The Honeymoon is Over September 12, 2006
Posted by chitranshu in Movies, Personal.3 comments
I quit IGIDR last week. This might come as a surprise to those who might have read my previous posts where I said I was liking the place. However, it was not a sudden decision. The factors that finally made me leave were very much present even then; I only chose to ignore them and get on with it, but that did not last for long.
Firstly, I realized it is not the right place for me if I want to pursue my main ambition (how and why I realized that may not be of interest to ’outsiders’). Secondly, I was not really liking at least two of the four courses I was doing, and I believe that is not a good way to learn economics, or anything for that matter. Especially at this stage of my life, if I really have to do things I don’t like, I might as well do that for money. Why choose an ‘alternative’ path if one does not enjoy it?
I cannot say right now whether I have made the correct decision – that will be proven over time. Meanwhile, the pursuit of the original ambition continues…
All this does not mean I am in a ‘bad mood’, or a ’sad mood’. It is true that I wasn’t in the mood to write anything for quite some time, but I still enjoyed my last few days in the IGIDR campus. Some of us friends went to watch Lage Raho Munnabhai last Thursday (about which I shall write soon) and came back at midnight to climb up to the topmost point in our campus (well, almost). I also saw Eurotrip for the nth time last Friday, and am currently reading The Da Vinci Code (yeah… finally; I shall write about that too once I finish reading it).
As for the specific reference to the Moon in the title – I founded a community on Orkut (which might make sense only to people from IGIDR 
). For others, especially those interested in controversy theories, here is something interesting (I know it’s very old stuff).
For those interested in neither of the above, wait till I post about Munnabhai or Da Vinci.
Aside: Someone reached my blog searching for ‘failure at not getting into iit’. Whoever you are, please take care of yourself.
Black Days? July 12, 2006
Posted by chitranshu in Movies, News.add a comment
A series of explosions ripped through Mumbai yesterday, and brought back memories of that black day from 1993. This time, however, they were not in any random order at random places, but in a well-planned series, striking where it would hurt most. The terrorists had evidently learnt their lesson. They did not attack the limbs; instead, they attempted to destroy the spinal cord itself. They almost succeeded, but once again, they could not destroy the much-celebrated spirit of the city.
This spirit has been under various types of attacks in recent times. From the rains to the Shivsena rampage to these serial blasts, events which make our friends and relatives living elsewhere remark that ‘Mumbai is no longer worth living’ have actually given this city an opportunity to show its maturity in dealing with such situations. Events which would cause havoc anywhere else in this world really fail to cause more than a slight disturbance in the life of Mumbaikars.
However, for some, this has really played havoc on their lives. As ordinary citizens, we can offer them little else but help and consolation. Meanwhile, the news channels are everywhere, offering complete coverage of everything related to these blasts. Soon, Tuesday, 11th July, 2006 will be referred to as ‘Black Tuesday’ or ‘Terror Tuesday’. One wonders that, the way things are going, we might soon find all the days of the week blackened with terror.
I am not really in a mood to write a lot, unlike that gargantuan last post. So, here’s a parting thought, from the film ‘Fiza’ (which, after having had enough of distressing visuals on the news channels, I was watching last night while waiting for my brother)
Karisma Kapoor, to a Muslim leader who seeks to extract political mileage by publicizing her plight: Green and saffron are just two colours on the Indian flag. They should remain that, and not try to occupy the whole flag.
The Colour of Life February 1, 2006
Posted by chitranshu in Movies.4 comments
Again, a post after a long time. I have been busy, & will continue to be for the rest of this year, so the posts will be few and far between. However, every now and then, some incident forces me to get back to my blog. This time, it is a movie.
Rang De Basanti was only the second movie I watched on the day of its release, the first being Mangal Pandey. Usually, I wait for some reviews of the movie to come in before deciding whether it is worth spending money on, but Aamir Khan movies are an exception. Now, in one line, my opinion is that RDB was definitely worth watching on the first day in the theatre, quite unlike Mangal Pandey.
I have already seen countless reviews of RDB with differing opinions about it. It is definitely a well-made movie, with amazing songs and cinematography. But the point that is being discussed the most, is whether the movie does what it promised to (Hint: The tagline is “A Generation Awakens”). I would say I am not in a position to judge that, basically because I am already aiming for an ‘unconventional’ career, so it was not like the movie made me think and change my mind (I know another person with a similar reason; he is already doing what he would love to. However, unlike him, I basically liked the movie).
One reason I loved the movie was that I went with a group of friends who were joking around, and so there was no dull moment at all in those 3 hours. The opinions of those friends about the movie also differ a lot, and I had long discussions with some of them. I don’t think anyone of them has been so impressed by the movie that he is going to go out & do something like that. But let me not get into that.
