The Willow Wielding Warrior

Almost seventy two hours have passed, since you decided never to wear India Blue again, it is yet to sink in. Yes, life moves on, but it is difficult to get out of an intoxicating habit of twenty- three years. The mind knows the reality; the heart denies accepting it. Honestly I don’t remember when I started noticing your batting, it seems since forever, but what I remember is in 1992, during the Benson & Hedges world cup when my aunt asked me who my hero is, as an innocuous kid my answer was Tendulkar . Looking in retrospect, by 1992, you had played International cricket for only two and half years, had not scored even one ODI century, but had already become a Hero of our generation. At a tender age when many of us fail to even carry the expectation of our parents, you carried the expectation of a cricket crazy nation. I remember till the mid nineties, when the Dravid’s , the Ganguly’s emerged, your Individual score mattered to the nation than the team score. The first question anyone would ask was “Sachin he kya crease pe?” Two decades have passed since then, you continue to inspire generations.

The passion, with which you played the game, the intensity with which you prepared every single day, the sacrifices you made, the way you conducted yourself in spite of being treated as a legend from a very tender age, differentiates you from mere mortals. From bowling that final over in that chilly Nov evening of 1993 hero cup semifinal to conquering desert storm in April ’98 to coming just a day after your father’s funeral in 1999 to score a century to cutting Shoab Akhtar ‘s bowl and Pakistan cricket’s morale over point on a warm and Sunny March afternoon in 2003 , you showed exemplary skill and enormous dedication .There are innumerable test innings as well, but that is for another day. No wonder you have a colossal statistics, which the next generation will refer to. But what they will never understand and we have been privileged to witness is how for almost a decade Indian Cricket’s fortune and the nation’s mood depended only on your success or failure , how the opposition spent their maximum energy in strategizing against you (which helped your other team mates and the team) and yet more often than not you succeed in bamboozling them. Statistics will never be able to reflect on how you conquered a career threatening tennis elbow, re invented your technique and re aligned your mind set to serve the game. It will never be able to evaluate your contribution in terms of grooming youngsters, the amount of impact you had on opposition mind set and how it played a part in India’s victory. Statistics will neither be able to capture how much happiness and joy you have given to millions of fans nor about your insatiable desire to play the game, in its true spirit. It will not tell how many sleepless nights you had spent in those twenty three years to win the World Cup for the country. You weathered time and conventional wisdom to play for so long.

I’m sure it must have hurt you, that the nation that treated you as a superman for most part of your career, could not fathom the patience and courage to watch you as a human in last eighteen months. But I believe, you also know it is probably the pain of watching you struggle that made them impatient .Deep inside the entire nation adores and respects you.

We have been privileged to watch you dancing down the track to hit the spinners and fast bowlers with equal élan, to watch your straight drives , to have seen your paddle sweep , those classy glances , those amazing cover drives bisecting the field , those cheeky late cuts . I doubt we will ever get a chance to watch a bowler bowling off cutter, leg spin, leg cutter and seam up in one over, the way you did.

Thank you Sachin Ramesh Tendulkar for giving me maximum magic moments in life. As you walk into the sunset of a glorious career, we will derive joy, reminiscing the bygone.  We will miss you on the field and trust me for many of us cricket will never be the same. Thank you for being a true warrior and enthralling us with those numerous moments of ecstasy!  

An Epic fall after an Unusual High

#Talaash : Reviewing a supposed to be thriller is like operating a body without opening it. Reema Kagti flatters for two hours to deceive in the last twenty minutes in this much hyped Aamir Khan starrer. Truth be told I sat on the edge for the entire first half enjoying almost everything, the ensemble cast, the haunting music, the brilliance of the technical team in capturing the dark Mumbai night life on the pavement and essence of the movie, the portrayal of the underneath sense of loss, grief laced with the guilt conscience of the protagonist and not to speak of the intriguing plots and sub plots. But alas as the movie moved towards the climax, I eased back in my chair to marvel, no not at the movie, but at the audacity /foolhardiness of the director to have taken the audience for a ride.

