Weekend Double Dhamaka

These days cross-border cinema seems to be more of the norm than the exception. There was a point when such movies were meant to cater to the NRI audience. Nowadays, I think there are three categories of audiences who these movies cater to:

• the NRI audience, ofcourse,
• those who travel across these countries and hence might be able to relate to the concept, and
• those who would like to travel the world without moving an inch (through the eyes of a fellow Indian ofcourse) – courtesy Nikolai Gogol

I spent a good part of this weekend watching two such movies – The Namesake and Namaste London. While I do not want to turn this into a full-fledged movie-review, I still felt compelled to put down a few lines.

The Namesake, as the name suggests and so do the credits, is said to be based on the book by the same name (uff.. too many names..) by Jhumpa Lahiri.

The book is quite brilliant. It convinced me that I cannot and will not let ANYONE spoil the life of my child by naming him something as atrocious as Gogol or Tapur or whatever. It did so by subtly and otherwise showing me the impact a bad name can have on a child’s growing up and affect his mental balance. I am certain that when my child grows up, I am going to give him a copy of this book to read, so that he can also realise the magnitude of the damage that might have been and recognise me as the person who saved him from such agony.

Anyways, back to the book.. I mean the movie. It’s quite an engrossing movie. I would like to say entertaining as well, but do not want to give the impression that it is flippant. Tabu and Irfan have acted tremendously (no surprise there!!) and so have the others including Kal Penn. I would recommend the movie to everyone, despite the sometimes unnecessary heavy dose of sexual intimacy (pardon my conservative, middle class Indian mindset please!!).

What I found disappointing was that the movie missed an opportunity to showcase an extremely novel idea – of how the utter mismatch between our traditions and simpleton-like thinking and the realities of a foreign land, as reflected in giving a child a dak-naam (“pet name”) like Gogol, with the notion that the good name can be given much later as well, when the child goes to school, can completely impact a person’s life and lead him to be a confused, angry, frustrated soul who doesn’t even want to befriend his parents since they gave him such a name.

Hence, what I also found disappointing is that the movie degenerates into yet another movie about an Indian family settling abroad. Mind you, the word degenerated has nothing to do with the quality of the movie on its own (which I have already mentioned is worth watching). It is more a feeling of betrayal that I feel becuase the Director moved away from the central theme of the book. Thus, you have a great movie with Tabu playing the lead role, where the concept of the book is reduced to some jokes in school and in parties.

Some other inconsistencies in the movie –

• "The Telegraph", was launched in Calcutta on July 7, 1982 and hence could not have been around in the glimpse of the city in 1977
• The spelling is "Delhi" and not "Dehli". But maybe this was a conscious thing by the Director.

Some of the high points of the movie -

• Irfan using all his romanticism and persuation to get Tabu to come out of the bathroom, after she has managed to shrink his clothes in the washing machine
• Tabu driving a car in New York at 20 mph (or thereabouts) and being scared of causing an accident if she drove faster,
• The Bengali servant in the Calcutta household running after Gogol through the streets of Calcutta, having been told by Gogol's granny to keep an 'eye on him'.

The other big highlight of this movie, for all of us with some Bong-land connection, is to listen to the bangla bhasha and crack jokes and repartees in Bengali. Really made me nostalgic.

In summary, The Namesake is a very well made movie and worth a watch. But watch it as a movie in its own right as the central idea of the movie is quite different from the central idea of the book.

Moving on to Namaste London (Sunday morning show.. cheap tickets!!). A typical masala movie with a fair bit of tradition, modernism and a painful Himesh Reshammiya. That guy is just the same in every movie that he is a part of - same type of music, same high-pitched singing, and no role for other playback singer since he sings all the songs himself. Only saving grace in this movie was the fact that he did not make a physical appearance!!

Anyways, the movie itself is fast paced and entertaining. Akshay Kumar has clearly matured as an actor and has done some very good films in recent times. This is one more in that list. he pulls off the role of a jatt punjabi with great elan. Katrina Kaif is very very very good looking and quite hot too. Rishi Kapoor has done a good job as a confused Punjabi father of a British girl who is fuming at his daughter one minute and falling at her feet the next.

The basic plot has significant influences from movies like Purab aur Paschim (the speech on India) and Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam (the righteous, moving husband who would rather see his wife happy with another man than sad with himself and is willing to walk her down the aisle to marry her love and then promptly walk away with tears in his eyes, Ajay Devgan style) and Dil Hai Ke Maanta Nahi (bhaag beti bhaag) and some others.

Some of the humour in the movie is quite corny, often silly and a bit overdone.

If one is looking for newness, the movie doesn't have any of it really. Yet, the old masala has been blended together well and the movie does not bore you at any point of time. And if that still doesn't appeal to you, then you can go for Katrina Kaif. She looks very very gorgeous!!.

So much for the Weekend Double Dhamaka. Cheerio..


