Hyderabad, here I come!

Time to make another trip to the twin cities of Hyderabad and Secunderabad- in spite of the fact that I have an uncle and two cousins (one of them is Jams who shifted recently to the city) living in the city, I have visited Hyderabad just thrice before in my 29 years of life! Twice for family functions and once for a meeting of the ICSI- neither of these were trips that gave me a chance to explore the city. Not that this one is going to be any different- I am reaching Hyderabad on Thursday and am back in the train to Kochi on Saturday. With less than 48 hours to spend in the city, I am wondering whether I will be able to explore the city any further. But, excited I am since this trip would give me a chance to visit my cousin's new home and also the university where my sister is going to do her Post Graduation in English literature.

While I am not really looking forward to the 26 odd hour train journey, excited I am really about this trip to Hyderabad. More on this after I come back. Wish me a safe journey, folks!!!

Sports scene!

It is better not to talk about the first test match between India and Sri Lanka. The Indian team has created history- this is the third lousiest failure India has had in a Test match and the first two took place more than 2 decades ago, it seems- so much for Kumble and his (ageing) men!!!

With just a few more days to go for things to unfold at the "Bird's nest" in Beijing, all eyes are on Olympics- the greatest sporting event in the world. As an Indian, I am really looking forward to India scoring better than the customary bronze medal that somehow falls into our lap at every olympics. Let us hope Beijing proves lucky to the sportsmen of the country! Good luck to the Indian Olympics team and here is looking forward to the mega sporting event!

The unfortunate Indian!

Now this is not the name of a new book that I have read or a new movie I have seen. It simply says how unfortunate it is to be a citizen of this country these days! The no confidence motion is finally done with and the UPA has won the motion; losing the trust of the common man in the whole bargain. What else can one say considering the kind of horse trade, allegations, counter allegations and all those extremely repulsive stuff that happened at the Lok Sabha? Any self respecting citizen of the country would feel ashamed at the manner in which the ruling machinery functions within India!

As if all that was not enough, now we have the serial bomb blasts in Bangalore and Ahmedabad! With bombs being identified and diffused in Surat and parts of Rajasthan, things are getting worse day after day. Instead of bringing the culprit to book, the various political parties are still engaged in mud slinging each other, all of them equally shouting from roof tops saying this is the brain work of the opposing party to divert the attention of the media and the people from more pressing issues like inflation and price rise.

Whatever that be, there is only thing whose demand and price is deteriorating day by day and that is of the Indian Citizen. No matter what happens, it is finally the people of this country who have to suffer. There is no point in bringing this to the attention of anyone who matters- the only time they are concerned about people is when the elections are announced. All we can do is to pray sincerely to the almighty and live on in the hope that things may change as we progress!

Feminist to the core...

"Ladies Coupe'" was not the kind of name that would attract me to a book but the fact that the protagonist, Akhilandeshwari is a Tamil Brahman made me read the book. The first thought that went through me when I saw someone like Anita Nair writing a book with a Tamil Brahman as her protagonist was how these modern, upmarket feminist authors present Tamil Brahman ladies as oppressed, bound by traditions and exploited. And boy, wasnt I right?

Ladies Coupe is the story of Akhila who is frusturated with life for she has sacrificed her youth in taking care of her family consisting of her mother, younger sister and 2 younger brothers after her father's untimely death. She has secured the life of everyone around her but is still single, unmarried, exploited and frusturated. She books a ticket to Kanyakumari and finds herself in the Ladies Coupe with 5 other ladies- Janaki, Prabha Devi, Sheela, Margaret and Marikozhunthu. The lives of the 5 other ladies and the impact that they make on Akhila is what the rest of the story is all about.

The problem with Ladies Coupe is that it is very pretensious. No effort has been made to go deep into the lives of any women and you feel the author is trying to just skim the surface of things and the writing ends up being extremely superficial. The men in all the stories are the same- spineless, lustful, selfish, insensitive- a trait that is extremely true of all the modern feminist writers. And most of the stories give you a feeling of deja vu- Akhila is straight out of the lead character in K B's "Aval oru Thudarkkathai". Anita Nair is a smartie for she herself understands this and gives a reference of the path breaking movie in the book itself. There is nothing extraordinary about the story of Janaki. Sheela is a character that fails to connect with the reader and Marikozhunthu sounds so straight out of a Bharathiraaja rural movie. The only time the uniqueness of Anita as a writer comes to the fore is when she is writing about Prabha Devi and Margaret Shanthi. How Prabha's life metamorphosies at the sight of the swimming pool and how Margaret plays vengeance on her husband by fattening him provide for some interesting reading.