In spite of the glitches Reema & Zoya had done a commendable job as far as handling an extremely difficult script is concerned. Even as a director Reema seamlessly projects the oscillation between inspector Shekhawat ‘s (Aamir Khan)  interaction with his sub conscious, his attempt to avoid confronting a guilt ridden conscience, that has already declared him guilty of negligence,  by immersing himself  in solving the high profile case. While everything seems reaching a dead end, Inspector Shekhawat bumps into a hooker Rosie (Kareena Kapoor) that makes the plot intriguing. While the investigation is on, a lonely Shekhawat finds the comfort of escapism in Rosie’s company, whose external gait betrays her forlorn eyes.

As a road side hooker Kareena , has put up a scintillating performance , though at times she looks more as Kareena than Rosie. Aamir Khan’s portrayal of a complex character that goes through an emotional turmoil is quite palpable. But it is Nawazzudin Siddique’s performance that steals the thunder. With each release Nawaz is raising the bar and arguably is one of the best in the industry today.

Talaash is a movie that will take you to unexpected high before you experience a free fall. I will go out with 3 out of 5 for a movie that will probably suffer due to the high expectation often associated with its lead actor –Aamir Khan and those twenty minutes of madness in the end.

Jab Tak Hain......

DeConstructing Barfi !

Anurag Basu’s magnum opus attempt to portray unconditional love on celluloid underlines the finer nuances required to convert a good work of art into a great, timeless classic. Barfi has all the ingredients to become a landmark cinema in the history of Bollywood but ends up being a half baked savory that still tastes delicious thus forcing one to think the unexplored potential of it. Barfi is essentially a story of a deaf, dumb, handsome young man (Ranbir) who in spite of his physical limitations celebrates the essence of life with a beautiful smile on his lips & spreads happiness all around. As the effervescent Burfi ,Ranvir is outstanding and reminds one of Charlie Chaplin & Raj Kapoor rolled into one. His effortless portrayal of the character leaves you speechless and many a times his character becomes bigger than the movie. He goes through the trails & tribulations of rejection in love, but that does not result in dejection or bitter feeling. His chance meeting with Jhilmil, the autistic daughter of a rich family transcends into a saga of platonic love that crosses the barrier of a give & take world. Few brilliant and hilarious run and chase sequences between Ranvir and Saurav Sukla adds humor to the plot. Saurav Shukla as the pot bellied policeman reaffirms what a fine actor he is.

The relationship of Barfi & Jhilmil has been captured poignantly and provides some brilliant cinematic moment. Pritam’s music is mellifluous and completely in sync with the tone of the movie. Ravi Verman’s remarkable cinematography, be it capturing the hue of Darjeeling or the sublime romance between Jhilmil & Barfi or the beautiful glowworm lit night deserves a special mention. Ilena does justice to her role and Priyanka deserves kudos for her much restrained portrayal of an autistic girl.

What acts as a damp squib to an otherwise brilliant movie is the indulgence of its director to unnecessarily use sub plots and flash backs to tell a simple story. It confuses the audience and complicates the narrative. The motive for Jhilmil’s abduction remains too weak. No effort what so ever has been given to develop the supporting characters like Jhilmil’s parents, which could have added teeth to the plot.

But in spite of its weakness Barfi will remain an important cinema of 2012 for its protagonists astounding performance. Go indulge yourself with a generous helping of Barfi !

The Epilogue : My Country My Responsibility

Since that soul stirring Sunday morning of 6^th May 2012, waking up relatively early on Sunday morning to catch a glimpse of Amir’s crusade against existing social stigma has been a routine for the collective consciousness of the intelligentsia of the nation. Satyameva Jayate was not thrust upon the audience. It would have been commercially lucrative to air it on primetime, but the intention was not to increase TRP, but to reach to those people for whom well being of the society matter, it was meant for those who believe in inclusive growth & realize that an individual can be a catalyst for change. Hence it was aired in a slot when only people who are interested will take the pain to watch it. For twelve weeks it became a part of our Sunday (much like the growing up years, when Ramayan & Mahabharat used to be a part of Sunday Schedule), our debates, our agonies, our exasperations and of course our hopes. The canvas was big; the issues were wider from female feticide to dowry to medical malpractice to conservation of water to alcoholism to respect for physically challenged individuals. It covered must address areas from social to environmental issues.