One objection that many people have is that the movie is unrealistic or impractical. Even if it had to give an idealistic message, it could give a positive message like Yuva did. Well, firstly, we have already seen many movies with an honest police/IAS officer or journalist fighting against the ’system’, and many more eulogizing the armed forces, and of course, Yuva, where the protagonists enter politics, so these guys had to make something different. What they showed is obviously unrealistic under the present conditions, but if we look at the conditions built up in the movie, it seems logical. Let me explain.
When they start working in the documentary with Sue, they cannot relate at all with the thinking of the revolutionaries. Slowly, however, they begin to understand and relate with the characters that they are playing. The revolutionaries have, of course, been depicted in a very shallow manner; for example, it is more like Aamir Khan playing Azad than the real Azad coming alive on screen, but that was exactly the point of the movie. It is still a story of these modern guys, and not those revolutionaries, unlike say, The Legend of Bhagat Singh. As for the complete ideology of those great revolutionaries, RDB does not do justice to that, but again, it was not supposed to.
The turning point of the movie is the MIG crash, and again, I read somewhere that the filmmakers have shown a very shallow understanding of the whole MIG issue. Well, they themselves accept that the issue was dramatized for the sake of the movie, and they show a message to that effect. The movie was seen and cleared by the Defence Minister and the three service chiefs (which is, I feel, besides the point; the only reason the Defence Minister did not object was that they had shown the BJP in power, and the BJP didn’t protest because that would have been like accepting some hidden guilt). The way the media raises the issue of corruption after the crash was something that actually happened, and someone told me that there was also a real protest march like the one shown in the movie.
What did not happen in real life, however, was the arrogant and high-handed behaviour of the Minister. For me, that was the first unrealistic part in the movie. Also, the way he got alarmed at the protest march and ordered a lathi charge was difficult to digest; most ministers don’t give a damn for such protest marches. However, we should also not forget that in many parts of the world today, and even in India during the Emergency, for example, such protests would really face the kind of treatment shown in the movie.
Also, before the MIG crash, those guys lived their lives from day-to-day, with no long-term plans or ambitions. They didn’t/couldn’t fit in to the regular material world, as was depicted through Aamir’s confession of his insecurities, or through Karan’s tiff with his father. They also didn’t have the confidence and idealism of their pilot friend Ajay. Their life was colourless, in a way, not wanting to accept the white-collar or blue-collar world of work, or the olive-green uniform of the armed forces, or the colour of religious fanaticism (as depicted through Laxman’s rejection of his party ideology, and Aslam’s quarrels with his family). In such a situation, and with the death of their close friend and the subsequent lathi charge, their lives assumed the yellow (basanti) of the revolutionaries’ lives. (I am not waxing poetic out here 
The English translation of this movie is actually called Paint It Yellow [courtesy IMDb]).
The juxtaposition of the scenes of the revolutionaries with the scenes in the present, is not just for dramatic effect, but also a metaphorical depiction of how their lives are changing colour. After that, the way they execute their plan, and then decide to announce it to the country, is a logical extension. The movie ends with their deaths, and students nationwide expressing their anger on television. As I read in some review, if they wanted a Bollywoodish ending, they could have shown the PM intervening and announcing some award for them, etc.
All in all, I feel that it was an honest effort (one reason I say that is because I know that the filmmakers arranged a special screening for a group of young students a few months back, took suggestions from them, and actually implemented those suggestions by re-shooting and re-editing some scenes. One of my friends was a part of this select group). It does get unrealistic at a few points, but that is necessary in order to take the story somewhere. It is obviously not going to cause a revolution in India or anything, but even if it makes a few people think, the purpose will be served. (The actual purpose, by the way, is just to make money 
so let’s leave that aside)
People are not going to shed their cynicism by just watching a movie. It will require much more than that. Most of them might just find it a nice excuse to curse the ’system’ and get back to their lives. Also, some of us who believe in the positive ways of changing the ’system’, like joining the army/police/IAS, media/social work/politics, etc. may feel uncomfortable at the negative message the movie seems to send out. Let me say that I am not a cynic, and I also believe in those positive ways, and yet, I liked the movie. Maybe, in the end, we are just expecting too much from the movie. It is not a landmark film, but it is a good film nevertheless, and I wasn’t disappointed.