The weakest point in Ladies Coupe is how Akhila finds ultimate satisfaction by sleeping with a strange young man in Kanyakumari. While the whole idea of Akhila losing her long preserved virginity (not forgetting her sexcapades with Hari in the early part) in the land of the virgin goddess might sound fantastic on paper, it is utterly idiotic to even think that a woman would experience peace, tranquility and a sense of victory when she sleeps with a stranger! Akhila and Anita might feel happy at the turn of things in the end, but it is not fair on their part to expect the same out of the hapless reader. Give us something different next time, Ms. Nair!

Poor Kismat, Diskonnected Audience!

If you still remember the innocence of Raju Ban Gaya Gentleman, the identifiability of the characters in Yes Boss, the foresight behind making something like Phir Bhi Dil Hai Hindustani or the well picturized songs of Chalte Chalte, then Kismat Konnection is not for you- in spite of being an Aziz Mirza movie, this is one outing that does not touch you even remotely as it plays before you on screen.

Aziz Mirza's world is the same again- ordinary people, ordinary problems and slightly extra ordinary solutions- the only thing is that this time around it is set in Toronto for a reason best known to Mr. Mirza. Not that it makes any significant difference to the plot- every person whom we come across in Toronto speaks in Hindi- and you keep wondering whether life in Toronto is as simple as that!

Struggling architect Raj (Shahid Kapoor with a huge hangover of Shah Rukh Khan) and his friend (Vishal Malhotra playing that bumpkin friend for the umpteenth time) are trying to make it big, but they fail miserably everytime. A quirky fortune teller Haseena Bhano Jaan(Juhi Chawla, looking every bit of a cartoon) tells Raj that he needs to find luck to be successful. Luck descends upon Raj in the form of Priya (Vidya Balan, having a bad hair and bad clothes day but endearing nevertheless), a part time social worker. The bone of contention here is the construction of a shopping mall. Raj wants to get the contract for the construction while Priya wants it to be abandoned because she does not want to part with the community centre that stands on the same land. The rest is very predictable where luck plays a major role in the lives of Raj and Priya and how it presents a solution that solves the problems for both of them. Add an element of a two timing fiancee for Priya and lots of misunderstandings between the lead pair, you get your everyday commercial Bollywood love story!

Prima facie, there are not many problems with Kismat except for the fact that whatever happens on the screen never really bothers you. For the first time in an Aziz Mirza film, you feel you dont have anything to do with the characters or the situations that they are in. It is fine if it is a larger than life drama but in a story about ordinary people, it is very important that the audience feel c(k)onnected with the characters.

Cinematography is first rate. Editing is bad. Sound is good and Pritam is not having a great day as the composer here. With an ordinary script and immature direction, Kismat Konnection will have to depend a lot on its own Kismat to get konnected with the audience! Better luck next time, Mr. Mirza!

The Cutie and the Ghost

As the first few reels of "Bhoothnath" unfold before you, you sit back and feel happy for the fact that a production house as reverred as B R Films have come forward to make what one may call a "children's movie" in the commercial format with big stars like Amitabh Bachchan and Juhi Chawla, a rarity in mainstream Bollywood. I loved the innocence with which Banku (Aman Siddiqui, a complete natural!) defeats the arrogance and cruelty of the Bhooth (Amitabh Bachchan having a ball playing the Ghost) and turns him into an angel and their many misadventures together. I especially loved the part when Banku asks for the Bhooth's help in winning the sports competition and the Bhooth says- "no cheating in sports". I almost clapped when the Bhooth tells Banku that it is his duty to save a person from trouble, no matter how bad that person has been to you in the past. I turned a child again when I saw the Bhooth's antiques in the classroom and how the kids are amused by his acts.

But, why- o- why, Mr. Vivek Sharma, did you have to turn the last 30 minutes of such a well made kids' movie into another tear jerker like "Baghban" or "Baabul"- a genre that the production house is so famous for these days? We perfectly understand that there has to be a flashback for the Bhooth considering the fact that you have India's highest paid actor playing the Bhooth, but was it necessary to make it so plain stupid that the whole episode looks like a badly made 70's film? And what on earth did the mighty Shah Rukh Khan think he was doing, playing a part that could have well been the onscreen debut or comeback for one of Ekta Kapoor's leading men on television? Juhi Chawla is a comedienne par excellence, but is it necessary to make a cartoon out of her? The lady shrieks, screams and makes faces in the first half which is enjoyable to a certain extent but when she starts exhibiting motherly feelings for Banku, the character gets alienated from the audience so much so that even a hugely talented actor like Juhi finds it difficult to hold the ground. Bad characterization, this is!

