IKKIS : 21 Gun Salute

 

#Ikkis : There could not have been a better swansong for Dharmendra. And in times of senseless, manufactured jingoism, there could not have been a more necessary film than Ikkis—a film that speaks of soldiering with dignity and courage. In an age where bigotry and hatred are routinely peddled as patriotism—in television studios, by politicians, by those who would crawl under the bed at the mere sound of a fighter jet, and even by some retired armed forces officers fishing for cushy post-retirement favors—Ikkis reminds us of the true cost of war. It tells us, quietly but firmly, that war must be fought only when it is absolutely necessary, never when it is politically convenient.

Ikkis is deeply moving, humane, and courageous—much like its protagonist, Second Lieutenant Arun Khetrapal (PVC, posthumous). It commemorates the Battle of Basantar, honors the supreme sacrifice of the Indian Army, and upholds the primacy of duty. It celebrates the soldiering rooted in courage, restraint and supreme sacrifice for the nation when necessary. Yet, it also dares to show something rarer, the grief of a father, and the dignity with which a soldier acknowledges even his enemy.

For that alone, it deserves a 21-gun salute.

As tensions between India and Pakistan escalated on the intervening nights of 8th and 9th May, and bloodthirsty TV anchors reduced the situation to a slam-bang cricket match, I found myself discussing the real cost of war. I vividly remember a colleague—someone who has never seen conflict up close, never even been part of a street fight—lecturing from the comfort of an air-conditioned room about how we should “go all out,” how victory was pre-decided.

When I asked about the repercussions- human and economic, I was told not to be “negative.” That reflexive dismissal is precisely the problem.

That, perhaps, is why films like Ikkis matter. They puncture the noise. They restore perspective. And they remind us that courage is not about chest-thumping certainty, that wars are not fought by hashtags or in studio, but by young men who bleed, families who grieve and nations who live with consequence long after the war is over.

The film’s power lies in its refusal to sensationalise. The direction is assured and restrained, allowing silences to do the heavy lifting instead of loud banging background scores. Battle sequences are shot with realism rather than bravado; they convey confusion, fear, and chaos. The camera lingers not on victory poses, but on faces—young, determined, and acutely aware of what is at stake.

 Dharmendra had reserved his finest probably for this final act of his. It is a performance marked by dignity, grief, and quiet authority. Agastya makes a remarkably assured big screen debut as the young, brave, vulnerable yet confident Second Lt Khetrapal. Jaideep Ahlawat brings a rare moral gravity to the film. His character is measured, conflicted and credible. There is authenticity to his presence – authenticity of a man shaped by discipline and duty rather than rhetoric. The supporting cast complements this tone, never slipping into caricature or sermon, allowing the film’s moral weight to emerge organically rather than through dialogue-heavy exposition.

Ikkis’s strength lies in its conscience and for that director Sriram Raghavan deserves a standing ovation.

Indigo Farmers- How Capitalism decides India’s Emergencies !

 

As I watched on TV screen the harrowing scenes of flyers stranded in the airports across the country as one airline brought the country on its knees I was reminded of the Farmer’s protest of the 2020.

In September 2020 the Govt passed three farm laws at remarkable speed, with the promise of market efficiency, farmer empowerment, and supply-chain reform. Farmers feared that the new private mandis and contract farming systems would weaken the APMC structure and hollow out the Minimum Support Price regime over time. They wanted legal backing of the MSP. They argued that without statutory protection, MSP will remain a policy promise—not a guaranteed right. But the govt didn’t oblige. Farmers across Punjab, Haryana, Western Uttar Pradesh, and parts of Rajasthan and Maharashtra rejected the laws and started protest. The Govt initially downplayed the protest as “Politically Motivated”. As farmers marched towards Delhi in the harsh cold winter of November, Delhi borders were turned into fortresses with barricades, barbed wires, and trenches. Internet was shut down and water cannons and tear gas was used. The state treated it as a law-and-order issue and not a policy disagreement. State aligned TV anchors in their warm studios and IT cell trolls behind their masked identities branded the farmers as “anti-nationals.” Initially Govt did not even want to meet the famer’s associations. But when the protest persisted, they finally decided to hold talks. Eleven rounds of negotiations took place without granting any real concession—except a written assurance that MSP would continue, without legal backing. Tens of thousands of farmers lived continuously in open tents and slept on tractor trolleys on Delhi’s borders for 378 days — through extreme winter when the temperature dipped to 4-degree, peak summer with temperature rising to 45 degrees and unrelenting monsoon. Many of those farmers were between 50 and 70 years old. Over 700 farmers lost their lives during the protest. And yet it took 378 days and the impending fear of losing the  UP and Punjab election forced the govt to finally take notice and the Prime Minister announced the repeal of the Farm laws.