Against All Odds? August 21, 2005
Posted by chitranshu in Movies, News.2 comments
I saw ‘Viruddh’ yesterday. It was a nice movie (btw, my definition is that if I can sit through the movie, it is nice.. Then there are various levels of that niceness ), but could have been much better. Firstly, John Abraham can’t act. He is fine in the scenes where he just has to be himself, like talking to his parents on the phone, or hanging out with his friends. But the scenes at home where AB is cracking jokes & he is supposed to help in the comedy, he looks utterly helpless. Then there are the other characters floating around, especially AB’s friends, who, in the typical Bollywood style of ‘political correctness’, have to represent the various parts of India, who just do the bare minimum required of them. Sanjay Dutt, I felt, was wasted here, & the only other notable performance was Sachin Khedekar, who has a good monologue in the beginning, & generally conveys the feelings of helplessness (against the ’system’), arrogance of authority (of a typical policeman), & sympathy for the old couple, all very well. That leaves the two main characters, of Amitabh Bachchan & Sharmila Tagore, & it was indeed due to their acting that this film is watchable.
But more important than the review of the performances, or the film per se, is a review of the issues dealt with in it, although there have been better movies with similar stories & issues (most notably ‘Saaransh’, although there is much more to ‘Saaransh’ besides this plot). Like ‘Saaransh’, this film also shows the fight of a lone couple against a powerful politician, who is able to manipulate the entire machinery to his advantage. Both also show the old couple’s love for their deceased son manifesting itself in a different way for another closely related person. Both show, in the end, that there still exist some people in authority, at a level high enough to punish the villains, who have their hearts & minds in the right place, thus leaving a glimmer of hope for the viewers at the end.
That brings us to the main point of such movies. What is wrong with our system? Who is to be blamed for it? What can be done to correct it? As both these movies show, a lone person CAN fight against all these odds, & come out victorious. But why should he have to fight alone? It is easy to blame the ones in power for the wrongs around us, but what everyone conveniently ignores is that all of us are as selfish as them. They have the power to take advantage of any situation, & they will use that power, even unfairly if we do not check them.
In these movies, for example, if everyone at the scene of the incident had ‘followed their conscience’, it would have saved everyone a lot of trouble. If this collective action takes place regularly, the powerful people in society will be wary not to use their power in unfair ways. But what actually happens is that everyone chooses not to meddle, & rather carry on with their own lives, fearing that if they stand up for what is right, they will invite trouble.
Every person who gives in to this fear, & to the corruption around him, actually strengthens it. Corruption can exist in any society only if the people (unconsciously) nurture it. Then why does everyone blame the ’system’ for all the wrongs? Who forms this ’system’? Where do those corrupt people come from? From the society itself!
The most recent example of this that we saw were the Mumbai floods. It is true that faulty planning & haphazard growth contributed to the deluge, but at the personal level, how many of us always dispose of garbage in the right way? Forget the rules, how many of us show some basic civic sense in our behaviour?
Recently, I overheard a conversation in the first-class compartment of a local, where one guy was cynically blaming all the authorities for all the trouble. He criticised the Railways for the way in which they handled this crisis. Then, he mentioned that the Central Railways had, after these rains, allowed passengers having a Kurla-CST pass on either Harbour or Main line to travel on both (whichever was convenient to them) until the services were fully restored on both lines. So, apna hero took a Harbour line train with a Main line pass (or vice versa, i don’t remember), & when the TTE came & asked for the ticket, he said he didn’t have one. When asked to pay the fine, he refused, & kept on arguing with him upto CST, where he finally showed his other pass.
He narrated this incident with a sense of pride, & criticism of the officials (‘the trains are not running, but they still want to check tickets’), while in my opinion, he was a classic example of how ordinary citizens pester the officials & affect their normal work, while themselves failing to assume any responsibility as a citizen.
There is no end to the debate on such issues, but I will have to end this post here. Got to catch up on some sleep.
Happy Birthday August 14, 2005
Posted by chitranshu in Movies.1 comment so far
I couldn’t think of anything better as a title for this post, & anyway, it is not too out of place. As you know, today is Pakistan’s birthday (or Independence Day), & tomorrow will be India’s. Tonight, we are also going to beat (with affection ) a friend who happens to have his birthday on such a great day.
Talking of India’s independence reminds me of the movie we went for this Friday night, ‘Mangal Pandey: The Rising’. It was much-awaited, not least because Aamir Khan was coming back on screen after 4 years. However, it was a disappointment. Go watch it if you are an ardent Aamir Khan fan, or have a group of friends & have nothing better to do. Do not expect anything much, & you won’t be disappointed. But if you are looking for a really good movie (the kind which will win critical acclaim, but not work on the box-office), watch ‘Seher’ (the other movie we saw that night). A more detailed post on both these movies later.
Among other things, we went to Malhar today, & had our fair share of funny experiences. God, it seems to get worse every year!!
I want to write more about these funny incidents, but a couple of friends are waiting for me to finish this, so we can go have some coffee.