In spite of having excellent production design, hummable music and almost every technical department putting in its best foot forward, Bhoothnath leaves a bad aftertaste thanks to its hackeneyed script and lacklustre direction during the last half hour of the movie. The first half is immensely watchable and enjoyable and you will carry good memories of the cutie and the ghost if you leave the theatre after an hour and half of the running time for Bhoothnath!

Coconut Scrapper and Globalization!

Take a look at the apparatus in the picture! I could have never imagined that something as simple as a coconut scrapper could explain in no uncertain terms the impact of globalization!

Now before you conclude that I am going off- key, let me tell you this interesting story. I was supposed to fly to Canada last weekend for an official visit and a colleague of mine told me that I would have to carry a coconut scrapper and deliver it to his friend in Canada. When I probed further, I could understand that the Canadian friend is an ortho- maxio facial surgeon of Kerala origin and that he had a Venezuelean friend whose wife could not stop gushing about the coconut scrapper when she saw the apparatus at his place. It was the Venezuelean family that wanted the apparatus and I was supposed to be the carrying agent for this simple but extremely useful item!

Will the carpenter- blacksmith team that created the coconut scrapper centuries ago have imagined that an improved version of this product would be welcomed by someone who hails from a land that is as far as far can get? And look at the coincidences- I am traveling to a city in Canada, a recently joined colleague has a friend in the same city, the friend was once studying in the same town in Kerala that I belong to, the friend is a highly reputed doctor in Canada, this friend has a friend from Venezuela (South Americans use coconut a lot) who adores the engineering marvel that is coconut scrapper and I was assigned to carry the apparatus to Canada from India.

What if the trip did not happen as planned? What if it was postponed indefinitely? Is the story not proof enough of the fact that the world is a shrinking "global village"? As Keralites, we should be proud of our rich culture, tradition and heritage; for something which is as common place as a coconut scrapper is finding acceptance all over in this globalized world! Way to go!!!

Elections, anyone?

Looks like we are all set for an early Parliamentary Elections! Come 22 July and things will be clear to all and sundry. While the common man can heave a sigh of relief over the fact that the stalemate over the nuclear deal has finally ended, the mediapersons in the country will not be happy for they will have to look out for other topics to fill up space and airtime!

Whether the deal is good or not for the country, there is no denying the fact that going ahead with the deal was a wise decision on the part of Sonia Gandhi and Manmohan Singh. The courage that they have shown by taking this decision in the face of uncertainity will definitely boost the reputation of the Congress! Another positive aspect of the whole affair was Sonia publicly acknowledging the Leftist contribution to the UPA all these days! That shows class, something which is conspicous by its absence when it comes to the glitterati in Uttar Pradesh.

In a way, it is surprising that in a democracy that always goes with the majority, it is the minority that determines how the country should be run. How else would you describe the clout that Karat and his team are enjoying in spite of being just a small partner in the UPA? Whatever it is, I am hoping that the UPA fails the confidence motion and early elections are declared. There is some hope that next time some one will get absolute majority!

PS: The funniest comment that I heard on the whole nuclear deal fiasco was VS Achutanandan describing APJ Abdul Kalam as "a scientist who sent rockets from India". Is "Jocker in the pack of cards" a befitting description for VS?

Some Sports...

To continue from where I left it earlier, Euro 2008 has ended and it is VIVA ESPANA taking it home for the 2nd time, after a long 40 odd years! I was completely with Germany but there was no denying the fact that Spain deserved to win considering their excellent performance on the field! The curtains have fallen down on Wimbledon 2008 as well. Nadal has ended Federer's supremacy while big sister Venus has scored over Serena! Both deserving winners again! But, what was unexpected and shocking was India's dismal failure at the Asia Cup 2008 finals against Sri Lanka! More than the failure, it was the casual attitude with which the team approached the game that was disappointing. There are rumuors floating around that this could have been fixed while the other news going around is the grand party that Yuvaraj, Raina and Sharma had on the eve of the finals that lasted till the wee hours of night! Party or no party, there is no denying the fact that the failure of India at the Asia Cup has been quite a jolt to cricket fans across the length and breadth of the country! Let us hope things are better during the Champions' Trophy scheduled to start on 9/11

For the time being, sports enthusiasts all over the world are looking towards China for Olympics 2008 to kick off! Whether it will be US, Russia, China or someone else topping the medal tally is the topic of hot discussion while I am hoping against hope that India is able to put up a better show this time!