Cut to the winter of 2025. To ensure passenger safety and to provide enough rest and recuperation to the flight crew in 2019 DGCA started reviewing India’s outdated flight duty norms after global safety pressures. In 2023 it finalized the new FDTL (flight duty time limitation) rules. These rules sharply reduced: Permissible night flying hours, consecutive night landings, duty limits and increased mandatory rest periods. This was done to increase passenger safety and to adhere to global standards. To avoid industry shock, the rollout was phased through 2024 and 2025. This should have given enough time to airlines like Indigo to hire and train the required pilots and crew and to realign their roaster. Yet Indigo chose to almost nothing. And when the regulation kicked in it started cancelling thousands of flights—flights for which it had already sold tickets—fully aware that it lacked the crew to operate them. Millions of passengers were stranded in airports across the country without any information, accountability, or assistance. They writhed inside the chaotic airports like livestock. Some were flying to meet ailing family members, some to meet friends and family, some for wedding and some for funeral. Some were toddlers, some octogenarians. But Indigo did not owe its paying customer anything except a fake apology that came two days later. Because it dominates Indian Sky with 65 % market share and with those cold unpalatable sandwiches that it sells at exorbitant prices.

The Govt stepped in almost instantly. The Indigo top brass was summoned. The civil aviation minister kept the country updated by posting photo after photo, with his face plastered all over, sitting in cozy room and “reviewing” the operation. Quickly the FDTL orders issued by the DGCA were placed in abeyance. One airline had effectively held an entire country—and an apparently powerful government—to ransom. Other airlines joined the “fun” to make some quick buck. DGCA and the Ministry of Civil Aviation shared toothy smiles as consumers ended up paying through their teeth.

Thank God this time it did not take 378 days. No one questioned Indigo’s credentials. No one held it criminally accountable. No one called any of these airlines an anti-national carrier. Not a single head rolled – neither in Indigo nor DGCA, nor the Ministry of Civil Aviation.

Now it’s back to business. Holiday season for airlines. Time to squeeze consumers even harder. The Indigo farmers of the yore must be having a bitter laugh somewhere in the sky—either reminiscing about colonial exploitation or realising that not much has changed in 150 years except the colour of the rulers. Even Minister Naidu may be enjoying a hearty brunch or those cold sandwiches ushering in the festive season.

Hail India. Happy Festive Season!

 

 

Ek Virus Ki Mann Ki Baat

My Fellow World Population,

Since some of the powerful people in the world are writing letters, eulogizing their own achievements on the completion of one year of coming to power, I thought I should also write a letter. I know, I m a bit early, but then you know I spread faster than their lies and honestly after six months and 217+ countries I think I have achieved enough to celebrate a bit early.

Around this day in Dec 2019 began a golden chapter of my journey. It was after several decades that the people of the world got to face a pandemic of this magnitude.

Once again, I bow to the 750 crore people of the world and their collective stupidity. If the world would have been focusing on important things like technology, infrastructure and research related to healthcare, sharing of information, conserving ecosystem, investing in sanitation, then I would not have been in your midst. However, the present circumstances are different. So here I m, in the midst of all of you.  

Your focus on blaming each other, confused strategy of complete lock downs and sudden opening ups, complete unpreparedness to handle a pandemic, having megalomaniacs as head of states has given me new energy and inspiration. The way some of you have come up with innovative ideas to drive me away by lighting Diyas, Banging Thala, injecting disinfectants into human body, singing “Go Corona Go”  will remain the guiding light for the whole world.

My Fellow World Population,

In the last six months I have been able to bring down environmental pollution. The level of Nitrogen Dioxide has reduced by almost 40% in industrial areas of Asia & Europe. Due to my concerted effort you can see clearer blue sky, watch far away mountains from your terrace, breath fresh air and swim in clean rivers. Wild animals are roaming on the street and someone even shared a picture  of dinosaurs also coming back.  Noise pollution has gone down drastically, and the world is a better place to live in, I mean if you survive my onslaught.

My Fellow World Population,

I have also helped empower the poor. Even after almost seven decades of independence and sincere, well intentioned efforts by political leaders across party lines the poor people in countries like India were struggling for basic amenities. Thanks to me now they are Atmanirbhar.