Disclaimer: For those who are wondering about by use of the male pronoun for my child, that’s just because the character in the book and the movie was a boy. I do not know the sex of my child and all that I have said above would be equally valid if my child were to be a girl.

Freedom.. by John Sircar

There was a small cage with enough space for only two birds. We will name the birds Joy and Sorrow. Sorrow loved to fly. He would open his wings and ride the thermals to reach a lone peak. From there he would look upon the vales below and ponder upon his loneliness.Joy had met with an accident. She couldn’t fly without apprehension. She was too scared. In that small cage she would wait all day while Sorrow would roam around the world. Then one fine day, Sorrow decided to build a nest in the cage. Building a nest in the mountains would have been too risky for Joy. Then slowly Sorrow taught Joy the art of flying, waiting in his cage while she flew around with confidence. Joy made new friends, met old ones and loved the wild world so much that one day she forgot to return home. Sorrow became worried. Spreading his mighty wings he searched far and wide for his companion.

The morning was dizzy and the sun’s rays woke up a groggy Sorrow. He had fallen asleep on a lonely outcrop of a cliff. Tired he returned home to find Joy with her friends, frolicking outside their cage. Folding his wings carefully, he tiptoed towards them and snatched a bit of their conversation. Joy was complaining about him, of how small his cage was and that she was tired of spending her days in the damn contraption. She was complaining about Sorrow’s mood swings and how she had to compromise on a lot of things to keep him happy.Noiselessly Sorrow felt something break inside him. He turned around and spread his wings again. The flapping sound subsided as Sorrow flew out of sight carrying with him the remains of a broken heart.

The night was stormy and thunder rattled the thin rods of the cage. With his head buried in his fluffy chest Sorrow slept. The sound of the rain outside startled his dreams and he woke up with a start. The cage was locked from inside. Joy had moved to the free mountains with a friend of hers.

Suddenly, Sorrow heard the sound of wings through the rain. He watched with love soaked eyes as his friend alighted in front of the cage. Joy tried to open the cage. Realizing it locked from inside she urged him to unlock it. Sorrow turned away as tears welled up in his eyes. He had thrown away the key. He had given Joy the thing that she needed most-Freedom.

At the same time a question cropped up in my mind. Will Joy ever be free?

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PS: This piece was written by John Sarkar, a junior of mine from St. Joseph's College. If you liked it, you can go to http://mindraga.blogspot.com/ and read more of his works!! Worth the visit is my recommendation!!

Yo..tube..

Today I discovered the power of Youtube!!!

It all started with a hamrless click on the YouTube link to a Hrithik Roshan ad.. or was it an Abhishek Bachchan ad.. for a new Motorola mobile and headphones.. Before i realised i was looking at clips from KANK (which i promptly discarded) and going on to Dhoom 2.

I would have not been so impressed even if it had ended with Dhoom 2 clips. As i searched for something more interesting than D2, i chanced upon clips from DCH.. Yes "Dil Chahta Hai".. one of my all-time favorite movies as i am sure it is of many others. Rarely does a movie capture the spirit of the youth and blend it so seamlessly and naturally with the complexities of growing up. Rarely does a movie reflect the aspiration of a group of friends.. of continuing to be such good friends, what else.. in a manner so natural that you do not feel you are watching a movie.

Anyways, coming back to my YouTube story. From the clips of DCH, i quickly discovered a link to the entire movie split in 10 equal, continuous clips. And the next thing i knew, i was watching the movie. Sitting in office, in the middle of the day, in the middle of an important deal note (that i am to write).

And the next 2 hours passed by in a jiffy ('cos i decided to not watch 1-2 clips which had some of the unpleasant scenes such as the fight between Aamir and Akshay or when Akshay's mom and Dimple find out about Akshay's love for Dimple). And not just me, even Mahesh, my colleague came by to chat and stayed on for a reasonably long period of time!!!

Came home, once the movie finished and didn't dare mention it to Surabhi when she asked me what I did during the day. Anyways she thinks I do no work in office and hence have to work every day late into the night (little does she know that she is reasonably on the mark ;)

The cat got out of the bag when she was berating me for something and saying - "tum nahi sudhar sakte na!!"

Pat came my reply - "Perfection ko improve karna thoda mushkil hai!!!"

More on toilets

I wonder what gave this friend of mine the idea that I might be besotted with toilets that he sent me this link -

http://cybour.50webs.com/Resources_toilet.html

Enjoy

Unique waste management model

An innovative way to tackle the waste management problem that is plaguing various Indian cities and is most visible whenever one visits any Government owned/controlled place.

Kudos to the Ahmedabad Airport authorities for their simple, innovative and (I am sure) effective approach to waste management.

Waste management is a challenge due to the inordinate amounts of waste which is generated and mindlessly dumped by the citizens of this country.

