so labored (perhaps the effort of trying to break the norm is so evident). Thats where Delhi-6 scores and how!!!! The characters are so oblivious to any camera, directions that they seem like people have been actually hand-picked from CC whose lives have been shot by hidden cameras. And the credit for this must go to the director for choosing the best ensemble cast. These people grow with you as the movie progresses. There were moments that stayed with me. Atul Kulkarni's naivity, Deepak Dobriyal's angst when his store is torn down, Divya Dutta at her fiery best, the warring brothers at the jaagran to name a few.
the second hlf of the movie, wherein the Kala-Bandar metaphor strikes CC, the movie gets very moving. (I don't want to play spoiler and reveal the fim's finest moments towards the end). the movie fails to surpass RDB at this juncture. Although, a mean thing to say, a sad end would have given the movie a befitting climax. the near tragic end being miraculously converted to a happy end is where the movie utterly falters and hugely depriving the soulful movie of the perfect end.
Now the movie won't work for you, if you looking for a definite plot, boy-girl protagonists, boy-girl romance (this element exists but is overtly underplayed-ts the perfect oxymoron...) and if you not the kinds to read between the lines and not wanna take home a message or not a an admirer of subtlety and/or walk into the movie wishing to see Abhishek Bachchan as the quintessential hero!!! The real heroes are CC itself, Rakesh Mehra, the ensemble cast and of course AR Rehman whose music elevates the movie several notches higher and this list will be incomplete without mentioning the name of the most unsung hero- Prasoon Joshi (the lyricist).
For me the hype was totally worth it!!!!!!

"PADMAthon"

I was hibernating all this while and for a change it wasn't lethargy. It was just lack of something pertinent to write about. Although I started this blog as a vent to personal feelings and emotions, after a few posts I resolved to kinda make this medium a mouthpiece for my perception of the relevant on-goings around me that involve more than one human entity. This could be as inconsequential as voicing my thoughts on a movie or being a voice opining on the socio-political scenario around me. I am not opposed to the idea of my blog being a personal account of my activities, my state of mind etc and there shall continue to be some such sporadic posts.
What made me wield my pen again, was the announcement of the Padma Awards (and hence d title as I am embarking on a blogathon on these) and the flak these announcements have drawn from several prominent quarters. The most significant one being, sportsmen like Vijendra KUmar and Sushil Kumar being omitted from this list of national honor, whereas fellow sportsmen like Abhinav Bindra being decorated with a "Padma Bushan". Even if the government seemingly does rate (although I strongly object), the Gold medal feat higher over a Bronze medal, these sportsmen certainly deserved the Padmashri if not the Padma Bhushan. Their omittance reflects complete travesty of justice and selective ignorance or considering the unprecedented success of "Ghajini" (some sort of selective amnesia...may b Aamir Khan will be explain better) Although. the lack of this decoration, not undermine their feat (as some may argue), a national recognition will definitely boost their morale and also make aspiring sportsmen realize that besides cricket, boxing, wrestling, hockey et al. also fall under the realm of "sports" and most importantly recognition and honor. The lack of these names on the awardees list has further intensified the cynicism related to these awards.
My next problem is with the numerous print and electronic media going ballistic over Aishwarya Rai Bachchan being awarded the Padmashri and attributing this award to be a product of BSP alliance. (Nah ts not bahujan samajwadi party..lest Mayawati draw daggers at poor me!!!). But its the Bachchan-Samajwadi party Alliance (Let me not namesdrop any further). Let me clarify right at the onset of my next few comments, that I am no aishwarya rai fan and hence my support towards her padma award is not a case of insane admiration.
Whether people accept it or not (which I perceive is to a large extent is by-product of some veiled personal agendas of most of her contemporaries)she is the only person affiliated to the Indian film Industry to be recognized on a global platform. Again, this is not to seek global recognition to Indian cinema. But the fact remains, we take immense pride in hailing Laxmi Mittal's achievements or devoting the front pages of leading national dailies in hailing the achievements of that "American Citizen" who is heading the "Bank Bailout" project to salvage 'Recession struck American economy" just because he has some Indian roots (am sure 90% of the Indian population who not have even heard his name)..Then why create a ruckus in hailing her acheivements???? My recent visit to the Coca-Cola museum in Atlanta, showed that she is ranked amongst the top-three famous celebrities in the world endorsing the Cola brand. Now if a "Bailout' example can be pride, this certainly can be. For she at least is a resident Indian representing India. Her visits to Cannes have always evoked criticsm, for some people going to the extent of commenting on the minuscule crease on her dress totally skirting the cause of her visit. The very same people hold "Armani' in high pride but Aishwarya rai sporting an "Armani" is an eye-sore!!! Slumdog Millionaire, a film made by a foreigner about India is pride, but an Indian who has such global recognition is not!Having mentioned Slumdog Millionaire, its so distressing to see a certain section of elitists slandering a film that's great depiction of reality and hope with some brilliant Indian entertainers (Anil kapoor, Irfan Khan and ARR) as part of this ensemble.
Longines for example uses her face to promote their watch brand at international platforms such as Wimbledon! Some may (including me) may call it her persona (read physical attributes) to be the reason for it), but for all of us looking for anything "Indian" to glorify and celebrate, I think she is very much more "Indian" than so many others who have hogged more front page limelight and less flak than she has.
What has turned out to be an "Aishwarya Rai" PR exercise or more so a blog written by her and in fear of the on coming onslaughts to all my above comments, I would not wanna harp on it anymore.
But interestingly, knowing about the political clout surrounding the Padma awards, I think the state should make it a more refined process by electing a panel of distinguished people from all walks of life and make a more credible and holistic list of recipients of this prestigious national honor.