None of these issues were new, each issue had either been covered by media or activists and they have been haunting the nation for ages. But the way it was presented with data and facts with the gravity of the issue was an eye opener.  Amir made us revisit those old issues, explained the consequence of neglecting them and made us aware of our individual responsibility to arrive at a collective solution. He invited people, organizations who have been there done that to show that issues which seemed so hopeless have practical solutions, provided we are conscious of our responsibility towards society. Each show of Satyamev reminded me of the science lab that we attended during school days. An issue was stated, the root cause analysis was done, the far fetching effect of it was reflected and a practical, workable solution was presented. Some issues like water conservation can be handled with minimal effort at individual level. If every individual decides to use one bucket less water a day, just imagine how much water we will end up saving. If we decide not to dispose of waste in the rivers, we will preserve a cleaner tomorrow for the generation to come. Before the show was aired fair price medical shops seemed such a farfetched idea. Today it seems a simple reality.

In this country we prefer hypocrisy and use escapism as a shelter. For every problem we blame the govt & policy and wash our hands off our own responsibility as individuals. No doubt policy plays a role in a broader sense. But issues like alcoholism can be handled at individual level. The govt‘s role is to prepare infrastructure for differently abled people, but as a human being it is our responsibility to respect them and not differentiate them. How many of us don’t oppose marriage from other caste or creed? Isn’t it shameful that a country which is moving up on an economic ladder still believes in the stigma of untouchability.  It is extremely easy to sit in front of television and sympathize with the issue thinking it is someone else’s problem. But the need of the hour is walking the talk, to lead by example.

Cynics will always dismiss it as another show, but it is for the masses and the policy makers of the nation to realize that unless we deal with these issues and come up with firm solutions posterity will not pardon us for our callousness and irresponsibility. Team Satyamev has done its bit by awakening us for twelve long weeks, to bring us face to face with the impending danger. Now it is up to us to either wake up and act or remain in our deep slumber and live in a fool’s paradise.  

It is my nation, it is my society, and hence it is my responsibility, period! Satyameva Jayate. 

Ferrari Ki Sawaari

This Sawaari is a joy ride with  few bumpy patches , that can definitely be ignored, considering it is an honest attempt to make a simple movie depicting the aspiration of millions of young Indian school kids who toil hard  day in day out to represent the nation and emulate their icon Sachin. It is a movie with a heart that clearly differentiates between right and wrong. It tries to re iterate the old world value of “means is as important as end”. The story revolves around the relationship between the grand father- father – son trio of Boman, Sharman & Ritvik. Their chemistry is amazing. Sharman as an underdog, too- good -to be- true Rustom gives a credible and coming of age performance. Boman, as always, is extremely convincing as a grand father who is protective of his grandson. And having been betrayed during his hey days does not want his progeny to go through the same turbulence, till the time he gets convinced about Kayo’s potential. Young Ritvik plays his part beautifully, keeping a balance between his on field heroics and off field realities.

The movie starts of beautifully, only to get predictable and sometimes a bit tardy once the Ferrari fiasco starts. Somewhere in between it fails to project its basic theme, a common man’s dream of scaling incredible peaks amidst innumerable hiccups, as forcefully as it should have. The movie has unmistakable Raju Hirani signature in patches. Wish the patches were broader!! With a tight editing and a faster pace this Ferrari would have soared higher. Still I will go out with three out of five, for the simple reason that it is a movie made with a good intention &simplicity and tries to instill the importance of value system.

QUEST

I stood still and time flew by,

I was wonderstruck and life lightening fast

Oh! The memoirs of days of playful youth;

You bring such ecstatic agony to my aging heart.