This system hits out at the root cause of the problem and solves it. At the heart of this system is a simple bucket. Here is how the system works -

i) A bucket is placed at the bottom of each unit in the waste management facility at the airport.

ii) The bucket is used to collect the waste generated by various visitors to the airport.

iii) Once the bucket is full, it starts to overflow and creates a mess in the adjoining area. It also generates a stink, but more on that later.

iv) New visitors to the facility are discouraged by the mess and avoid using this particular unit, and shift to other units within the same facility

v) The same system is also installed at the other units within the same facility

vi) Soon all buckets start to overflow and the stink envelops the entire facility.

vii) All visitors to the airport are now discouraged from using any units in this facility, and have to carry it with them to their various destinations.

End Result - Less waste is dumped at the Ahmedabad Airport and hence there is less waste to be treated. Hence, the waste management problem is contained to manageable levels. How this reduced waste is then managed is the topic of a different discussion.

Currently this system is being tested out at a couple of units within the facility. The authorities invite all suggestions on how to make it more effective before they roll it out throughout the facility and the airport.

Air Dhakkan

This is a notice I found when I travelled by Air Deccan to Delhi for Vijit's wedding.

I wonder how can one fold a child ("shishu") no matter how good or bad the weather!!!

A Morning in the life of a Newly Engaged Man

The following account is based on an eye-witness account. Since the chief protagonist is a close friend, I have changed the names of the personalities to protect their identity :)

7:00 AM

Tring Tring… The mobile phone breaks the stillness of a winter morning in the hotel room in the capital of a Well Known State in West India.

Surprise surprise.. the phone is picked up on the second ring by Lord. Call centre agents should take a lesson in response times from this.

A melodious voice, sweeter (to the ears of Lord) than any chirping of a Mynah ever has been, on the other side - “Good morning sweetheart. Its time to wake up sleepy bones.”

“Good morning darling”

“Did you sleep well, baby.”

“Yes darling. I had the most wonderful dream about us.”

“Hmmmm.. so what did you see in your dreams?”

Lord, with the hotel blanket over his head, and the mobile phone held close to the ear, like an ostrich, oblivious to the world around him – “Well, it was a sunny winter morning. The park was full of the morning mist and the fragrance of the dew made the morning ever so romantic. The birds were chirping and the rose plants were in full bloom. You and I were walking hand-in-hand and I was admiring the gentle beauty of your face.”

“My my.. I did not know that my beau could be so poetic.”

“Anything for you my darling. What are you doing up so early?”

“Arre.. you forgot. I am at the airport. I am coming back to Mumbai. You are only interested in your dreams. Don’t even remember anything I tell you.”

“No no dear.. I remember. I just did not realise it was already 7 o’clock.” (Men are such smooth liars!!)

“What a liaaaaar.. Anyways, why don’t you get up now. Don’t you have a meeting? That motu colleague of yours has landed or not?”

“What yaar.. subah subah why do you have to think of other men!! Ya.. he is here. Came in a few mins ago and woke me up. Think he is washing up or something.”

“Chalo.. I think my flight is being announced. Will talk to you once I land.”

“Nooo..not so soon. Atleast talk for one more minute. Tell me you love me.. pleeeeaaase..”

“I love you baby.”

By this time the motu colleague has emerged out of the bathroom and plonked himself on the other end of the bed. Lord suddenly realises that he is not alone in the room.

“Hmmm… Me too..”

“What?? You cannot even tell me that you love me too.”

“I do baby.. samhja karo.. please understand..”

“Ohhh.. looks like that motu is back in the room. Achha.. I am going now.. Byeeeee”

“Byeeeee….”

7:10 AM

Lord has gone back to sleep, snoring lightly, with a half smile on his face. Obviously, he is thinking of the lovely conversation and the sweet voice is still ringing in his ears. Perhaps, he is now dreaming of a walk by the lake on a moonlit night.

8:30 AM

Tring Tring.. The phone rings again. By the time the Lord had put the phone for charging on the table. He gets up with a start and jumps across to the table and picks up the phone.

“Hiiiiii…. You have reached??”

“Ofcourse my teddy-bear. I cant be talking from the plane no.. You know they don’t allow phones up in the air.”

“I am glad you have reached. The last hour or so seemed like a few years without hearing your voice..”

“Liaaaaarrrr…. I am sure you were sleeping every moment that I was on the plane.”

Lord is unable to think of another reply now that his lie is caught. So he is grinning from ear-to-ear while trying to mumble a reply.

“Why aren’t you saying something? Are you alone in the room or your colleague is still around?”

“Wait yaar..” Saying this, Lord steps into the washroom holding the precious phone in his dear hands. Obviously he doesn’t want anyone overhearing his sweet nothings to his Mynah.

A few minutes of muffled voices and then Lord is back in the room. The love is showing in the glow on his face as he skips across the room and announces… “I think its going to be a beautiful day.”