2S
Techie. Writer. Photographer.
Archive for October, 2007
October 15, 2007 at 11:58 pm · Filed under bangalore, bollywood, movies, telly
Just so many flicks, so many reviews and so much to write about. Which is why, I now bring you Showbiz Sporadics - rantings, rumblings and other randomness from the world of Cinema and Telly.
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Laaga Chunari hasn’t exactly opened to good reviews - but it’s a Pradeep Sarkar flick, so I’ll check it out anyway, although I might steer clear of Bhool Bhulaiyya - or what they also call Bhoolshit Bulaiyya. Priyadarshan needs to get new wine.
Looking at the horrible flicks lined up, I might be tempted to catch the Loins of Punjab Presents yet again. Atleast I get to see Shabana Azmi addressed as a you-know-what. And, hey, the ass-wiping too. If you’re lost, it’s probably ‘coz you haven’t seen it yet, so yes - you deserve to be lost - in which case, go watch!
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This weekend, however, was all about the SaReGaMaPa Finals. Aneek Dhar won - congrats chief, you’re technically tops amongst the trio although I really thought Raja was the better singer. Amanat Ali has it all to connect to his audience, and when he sings with the heart, that’s a killer. In the end, it didn’t really matter who won, although many have used Aneek’s victory to spark of a racist issue.
Apparently, a ‘Hindu’ won over two ‘Muslims’, and that makes it uncomfortable. And I thought we had a singing competition here. It’s just sickening. Folks are out there making their names with the ’singing’, I repeat, ’singing’. Doesn’t matter if you’re a poor Poonam, a Muslim Amanat or a NRI Dave. Himesh can rant all he wants about Aneek being the youngest of the finalists, but we ought to pick the best one there, period.
No racism, no religion. Just music. Easy, no?
Which reminds me, folks, does it help that Akshay Kumar went on stage and switched between ‘Eid Mubarak’ and ‘Hare Krishna Hare Ram’? That, if any, is some indication of what we all know at Mutiny as ’secular fundamentalism’. Oh, and Akshay Kumar said ‘thank you’ thrice, and even offered to clap for them. He did look like he was a tad sloshed. Until Vidya Balan walked onto the stage. Women like that can knock sanity into men and lose it at will, especially when clad in a black sari. We digress, but you get the idea. And we were just dying to know about Bhool Bulaiyya, weren’t we? As Akshay says, ek sachi kahani hai jo kayyrala mein hui thi. It’s Kerala, sloshy. Vidya Balan dropped in a word before the teasers - please do watch it, bahut pyaar se banaye hai hum ne.
No kidding?
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Did Aditya Narayan actually render ‘This Love’, or was he lip-syncing? My hunch is that it’s the former, and if that’s really true, that’s one hell of a performance! Your dad really rocks kid, but if you go on singing like that, whew! No wonder you seem to have Mauli Dave all over you, and speaking of the girl, did she really have to walk in a little-under-nothing - and shake that booty - to kick-ass with Mayya Mayya? Er, oops, I forgot - it wasn’t a singing competition after all. My bad.
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The only thing that Rakhi Sawant needs to get into Hollywood seems to be English. For her sake, for Nach Baliye’s sake, and for a whole country’s sake, will someone please teach her the language? Heck, Rakhi, just drop in home yaar and I’ll educate you on the few ABCs I know. I really do want to see you in Hollywood.
That’ll hopefully ensure we see a lot lesser of you back home. Read the rest of this entry »
October 15, 2007 at 11:57 pm · Filed under debates, regional
At least 11 pilgrims were trampled to death and 15 injured on Sunday in a stampede on a narrow path leading to the famous Mahakali temple atop Pavagadh Hill on a day when an unprecedented six lakh devouts turned up. This is what the Superintendent of Police Dipankar Trivedi had to say:
The flow of devotees this time was unprecedented. We were expecting two lakh pilgrims but more than six lakh turned up
Unprece-what?
Okay, we Indians really don’t know how to queue up. Agreed. But, pray tell me, how does the government manage a logistical feat such as the elections, or the Kumbh Mela and the works, and they can’t handle this? Something’s wrong somewhere.
A bit of analysis into the report revealed something - Chief Minister, Narendra Modi. No wonder.
Luckily for him and unluckily for the country, this issue has been eclipsed by the Ludhiana blast.
October 13, 2007 at 12:06 am · Filed under cricket
Vengsarkar has been yapping, Sachin states the obvious - performance over age - and the world is writing all about the big three.
A quick look at the trio, probably India’s best servants of cricket in recent times. Let’s not even get into stats, reputation or their services until date. Unquestionable. Here’s what I think of each of them.
Sachin Tendulkar
Worshipped as if he were God Himself. I had gone for the first ODI at the Chinnaswamy Stadium, and I can tell you that Tendulkar is still the biggest crowd-puller. The roar that went up when the 5′5 cricketing genius graced the third-man boundary was deafening. There is no bigger name in Indian cricket, and only a handful might compete with him for popularity. The word ‘Endulkar’ is enough to invite the wrath of millions.