552 MPs Not One Leader-The Biggest Incongruity of Indian Politics!!!!!

What can I write more on the Mumbai terror attack without sounding redundant?????? But like the million others, I too want to voice my anguish...Niver in my wildest dream did I imagine that Mumbai would be under a seize and Mumbaikars held hostage...But the prime point being"Who has held us hostage???? Was it those ten men who sailed their way to this city or the thousand spineless men who sailed their way to the legislature and parliament by virtue of our votes??????? Its the latter and am sure there isn't an iota of doubt about this answer on the minds of every single Indian.
My anger stems from multitude reasons. Most importantly-Why have some top guns of the Indian media (read Rajdeep Sardesai-whom I've the greatest reagrd for as a journalist and whose blogs I tremendously admire) perceived this ghastly act as an attack on South Mumbai (for those not from Mumbai- South Mumbai is where elites of Bombay reside) and a personal loss to every south Mumbaikar...Is it necessary to polarize emotions and sentiments at this time of crisis????????Is the damage to the Taj and Oberoi and people brutally murdered in and around its vicinity more catastrophic than the lives of the people at CST??Does the central or North Mumbaikar harbor any less irate feelings than the South Mumbaikar???I had initially decided to not names drop, but this coming from someone whose body of work I admire was not acceptable....
In wake of these attacks, people (read Bollywood celebrities) are shouting from the rooftops demanding a change in governance, the need for accountability and the need for leadership...Is that the solution we seeking???I have always maintained "Actions speak louder than words.." These celebrities are the people who enjoy tremendous mass appeal manifold greater than the politicians...Instead of voicing opinions sitting within cosy studios, they must hit the roads, lead demonstrations and even step up into governance and be the leader they think India needs...I have not seen one celebrity taking any of these affirmative "ACTIONS"... Having said that I must add Kudos to Manyata Dutt to have actually taken up a cause and leading from the front...
Another issue that needs immediate redress is that the police force which is now a mere pawn of the government in power, be given complete autonomy...At least this will ensure that politicians do not villify martyrs like Hemant Karkare three days before his death over his Malegaon case and glorify him three days later... Another change I would like to see is the emergence of youth in politics. Milind Deora was the only politician who had the courage to face the wrath of the people and confront them on a talk show post the attack. He exhibited tremendous potential and anger demonstrative of this youth but the politician streak in him and his party agenda overpowered him completely and he remained a mute spectator..I wish people like him shed their politician avtaar, and instead look upon themselves as leaders of this nation.....
I hope this incident serves as the last straw on the camel's back and we finally say "ENOUGH IS ENOUGH-WE WILL NOT ENDURE TERRORISM ANY MORE" and I hope that the next time we vote-we elect a LEADER and NOT A politician.