Intellectual Wannabes

like every thing else in this country our film Industry is diverse. And it is actually required when you have such a diverse audience, with different preferences. But the recent success of the critically ridiculed Kambakth Ishk has really made me think. Are we really comfortable to compromise our sensibilities, just for some cheap laughs. ofcourse there is also the paia wasool factor involved, you don't want to spend 200 rs for 2 hrs and not even get to laugh. This dangerous outlook of the audience has boosted the confidence of some creatively impaired film makers to make more moves. but the sad part is that even talented ones want to get a piece of it.

its a vicious cycle. stupid films make more money which is used to make even more stupid films, with bigger budget. its like the situation with Bihar and Lalu, one is the reason for another. It is not like we have any scarcity of talented film makers, so I don't understand the reason why our filmmakers are incapable of making sensible films is it just the risky tastes of the Indian audience or simply the lack of creativity. The one very useful thing I've learned while doing theater is that when it comes to exploiting human emotions, sadness is the easiest (as compared to fear or humor or thrill). the entire soup opera Industry is based on this formula. all Indian families like to curl up in the evening and shed tears for the poor stereotype tormented bahus and betis. the audience never gets tired of the them. some people thought that it wasn't enough so they showered us with reality shows having participants with leaky tear glands.

Then there are the "inspired" types, these are the ones that make me really angry, when they manipulate and mutilate the classic Hollywood stuff and and reduce it to their retarded perceptions. its a big insult to the "actual" film makers.
and when it comes to actors the one thing I've notice about Hollywood is that most of the acclaimed ones are generally not of the typical outrageously handsome types that we find here, take for example Tom Hanks, Russel Crowe, Matt Damon, kevin spacey. a proof that talent is preferred over looks. or rather talent is accepted to looks.
generally the opening day collections are governed by the type of publicity done and hype involved, this depends on the good will of the director or the actor involved. In Bollywood thats all that we depend upon. a movie hardly survives through the opening week unless it has Ghajni type publicity involved.

Although There are some film makers whose work I really wait for like Kabir Khan, Imtiaz ali, Madhur Bhandarkar, Raj kumar Hirani, V. Bhradwaj, its obvious that when it comes to films our taste buds are different to theirs. we like our movies with exaggerations and random coincidences, we like to leave reality to the real world and let fantasies take center stage. but the recent change in trend of these masala movie makers going for serious and sensitive topics can be dangerous. take for example the recent released "New York". it has gone too far with the whole American retaliation to 9/11 thing, showing an innocent Muslim turning to terrorism and almost blowing up the FBI headquarters. its true that it may not have made the same money had it lacked the senseless action. but it is disappointing to see that good film makers are ready to sacrifice their quality to satisfy the appetite of the curry loving junta.

No more compromiseS

the reality had finally settled in, some one changed the rules while we were sleeping, the religious fanatics feel their world has been polluted....
yes.. the gays are coming.. leaving their closets behind, and country is standing with their mouths wide open... in disbelief... No one can imagine such a thing in a land that gives meaning to the word 'conservative'. Some news even claimed that the judge who passed the order is himself a gay. of course its that stupid American way of life, letting some one be who he/she is, not compromising to social pressure, not fueling prejudices, how can we do something like that.

Obviously there are many who think the decision is wrong and that it should be debated upon because its "unnatural" , first of all who gave you the right to decide whats unnatural, just because it makes you feel uncomfortable, or because you can not explain it to your kids. Anything involving adults and consent should not involve law. the 150 year old section 377 of IPC has been amended to change the definition of "unnatural" and nothing else. The section was included to check child abuses (also animal abuses), which it still does so it isn't effecting the society in any way other than making it more liberal and humane, (how cruel huh!).

How much ever we may like to smug at the American culture (or the lack of it) the truth is our thing involves a lot of compromises and tolerances. If you think of it, its the very basis of our culture. From arranged marriages to intercaste marriages, from dowry to sati you'll find it every where.