Thanks to my Corona Corporate Samman Nidhi Yojana, world over organizations can get more work done incurring less cost. Several corporate friendly Concepts like “Furlough”, “Work From Home” hitherto implemented by large corporations for a select few are now common place. I have also ensured that now the line between personal and professional has been blurred completely and organizations have employees at their disposal 24*7.

We have broken record in terms of time taken to implement IT adaptation. What took Mark, Bill, so many CTOs and different political party IT heads years to drive, I could drive it in less than 6 months.

My “Swaccha Haath Yojana” has ensured that every individual across the globe will spend the entire year washing hands. Of course with job losses and lockdowns, they anyways don’t have much work to do.

Dear Friends,

At a time when there is  a widespread debate on how the economies of various countries will survive, I have helped various countries by boosting economy through production and selling of more masks, ventilators, PPE kits, sanitizers and disinfectants.

For sometime now United State has been boasting about its economic supremacy and its preparedness for all kinds of attacks including bio warfare. I have been able to expose their vulnerability, and this will help in bringing world peace. I strongly believe the jury must consider me for a Nobel for World Peace. China has been a hub for manufacturing both equipment and lies. With Corona Outbreak it has been exposed. The less I said about WHO, the better – they let the Corona out.

Thanks to me, there is a visible growth in entertainment industry. Before I assumed power stand up comedians used to entertain people, now state premiers do that, some prefer the morning slot, some the 8PM slot. I have also helped in driving innovation. In fact your respective HR teams across organizations are playing a big role in implementing it. I stand in awe when I look at their ability to innovate. In less than two months they could come up with concepts like Virtual Rangoli, Virtual Talent Show and Virtual connect, reconnect and irritate people till they leave you.

The world for so many years has been grappling to drive gender equality. In less than six months I have been able to implement it. Men, who refused to learn household chores for ages, have now become pro in it. There is significant fall in crime rate, fatalities on the road and suicide.

The list of such historic actions taken in World interest would be too long to detail in this letter.

Dear Friends,

I bow to your stupidity and ego once again. My writer has also written a Sanskrit Sloka. But then I m a Chinese virus. So I have deleted it. My heartfelt wishes to you and your family.

Stay Healthy… ROFL

Yours Covid19

Thappad

#Thappad : A good film asks questions, makes one introspect and challenges one to have conversation around the topic. In that sense Anubhav Sinha, post his comeback, is making one film after another, that are putting uncomfortable questions out in the open. If Mulk was about Islamophobia and Article 15 was about a deep-rooted caste system, his latest offering Thappad is about the privileges men enjoy in this country in the name of patriarchy.  

When was the last time we felt uncomfortable watching the female member in the family managing entire household as well as their career and yet being frowned upon for making the smallest mistakes , while the men  get away with everything by pretending to be busy with their career. When was the last time we felt guilty for raising our voices against the females in our home. That is how privileged we have been and that is how we have been brought up in a patriarchal society. And that is why Sinha’s Thappad makes us introspect. It may be “Just a Slap”. It may be inadvertent; it may be the first time, but none of us have any right to raise our hand. Sinha’s film is more about the entitled mindset that we, the Indian men possess than about domestic violence.

The writing is extremely smart and nuanced, probably the best in recent times. It brings out the male privilege and gender insensitivity beautifully without sounding shrill. Vikram, the night after slapping Amruta, comes  to her and tells her that he was stressed and then goes on to explain his problems in office , how he had worked hard and yet had been denied the opportunity he deserved. The conversations between Vikram and Amrita has been written beautifully. Vikram , while talking about his job, tells Amrita that he doesn’t want to stay and work in a place where he is not valued and how one must put his foot down in life and how he has invested so much in the job. And all this while he remains oblivious of the fact that Amrita is also going through the exact same emotion as far as their marriage is concerned. He thinks it was just a slap and he even tries to make up for it by taking her out for dinner and buying her gift. It goes to a point where one starts identifying with Vikram and even goes to the extent of believing that probably Amruta is stretching it too far. Because that’s what we have learnt while growing up. Because we have seen our mothers, grandmothers or sisters adjusting at every step and accepting the behaviours they shouldn’t be. And that has become normal for us. Not for once have we questioned it. And that is where Thappad forces you to go back and introspect. Sinha, through the story of Amrita, actually exposes the story of almost every household. Vikram isnt evil. He is just like you and I , an entitled Indian Male.