Memories - April 1998 - Sandstorm. Sachin Tendulkar murdered the might of the Australian attack. Kasprowicz was taken to the cleaners. Damien Fleming felt all kind of pain except physical. It’s not every day you see Shane Warne bowl a googly, only to see it screaming over the sight-screen for six. It’s not every day you see him hang his head in shame and walk back to the ropes, like a prisoner sentenced to the gallows.
Tendulkar had made it clear. He’s boss.
Verdict - His inconsistency has been worrying. Dropping him doesn’t make sense, because even the off-color champion is an asset to the team, and not a burden. Tendulkar has the aggression to step it up, his arm is still strong and he can chip in with the occasional off-breaks when Bhajji gets hammered. Useful, do retain.
Rahul Dravid
He isn’t nicknamed ‘The Wall’ for anything. Most bowlers, until last year, would have rather broken through Fort Knox. Dravid played two crucial roles during the Ganguly-Wright ‘revival’ of Indian cricket. First, he doubled up as a wicketkeeper, allowing India the extra batsman. Second, he played around the explosive middle order (the Yuvis and Kaifs) and the tail (the Agarkars and Khans), becoming India’s best and most clinical finisher in recent times.
Memories - Dravid has scored many memorable hundreds and fifties in winning causes, but I recall one innings against New Zealand. First day after marriage, Dravid walks out, scores 50 in 22 balls. Mind you, none of those were remotely slogs, all perfect cricketing shots. Never seen better timing ever. Here’s a batsman who can drop it short, sneak the singles, play the big-shot, pull on bouncy tracks, and evade the bouncer with the ease of slicing through cake, as even Tendulkar and Ganguly would clumsily play all over it, ducking in fright.
Verdict - The dip in form has been horribly worrying, and without the ‘keeper role anymore, Dravid will need to really turn it on towards the end of this ODI series to keep the critics mum. Personally, I’d like to see Dravid call it quits from limited-overs cricket soon, while focusing on Tests. Dravid has been a great adapter and a greater servant, and though he’s the safest pair of hands in the slips, he needs to make room for agility. What Dravid brings to the team is rock-solid stability in the middle order, a role that probably few can fill. There is unfortunately no one in the Indian team who can match his temperament, and that would certainly be India’s worry in a side without the Wall.
Sourav Ganguly
What do you say of this bloke? He might be ‘princely’ and stubborn, a tad lazy too, but aggression knows few limits in the presence of this Bengal tiger. One of the few Indians who mustered up the guts to take the attack to the opposition, once regarded as the finest on the off-side after God Himself, Sourav Ganguly has made a great comeback this year, and though his fitness looms under a huge question-mark, he makes India’s best bet as an opener alongside the great Tendulkar.
Memories - Muttiah Muralitharan is probably capable of turning the ball on glass. In he hops, the face contorted in determination, the ball leaves the fingers. It’s the doosra. Ganguly has stepped out, gets to the pitch of the ball, and lofts it as only he can, banging it dead straight. Long-on and long-off are reduced to mere spectators. The sight-screen shudders in fright. Fewer sights can better that if you wear Blue.
Verdict - F is for fitness, a worry for the man. Ganguly hasn’t been bowling much either, and with Gambhir showing excellent signs of strong maturity, one is tempted to see dada retire to Test cricket, although knowing the fighter in, I’d put my money on him coming out tops against adversity yet again. He still hasn’t managed to work his away around the shorter one which has more than troubled his career, so I’d like to see Ganguly quit at the peak than be ushered out of the team due to lack of form.
Having mentioned it all, there really is no substitute for merit. Performance should drive selection, always, as reputation counts for nothing in a new game. For instance, let’s say, three poor consecutive performances is enough to create doubt in the selectors’ minds, and with the likes of Raina and Badrinath knocking the doors, and with Karthik already at the porch, a fourth or fifth poor performance should put things beyond doubt.
Personally, I believe that Test cricket is indeed the ‘real’ form of cricket, if that does exist. It is in Tests where you really apply your skills and tactics. Bowlers work really hard for their wickets in Tests. Batsman work hard to score runs in Tests. ODIs form a packaged version of this display of skill as the batsmen make the bigger impression. Twenty20 absolutely destroys the bowlers, turning the into a necropolis for anyone who has the guts to fancy their arm.
I’d like to see the seniors focus on Tests and make graceful exits from limited overs cricket, so that younger blood can take it up. The Twenty20 win was no fluke, is is testimony to the capability of India’s youth, even in a shorter form of cricket where luck plays a bigger role than in ODIs. As the yellow-pyjama dominance doesn’t look like deteriorating, India (and the rest of the world) need to show more aggression and fire on the field to counter-attack. It calls for youth, and perhaps Indian cricket is finally asking for the biggies to leave gaps that people can fill.
A tooth falling out on its own terms goes unnoticed. Pulling it out, however, is both hard and painful.