May be the reason there are so many gays in America is not because of their crippled culture. rather than compromising and tolerating the societies natural ways they decide to live the way they are or want to be. Now if the same is happening in our country then the only feeling that we should be having is that of pride coz we've finally grown up. for all those who haven't, keep compromising.

Blindness........

every day at around 5:45 pm, I catch a train home from Chinchwad Station, its a place in Pune where I've been doing my summer training for the past one and a half months. There, at the foot of the bridge, sits a small weighing machine, the ones you find on the platforms, but in place of all the flashy lights and the colorful graphics you'll find an old blind man trying to make a living. Every time he hears some people rush past him he shouts out "wajan kara" (thats marathi for check your weight) in a very rhythmic increasing tone. The weighing machine is tied to his toe, cant trust the world. he makes 1 rupee for every weight check, not much, but he is earning a dignified living, something far more expensive. Rather than begging he decided to do something.
sadly I never once saw his machine occupied.

This scene had become a daily routine for me . So I decided that on the last day of my training I will check my weight, even if it scared me. The last day arrived, However as I reached the station I saw him surrounded with people. Happy and content to see this I went to the platform with a smile. the train was 10 mins late (as usual).
While I was sitting there planing my next few days at home before college, a middle aged blind lady came to the platform. if it weren't for the red taped stick you wouldn't recognize that. I had seen her around a couple of times before. I think she worked there.
lets call her Hope.

so Hope kept walking in careful and confident strides, with her stick dancing in different directions, hitting objects, trying to make sense of her surroundings. She found a small bench like thing and tried to sit on it. It was actually a cement structure with sand and rubble every where. realizing this, Hope immediately got up and dusted her sari with force.
Her being blind did not compromise her right to a dignified living. so Hope started the search again. She came across a vase and tried to sit, but instantly recognized that plants and mud are not supposed to be a part of a 'dignified' bench.
Still determined she continued her expedition.

Then suddenly she changed course and started heading towards the end of the platform. the local was about to arrive on that track in a few minutes. All this while I was observing the scene from a distance thinking that some one will get up to help her, save her from falling, getting killed.... but none did. Hope got dangerously close to the edge and still people sitting only a few feet from her chose to comfortably ignore everything.

I couldn't see it any more so I ran up to her, grabbed her hand and took her to a nearby bench.
And then followed the stares, I could translate some of them "So you think you are too kind and smart huh? ..... what are you trying to prove kid... running like this....that we don't care.... I was just about to get up before you rushed in". I did get a few smiles though. it all felt like a scene from some Hindi movie. I enjoyed my few minutes of glory till the train arrived. I had left the lady on a bench crowded by other women passengers, hoping that they would help her get on the train.

The train arrived, I climbed and glanced back at the crowd.... a cocktail of immense rage and guilt overpowered me, she was still trying to find her way to the boogie. The other female passengers had abandoned her to catch the last few empty seats. Hope was now trying desperately to get a hold of someone, anyone, who could help her into the train. But all she got were nudges and desperate pushes. Finally she caught hold of a college girls bag and started following it, hoping that it would lead her in. But eventually she realized that the bag was running away from the train... the girl was trying to get to her boy friend who had come there to pick her. It was too late the train started moving and she couldn't climb, I shouted to a few people to help her, but no use.

I sat down with heavy heart, the guilt started to sulk in, I could have helped her, I could have gone home in the next train. its easy for me. but just imagine how many attempts she has to make to reach home every day, avoiding the casual brush with death.

You see Blind people go out into the world with this immense faith in humanity... a brand new hope..... everyday, that someone will be there to help them, today, some one will not let them fall off the platform, today, she will reach home on time...and alive..... today, the preachers of values and humanity to the world, will practice it too....
Thinking that, so what if we cant see, there are others who can.... who would not like to start their day with the visuals of blood and flesh on the tracks... they would save me, they care for their 'day'. all of them, working in their BIG I T companies wearing fancy I cards, listing to their I pods.....living in their sweet little I worlds. they wouldn't let anyone disturb it.