The other interesting aspect of Thappad is the performances of each of its cast and the brilliant direction. Be it Kumud Mishra , as the supportive father or Pavel Gulati as the husband or Tanvi Azmi as mother in law and Ratna Pathak Shah as the mother , each one of them have played their part to perfection. Taapsee Pannu, as the vulnerable yet strong Amrita has done a phenomenal job.

Thappad’s triumph lies in the fact that it affects one deeply. It beautifully explores how we normalize patriarchy and exposes a myopic mindset. I will go out with 4 out of 5 for this terrific film. If you are one among us ,an entitled Indian Man, then do yourself a favour ,go and watch Thappad. And then go back ,look into the mirror and introspect. If the realisation comes ,which I m sure will, if you have your heart in the right place ,then go ,say sorry and if necessary reboot that life and all that you have learnt by watching the men around while growing up.

ChhiChhore : Live the Moment !

What an endearing sight it was to wake up and see the Prime Minister of the country consoling and giving courage to the ISRO chairman after the chairman broke down following the failure to communicate with Chandrayan -2’s Vikram Lander. But in a country paranoid with success , where winner takes it all and no one remembers the runners up , this unfortunately is an aberration and not the norm.  And hence student suicide is an epidemic that claims one life, every hour , in this country. Personally , I grew up in a set up where failure was simply unacceptable and was treated as the end of the road . Yet ,in life , I have failed more often than any of my contemporaries . While I had the tenacity and resilience to fight back after every single failure with more vigour to prove myself and to not give up , often these struggles end up being long and lonely. And in vulnerable moments like these the  parents or  the partner or the friends or the family play a crucial role in explaining the inevitability of failure in life and the importance of effort . Failure is an integral part of life and every failure should be treated not as the end of the road but as the beginning of yet another exciting journey to explore one’s potential. In our quest to win we must never forget the joy of living.

Nitesh Tiwari’s Chhichhore is a film about friendship, failure, fun and nostalgia all rolled into one. Tiwari beautifully fits the story into the frame of its genre , straightaway transporting you into a nostalgic world full of unbridled optimism .  If you have ever lived in a campus , you will readily identify with Tiwari’s characters . In fact you may end up being reminded of the Anni, Derek, Acid , Sexa or Maya from your batch. Chhichhore depicts the unhinged, carefree campus life when life was a tad more than just chasing daily targets or making those ugly spread sheets .

Tiwari keeps the story simple and packs it with lots of punchlines using the campus lingo. The film opens with a water war in a premier engineering campus in Mumbai and time travels twenty years ahead when Ani and Maya’s adolescent son Raghav attempts suicide and lands up in an ICU. From there on it cuts between past and present , imparting some life lessons ,packed with some fine punchlines and whacky humour . The enduring friendship that one makes during college life is portrayed beautifully . The actors are brilliant while playing their youthful characters.

However what pulls down Chhichhore is some really sloppy make up and Shraddha Kapoor. Even the constant shift between a glorious past and a gloomy present looks a bit contrived . However these misfires seems forgivable thanks to Tiwari’s earnest attempt at story telling.

Chhichhore is not about winning . It is about the attempt to win and in the process  living those moments and making lasting memories . Life is never about winning and losing , its all about living . So once in a while step aside , put that feet away from the accelerator , give expectations a break and take a moment to live and yes don’t burden others with your expectation . Let them live too. They will figure a way out ! And yes there is no shame in losing as long as one has given his best and had enjoyed the process.

I will go out with 3 out of 5 for this bunch of losers , who may have lost a match but ended up winning million hearts !

Article 15 : We the People Of India ...

#Article15 : Article15 starts with Bob Dylan’s music from “ Blowing In the Wind” playing in the background - “ How many times can a man turn his head And pretend that he doesn’t see” and explodes in your face asking questions that are uncomfortable , that exposes a deep rooted caste system in this country that you & I have been mute witness to or shall I say have been party to and brings forth the disturbing consequences of a system that promotes “ US vs Them” and muffles every voice that asks a question . Will there be an end to this divisive, parochial system ? Will there be an end to the killings? The answer, my friend, is blowing in the wind. Things will probably change when You & I will stop waiting for a Hero and act like one.