October 11, 2007 at 8:27 pm · Filed under religion, terrorism
For anyone fascinated by dargahs like yours truly, the Hazrat Khawaja Moinuddin Hasan Chisty dargah in Ajmer would definitely be on the radar, at some point of time in life. At the risk of repeating this fact, dargahs are typically visited by people from all cultures, religious and races. The Ajmer Dargah makes a very statement on it’s website, what is quite obviously the dargah’s mission statement, one that Khwaja Sahib carved in timeless stone.
Love towards all, malice towards none.
The Ajmer dargah - like most other dargahs - welcome every human being with the same warmth, irrespective of caste, creed or colour. It is in these premises where Hindus, Muslims, Christians and Sikhs stand shoulder-to-shoulder united seeking the blessings of a divine force. Neither room nor tolerance towards any kind of aggression. The only bond between these saints and their disciples is that of love, and nothing else.
Khwaja Sahib was believed to be a great scholar - one of the many who understood Islam to be a religion of peace and love. By being compassionate to every human being, irrespective if they are Muslim or otherwise, these saints won the hearts of many (and continue to do so) hence uniting people in ways more than one.
On the other hand are the religious extremists who are either horribly brainwashed in negativity and ‘revenge’, or use religion as a front for their political agenda.
What the blasted cowards have done today is not just bomb a dargah. They’ve attacked our unity. We can only respond by strengthening the bonds among ourselves, while filling in the gaps that extremism attempts to exploit.
There ought to be no room for racist differences in India. Maybe it’s a bold statement, but when you really do have ‘love towards all and malice towards none’, you’ve taken one mighty leap towards peace.
Peace. God knows our country needs it, as does the rest of the world.
October 9, 2007 at 12:59 pm · Filed under debates, religion
With all due respect, Jean-Louis Cardinal Tauran - who is supposedly responsible for the Vatican’s main liaison agency with the Islamic world, needs to do better if he wants to promote peace amongst Christianity and other religions.
Consider this report where he highlights the “extreme” case of Saudi Arabia where freedom of religion was “violated absolutely” with “no Christian churches and a ban on celebrating Mass, even in a private home”. He started off well, calling for a “culture of peace and solidarity that honours all human creatures” (although I think other animals should be loved too, but hey) - but the statement above that teases to link Islam and extremism is uncalled for.
A word of caution for the Guardian too (in fact, more than just a word) - their title reads “Vatican urges Muslim respect for all faiths”, it talks about a Cardinal showing concerns over extremism in Saudi Arabia, and it also carries a paragraph which reads:
The cardinal’s Eid greeting does not single out Muslims for criticism - his appeals are aimed at “religious believers” - nor does he make a direct link between Islam and violence.
Rrrright. And pigs fly.
So Saudi Arabia is extreme in its approach, which is why it doesn’t go down too well with the non-Muslim community. I’ve known a few Christians and Hindus I worked with who feared being sent to that country on an assignment. But tell you what - the KSA was never known to be too compassionate towards people from other faiths anyway. They’ve always been regarded (and recognized) as the custodians of Islam, they’ve always propagated the religious importance of Mecca throughout the country, and the bottom-line is, they are an Islamic state - they’re very clear on what they permit in their nation.
The Vatican ought to focus on improving their relationships with the Muslim world constructively than ‘urging them to respect all faiths’, sprinkling in chatter on terrorism and extremism. It paints a two-faced picture of them that really doesn’t help, considering that this is the same Vatican who protested against the construction of Mosque in Nazareth.
May I also remind the Vatican that the Muslim community, in general, has been more compassionate towards Christians than any other religion. In the ‘metropolitan’ city of Dubai, the commercial hub in the ‘Islamic’ government of the United Arab Emirates, there are at least two Catholic churches and one Protestant church. Orthodox too.
And two lame excuses for Hindu temples.
Sharjah - the most cultured (and extreme) Islamic city in the Emirates - has a church as well, as does Abu Dhabi. No temple in any of those cities. 140kms - Abu Dhabi to Dubai - is a long distance to travel atleast once a week, don’t you think, for someone who wants to offer worship?
Talk about cross-cultural marriages, an upcoming trend in today’s day and age where cultural harmony is peaking, Islam permits more compatibility and is more lenient to Catholics marrying people of their faith. In hindsight and at the grassroots, Catholics and Muslims are a lot closer to each other than the Vatican suggests.
I, for one, got nothing against the Christians (or the Hindus, or the Muslims, or the Sikhs - or any religion for that matter). I went to a Catholic school, I was schooled by nuns, our sweaty bunch of volleyball enthusiasts would prostrate in front of Mary outside Church, we went to Mass even, helped decorate Christmas trees and even built a Crib to celebrate and signify the birth of Christ. I don’t need anyone to tell me how compassionate the Christian people are, how peace-loving and optimistic they are, and how warm their homes are.
It just sickens me to think that the ‘custodians’ of such a wonderful community pass such comments at a global level. It fuels hatred for not-so-fortunate Hindus and Muslims who believe what they hear and read without actually sharing their lives with the Christians, or vice-versa.
In any case, chances of Muslims listening to “the Pope’s interfaith expert” are remote, to say the least.
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