Dear life , can you not pause for a moment ?

My soul wants to cling on to those days of mirth.

Ah those were days of flames and fires;

We treaded on the paths of dreams and despairs,

Surged ahead with the song of victory and passion

Dare anyone doubt our aspirations?

Life was such a roller coaster drive

Celebration was the essence of the ride.

I still long for those days of gay abandon

Little does the heart realize gone are the moments of freedom

While my body remains chained to those worldly desires

The soul must march ahead in its search of freedom

Stop me if you can, but dream I will and live I must.

Satyamev Jayate

# Satyamev Jayate : These are difficult times and require  desperate measures. Satyamev Jayate is an attempt to wake us up from a deep hypocritical slumber with a jolt, to disturb our conscience, to expose us to the stark & dark realties and to tell us the so called divide between rich & poor, between India & Bharat when it comes to thinking is such a small line. A fast eroding value system without a social/ethical fabric and a nation without a true icon to look up to have made many of us self centered & cynical.  But history stands testimony to the fact; a nation/civilization whose youth and middleclass denies being the harbinger of change and lives in its self assured cocoon is heading towards disaster.

When one can earn money by hosting Game Shows (no offence meant) and mouthing  cuss words Aamir and Satyamev’s team attempts to awaken us, to bring us face to face with the current situation, its consequences and show us a ray of hope, provided we are ready to invest our time and help in bringing small changes. It does not talk about anything that news channels have not aired or debated on, but the style of presentation is subtle and the content is well researched. It touches your emotion just as much is required and then lets you delve deep and find how you can contribute towards stemming the rot. Unlike a news channel debate it tries to take the issue to its natural culmination by involving the audience and has the potential to rein in mass movement. Being a maverick Aamir decides to explore the 11 AM slot, where as he could have chosen a 9PM prime time, thus asking you to wake up early on a Sunday. If you want to watch such a show you must put in the effort. His attempt to air it on Doordarshan reflects how much importance he gives to these topics and how close it is to his heart. This makes clear the show is not for the elite & intellectual few but even for the masses living in far flung small villages .Aamir leaves you with a feeling that things can be better provided you and I join our hand and stand and fight for it.  The program also reflects the abundant human dignity and courage that exist even in the so called lower strata of the society.  By the look of it SJ is definitely going to ruffle few feathers and arouse the young masses to take up socially relevant issues and make us aware about our role in a society. Amir has given the issues the required star power, eye balls and the reach. But it definitely requires some effort from all of us to help the program reach the prime goal it intends to. And trust me you, it deserves that small effort. Not a knee Jerk emotional reaction but a sustained internalization is the need of the hour. The question is are we ready for the awakening or happy being a passive watcher in the comforts of our living rooms? 