Executive Summary

Irreverence and Satire are the buzzwords for Indo- Anglian writers these days, it seems. And Anurag Mathur's "Scenes from an Executive Life" has both of these in abundance. Unfortunately, there is nothing more in store for the reader!

The initial chapters are fun- anybody working in a private company in post- liberalization India will be able to identify with Gambhir and the kind of crap that he has to put up with- the notes from the cost- conscious propreitor, the General Manager Mukul whose only aim in life is to show Gambhir the exit door and Singhal and Himmat who are interested in pleasing Mukul all the time. Anurag gets it all right when it comes to portraying these characters. He is in fine form when he makes fun of the elite party crowd of Delhi- their complete lack of punctuality, throwing parties for no reason and showing off their grandeur at every opportunity.

However, he goes terribly wrong half way through the novel and especially towards the climax. The intelligence with which Gambhir plans the sales strategy for tooth picks and the herculean efforts that he puts in to make it a success are convincing. However, one finds it difficult to digest that while meeting Kapila in Mumbai after his promotion has Deputy Managing Director, someone like Gambhir would let his lust rule over his head leading to his inevitable exit from the organization!

It is to Anurag's credit that at no point the 200 odd page novel slips into sheer boredom. However, there is no denying that Anurag could have thought a little more before wrapping up this one so predictably and abruptly!

The author of "The Inscrutable Americans" is sadly, out of form here!

Money (Lending) Matters!

The one question that kept on coming back to me while watching "Maadambi" was whether or not Mohanlal was playing a positive character- While the movie begins, you have the protagonist's mother (KPAC Lalitha, fabulous as ever) telling her maid servant (Sreelatha Namboodiri, wasted) how her son (Puthenveettil Gopalakrishnapillai, a local money lender played by Mohanlal) will not get a good alliance thanks to the tears of the girls in inumerable households who have suffered due to the high interest rates charged by him on loans. 10 minutes later, you have the protagonist himself announcing to a local politician as to how he is taking care of the entire village's financial needs by lending money at bank rates without even taking security. Such gaping inconsistencies apart, Maadambi has charm about it that works with the audience.

That is good news not only for Mohanlal but also for script writer turned director B Unnikrishnan whose success ratio till date has been in the negative. There is nothing new in terms of story or characterization- the gold hearted feudal lord who mouths punch dialogues at the drop of the hat and acts as the saviour of his entire folk is a money lender here. As expected, we have another family which is at logger heads with the protagonist. You also have the proverbial good- for- nothing younger brother (Ajmal Ameer looks handsome but not convincing playing the superstar's sibling) who turns foe under the influence of the rival family. The hero's story is the typical rags- to- riches one with his father dying at a very young age and the protagonist having to take care of his entire family from his teenage.

Predicatably, the younger brother asks for his share in the family property and surprise, surprise, it is he who owns 99% of what the older brother has earned, thanks to the promise that was given to the dying father. In between all this drama, you have Jayalakshmy, the manager of a new generation bank which opens a branch in the same village. Kavya Madhavan, playing Jayalakshmy, has absolutely nothing to do. In spite of heavy make up, hair parted in the middle and cotton saris, Kavya does not qualify to be heroine for the ageing superstar. Mallika Kapoor gets a meatier role as the younger brother's wife but she is totally out of place and struggles with lip syncing.

Vijay Ulakanathan's camerawork is pedestrian, Editing leaves a lot to desire, music is jarring (Shankar Mahadevan annoys with "Kalayanakatchery" while the other 2 songs are not applicable) and the action choreography is surprisingly banal! Cliches and incongruities aside, Maadambi will still be a winner at the Box Office because it is infinitely better than the last half a dozen releases of Mohanlal!

