One of the lessons I’d imbibed early in life was the transcience of all things materialistic. Included in that categorisation was, believe-it-or-not, fame,’fickle fame on a shifty plate’ It frightened, unnerved, rattled me. Something within, made me cringe at every opportunity that remotely led toward the direction of an in-the-face existence. That it would always be accompanied with ‘baggage’ of the undesirable, had made a dent deep enough in my psyche. ‘Peace of mind’ I had convinced myself, was an antonym to ‘popularity’..oxymorons.I chose the former with complete conviction. (more…)
October 14, 2006
Aishwarya-Uneasy Lies The Head……
October 7, 2006
Woh Lamhe-Review
Few directors in India have left me wanting for more. One of them is Mahesh Bhatt. He possessed a rare sensitivity and astute talent in detailing human emotions If you notice I have intentionally switched to the past tense, since he has declared his resignation from active ‘direction’ of films or so he says…most of the films under his banner presently smack of the “Bhatt Saab’ touch…for better or worse. (more…)
October 4, 2006
Are We Being Hasty- Afzal Affair
Terrorism has brought in its wake a retributive cry for blood, of a suspected terrorist, as in the case of Afzal. What is in urgent need of appraisal is an honest, sincere, foolproof, investigation into irrefutable evidence of his guilt. After all we are dealing with the gallows here..no scope for rectifying wrongs once committed. Are we speciously mitigating the the horrors of violence with an equally unjust indictment? With as much finality?
A recommended read for an in- depth perspective.
Somehow, the acquittal of Geelani on the basis of ‘fabricated and concocted evidence’ has led to the nagging doubt/suspicion of the culpability of Afzal. There is no further evidence provided nor (more…)
September 28, 2006
In Wait-Oscar
Update: The makers of RDB, emboldened by the roaring success of the film, have decided to enlist it in eight categories….narcissism?
Adopting a ‘never-say-die attitude, the Producer of ‘Munnabhai lage Raho” has snubbed the jury by entering the film independently. Quite a race there..each vying for honours.Frankly, if a film manages to tailspin into the nominations, that itself is creditworthy. But will either of these attain the success of ‘Lagaan’?
“Rang de basanti” Indias entry to the Oscars has fuelled many an argument as to the corrrectness of its choice.As a film, it had its moments. The central theme had stirred up emotions in the audience since it closely corresponded with an average viewers impending issues, faced ad nauseum. For me personally, there were thematic structural problems in the film, which failed to go well with my sensibilities..but that bears little relevance to the subject of an Indian film representation at a world forum. (more…)
September 26, 2006
Mother Incarnate
Kaveeta Kaul
Each language has its own unique mode of expression. Often translating , say an urdu ‘shair’ into English, results in its innate sweetness and essence diminishing by several notches. Hindi, as a language boasts of words which defy restatement of the version in its original intention.
A case in point is the word ‘MAMTA’. All efforts to capture the spectrum of emotions this word conjures up, prove futile. The closest perhaps is ‘motherhood, motherliness..which is there, but not quite.
The reason for this quest was triggered by the news of a baby, found abandoned in a train. Whats new? Eight couples, among them a Muslim and a Christian, queued up at the hospital with offers to adopt this baby. (more…)
Sachiniti 