Death Be Not Proud

I woke up in the morning, feeling fresh (realizing it is a Sunday and I won’t have to rush to office, Yes I m a self proclaimed lazy man who hates going to office). On my way on a usual Sunday morning walk to buy fresh fish (oh yah I’m getting addicted to Kolkata and macher jhol) I called you up hoping to talk to you after a longtime. Your cell was not reachable; the other number was switched off. I thought what the heck; this guy is not even bothered to talk to me. He has not spoken to me for four months. I thought did you forget the great time we spent during our tryst with a humid and humble Chennai and subsequent room sharing days at Mumbai. Those were the days we used to brave a mad Mumbai crowd to travel in local train, to explore the vintage Vasai fort. I’m sure you still remember the funny incident, while waiting to board a local train at Andheri station for three hours (yes, because we morons could not dare to push people and get into already overcrowded coach or had the flexibility to hang like a monkey on a moving train) when you lead us into a bar, presuming it to be a restaurant and the subsequent embarrassment that followed for three of us who don’t drink. But then why didn’t you call me in these four months. Ah busy life I must say. Then do you think I m going to call your landline number and enquire about you. Buzz off you idiot, I ‘m also busy, at most I will write a small mail to you asking you to share your no. if at all you want to. While all those thoughts were going on in my mind I finished my regular purchase and headed home. Once I reached home, I collected my plate of cut fruits and picked up The Sunday Times. Ah there you go…this TOI reminded me of the days when in Mumbai you used to go for morning walk and used to collect TOI for me. That generous gesture from you, used to help me those awesome fifteen minutes of extra sleep in the morning. I thought let me call your landline and to my utter surprise your hometown landline number was still saved in the mobile. In haste I called the number. An elderly gentleman picked up the call. I presumed must be your father, I introduced myself and requested him to give your new number. He replied “How can I give you his number”. I was stunned. Those lines are still ringing in my ears. Surprised I asked why not, and continued asking about your where about. He said you are no more. I became numb. He told me on that fateful boxing day of 2011 while working in office you succumbed to a massive heart attack. Slowly his voice became shaky; I started trembling, unable to realize is it true or surreal. How can a healthy, non smoking, teetotaler youngster suddenly die of massive heart attack. It can’t be true. It can never happen to us, it always happens to people we don’t know, it happens in movies, we read about it in newspaper. But it can’t certainly happen to one of us.  Ah life can’t be so cruel and god damn it happened four months back. And a jerk like me who is so active on social networking site even didn’t get to know it. Impossible, I ran to your FB home page to explore innumerable condolences from friends, faculties, colleagues and even from the man who put your cold body in the morgue. So you are no more. Hardly did I realize it even an hour back when I was scolding you thinking why you didn’t call me in all these months. Rarely did I realize that you’re a in a cell phone and social networking barred zone. But still I m sure you must me reading all those messages on your FB wall. It is still active. You are still very much a part of many of ours subconscious.

What do I do?  I ‘m in the stage of perpetual denial.  I will not mourn. You will still be a usual part of my life, the way you had been part of my subconscious for last four months, when I didn’t know you are no more on earth. I will celebrate each moment of life, ignoring the small intricacies. I will live the moment, future is a state of uncertainty. I will use today to fulfill all the dreams and aspirations, planning for future and “Waiting for Godot” is so vague. We in our arrogance and ignorance forget that life is transient and this limited journey on earth must be a celebration, it should be grand as an opera and must be full of love, happiness and bonhomie. I’m not Bhisma Pitamah and I can’t decide my death, but I will live each moment of a blessed life till it lasts. Don’t rest in peace Prasoon, rather keep rocking wherever you are. 

Review - Vicky Donor

#Vicky Donor: One of the biggest advantages of a 21^st century film maker is the presence of a sensible and mature audience, which is open to explore new territories as long as the story is represented in its true spirit. This gives enough elbow room to creative directors like Shoojit Sircar  who takes a spermy  opps  stormy issue out of the closet , adds a generous dose  of humor and presents it sensibly to the audience. What the movie deals with is the acceptability of a practice which may soon become a necessity for the survival of human race (!!) in near future, thanks to an unhealthy and stressed lifestyle. Ayushman Khurana’s spontaneity, as a typical brash and loud Punjabi lad with a golden heart is a treat to watch. I have always believed Annu Kapoor as one of the most under rated artists in Hindi Cinema and as an eccentric Dr. Chaddha he proves what a brilliant actor he is. A special mention about the love – hate relationship between Vicky’s mom and her gizmo –savvy smart mother in law. And Juhi Chaturvedi must be given credit for sketching the characters so different from the clichéd Saas-Bahu relation. Their drunken conversations are a treat to watch and tickle the funny bones. The movie scores well because it never tries to preach you, it simply presents the subject and let’s you decide is it necessary to make a fuss about everything or enjoy the beauty of life. Where the movie could have done better is the editing of the second half, especially the climax which seems too stretched. Also somewhere the success of Kahaani is perhaps making all Bengali directors capture few frames from Kolkata , the maidan, the Victoria memorial. This I believe could have been done without or kept a bare minimum. However I m going out with three out of five for Shoojit Sircar’s refreshing  take on a socially relevant topic.