Flat Tyre(wala)

I know that Jaane Tu Ya Jaane Naa has worked for most of those who saw the movie, but I beg to differ. This one did not work for me and I am trying to figure out whether it was because I expected too much from the directorial debut of one of the most celebrated scriptwriters of recent times. Why is it that a love story has to be narrated by the group of friends to a total novice? (Didn't we see that in Aziz Mirza's Chalte Chalte not so long ago?) Why is it that every Bollywood love story has to end in an airport or a railway station? (I can remember at least a dozen films) Why is it that every gang in college has to have a dim- witted girl and a sardar/ gujju? (gujju in this case). After experiencing the frothy freshness of the Munnabhai series, the intensity and intelligence of Maqbool and the tongue- in- cheek irreverence of Main Hoon Na, is it wrong on the part of the audience to expect that Abbas Tyrewala would steer clear of cliches while debuting as a director? At least, I expected him to make something different while he ends up making something like that unbearable Malayalam flick "Niram" which is at least 10 years old. Yuck! The reason why I could sit through the movie is because of those few smart characterizations- Manjari Phadnis springs a surprise playing Meghana. In spite of the limited screentime available, she brings out clearly the anguish and agony that stems out of the realization that she is the only reason her parents are still together. Arbaaz Khan and Sohail Khan have not enjoyed themselves on screen like this before, playing the crazy cousins of the protagonist. And they definitely have the audience in splits. Paresh Rawal is in comfort zone after a long time and enjoys whatever he is doing on screen. Naseruddin Shah exudes pride on being a Rathore from Ranjaur- the only thing is that his dead character speaks to his wife from within aphoto frame. Now, this is a ploy that we have already seen and enjoyed in Ashok Saraf's tele serial "Hum Paanch" but trust Naseruddin Shah to come up with a striking example for what it means to perform within "confined space". Making an unconventional debut is Prateik Babbar- the intensity with which he brings to life the irreverent Amit needs to be experienced to be believed. The boy is a power house of talent and is someone to look forward to in the coming years. Standing tall among the supporting cast is the indefatigable Ratna Pathak Shah playing the hero's mother. She is magical beyond words and sets new standards in acting with her superlative performance. The music is a winner (Pappu can't dance, Kabhi Kabhi Aditi and Dil Kabhi Gandha- all of them are equally good) all the way. The production design is urban and uber cool. Camera, Editing and Sound are of the quality that you expect from a production house like Aamir Khan Productions. And the lead pair? Well, Genelia D'souza (I am personally suffering from an overdose of Genelia) is not half bad but then again, this is another "Genelia" kind of role and the lady with a perfect dress sense is going the Preity Zinta way as far as choice of roles are concerned. "Reinvention" is the buzzword for Genelia if she wishes to have a long and fruitful career in Bollywood. Imran Khan is sincere and is sure to be seen making "acceptance speeches" at all award functions early next year. If you approach the movie without expectations, you may end up smiling when you leave the theatre.

Of Trains and Tribulations

While sitting through "Rhythm", one realises that director Vasanth is quite a chip off the old block. Right from his choice of story to his characterization to his script pattern to his directorial style, Rhythm has K Balachander written all over it. Choosing a progressive theme like widow remarriage, making the highly conservative Iyengar Mother in Law (Lakshmi, superlative performance in a strong cameo) force her widowed daughter in law (Meena, full of grace and poise and lending a natural charm to her character) to remarry, the very identifiable conversations between the hero's wife (Jothika, a delightful special appearance) and his friend (Ajay Rathinam) which is a major turning point in the plot, the characterization of the hero's old parents (a brilliant Nagesh and an aptly cast Valsala Rajagopal) and having the train and railway station as integral backdrop to the plot- all these show how faithful a disciple Vasanth has been of the illustrious KB.

That being said, it is unfortunate that Vasanth seems to have been caught in a time warp. Rhythm is not a bad movie, but it is definitely not for the 2K crowd, the reason why in spite of AR Rahman's fabulous compositions, brilliant camerawork, endearing performances, excellent star cast and good production values, the film did not find much favor with the audience when it was released in the early part of this decade. The only commercial compromise that Vasanth has made in this feel- good family drama is the inclusion of the item song "Ayyo Pathikichu" that stands out like a sore thumb (while I completely agree that Ramya Krishnan looks ravishing on screen)

Rhythm brings with it a certain kind of nostalgia- you would feel like watching all those wonderful family movies of the 70's and the 80's made immortal by KB, Balu Mahendra and Mani Rathnam again while sitting through this one. However, nostalgia is not what the crowds throng the theatre for and hence, Rhythm stays fit for home viewing with the entire family on a lazy weekend afternoon.

Oh, did I say that the usually muscle- flexing Arjun goes natural and subtle here? Watch him play the police officer turned photographer and you will end up wondering where this actor was hiding all this while!