Bansky had once said “ Art should comfort the disturbed and disturb the comfortable” and in that sense Article 15 is a terrific film ,right  in the league of Govind Nihalin’s classic Aakrosh . Guara’s eye reflect the same anguish , anger and helplessness that Lahanya Bhiku’s eyes expressed . And in almost four decades nothing much has changed . Based on the Badaun Gang Rape and murder case , where two teenage girls had been raped and hanged on a tree  to teach a lesson to lower caste , to show them their “Aukat” . Named after the provision in the Indian Constitution that prohibits "discrimination on grounds of religion, race, caste, sex or place of birth" Article15 is a disturbing film about the realities of India , about the procedural mockery, about how caste divides have been created in the name of maintaining imaginary balance  and the way constitutional rights have been subverted . It brings out the helplessness the angst of the underprivileged . It reflects how those who are supposed to protect have become the perpetrators . It shows how people are killed because they asked a Rs 3 hike in their wages.

Shot in monochromatic frames Article 15 is atmospheric spans out like a thriller. There is a conscious effort to disturb the audience with the close up shots of the corpses and the cleaning of the sewage . The actors are terrific . Ayushman Khurana gets to play the role of a lifetime and he excels in bringing out the vulnerability as well as the steely resolve of a young IPS who had been exposed to a world so far away from the India he knew and took pride in. Kumud Mishra, Sayani Gupta,Manoj Pahwa and Mohd Zeeshan Ayyub have been phenomenal.

Article 15 isnt just a film .It is a bold statement reflecting the murky realities of India  , that gets frequently pushed to page 7 while you & I relish the glitz and glamour of Page 3. It is about our constitution , about the dignity of life . Will you & I wait for a Hero and let things happen or try to be one and lead the transformation is a choice we have to make . And as Zeeshan Ayyub’s Nishad puts it the price of trying to change the balance is going to be high . But then You & I wont be the last one fighting the battle !

I will go out with 4.5 out of 5 for a film that brings out the grim, inconvenient realities of our society . Not sure “How Many years Can some people Exist, before they are allowed to be free ?”

Kalank : The film stands by its Name !

#Kalank :  Kalank has got everything right , actors coming back from retirement - actors who should retire after this - a set that will make even Sanjay Leela Bhansali strive harder – a mindless song every ten minutes – a marketing maverick as a producer -a hamming Aditya Roy Kapoor continuing from where he left in Fitoor -Sonakshi Sinha back with her Lootera looks -Varun Dhawan oscillating between his characters from Tu Mera Hero and Badlapur – it even has got the three K’s -Kunal “ Who” Khemu, Kiara and  Kriti , except the two important things – a story that is believable and a director who knows how to tell a story and the one who believes in basic human intelligence .  It’s a surprise that none of the balm manufactures used this film to promote their product through surrogate advertising . Because the first thing you will reach out to after the 170 minute onslaught is a tube of pain relieving balm.

Kalank is a film about revenge , love , partition , betrayal , life of courtesans and may be even gondola ride ! The film covers the distance from rivers to snow capped mountains in seconds . It takes reference from many films from Pakeezah to DDLJ to Devdas to  Trishul to Bahubali to Gadar . Somewhere in between the director forgets which story he wanted to tell. The lady who introduced Roop ( Alia) to the courtesan Bahaar Begum ( Madhuri) in act I forgets Bahaar Begum by Act II when she had come to meet Roop . Zafar ( Varun) whose only motif was to take revenge against Balraj Chaudhury ( Sanjay Dutt) for being abandoned as a child , doesn’t even recognize Balraj’s legitimate son Dev ( Aditya Roy Kapoor) , in spite of staying in the same city and wooing Dev’s wife Roop ( Alia) . Take that for consistency or shall I say marijuana induced film making .

It takes some special skills to make Alia Bhat act this bad in a film or to take your eyes off when Madhuri Dixit is dancing . But director Abhishek Varman even manages to do that . That brings us to the moot point that how some one invests 80 crores in a film like this , how some of the talented actors even sign such a  film . May be Kalank is a story of hope , the hope that one day some of us will have a producer to fund our stories . The hope the one fine day Aditya Roy Kapoor too will learn to act . The hope that some day Hindi Cinema will break the shackles and if not world cinema at least will compete with regional cinema in terms of quality . The hope that some day we will have audience who will call out the bluff .

Yes Kalank , no doubt is a visually stunning film . But as one of the character asks in the film “ kya baas accha hona kafi hota hai kisike sath puri zindegi bitane keliye “ I will also ask “ is only a beautiful set and designer costume enough to invest three god damn hours” and if beautiful costume is what matters to the audience then they should rather watch a fashion show . I will go out with a very generous 0.5 out of 5 for this film , that shouldn’t have been made in the first place . In terms of the art of film making , Kalank , the film, stands by its name !