Shit Happens...I'll survive

- Bombay

Well, the last few days have been very sad not just for india but for the whole world! But quickly to draw your attention, a few key responses to the Bomb Blasts that rocked Bombay...

1.Citizens joined President A P J Abdul Kalam Tuesday in observing two minutes silence in memory of the victims
2.The entire city came to a standstill at 6.24 pm, the time of the first explosion at Mahim station last Tuesday, mourning silently for the over 100 people who died in the terror attacks. More than 270 sirens wailed at 6.24 pm to signal the two-minute homage
3.All traffic came to a halt, no flights landed or took off and trains on the Central, Western and Harbour lines stopped in their tracks for two minutes. Theatres stopped screening films and shopping malls stopped business for two minutes.
4.The Muslim organisation Raza Academy released pigeons and white balloons from Minara mosque in South Mumbai as a sign of peace.

(The above information is verbatim from a leading newspaper in India)

Effect of the actions! The relatives of the dead still mourn the loss of their loved ones who just a few days ago were planning their next big vacation, party, job or a job or education abroad. Infrastructure is still under repair and though Bombay claims to be back ont he track next day ( a sprit which i salute from the bottom of my heart) , the real pain is felt only by the survivors and the family/friends of the dead. it isn't tough to predict the future. The government will set up committes to investigate and by the time Manmohan Singh's grandson gets married, the investigation might just be coming to a finish...not sure but a possibility! Oops, the ruling government will lose thanks to the 'finger pointing' by BJP and other political parties and at the end of the day, USA and UN will be happy because India restrained from brutal force.

Jumping over a few thousands of miles away, Israel blasts beirut because Hezbollah took two Israeli soldiers into hostage. While this may sound as an over reaction to all, i beg to differ. I appreciate the value placed by the Israeli governement on two human lived from their soil. We really need to take a few pointers. The world may not like their attitude and history may not be in their favor. But I guess the world has been a silent spectator to the attrocities done in India over the last few decades. The time has come for us to arise..awake and stop not till our boundaries are secure for good. If not ensure it at least work towards it...

I really wonder what if Amitabh Bachchan, Rahul Gandhi, L.K Advani and Bal Thackeray had been killed in the blast? Forget being killed, even if either had a scratch, I am sure the response from India would be far more aggressive than just lighting a few candles here and there and working towards the goal of keeping Uncle Sam happy. Its sad that to date, a common man's life is not priced at the same level as Mr. Bachchan ( no disrespect to u Sir!). Its time we realize that we have to take some action. I understand the complications and for a giant like India it is not an easy thing to go into war and unleash an attack on the only suspects ' Pakistan'. But I maintain that we need to do something much much more than wearing white clothes and lighting candles and organizing rallies.

US, UK, Russia and the UN showered praises on the Indian Government for condemning the attacks and not resorting to brutal force. If that is the case then why did US launch a mega offensive after 9/11 and why did their foreign ministry ( read as UK) join them in the outburst? I am not a political wizard to suggest that War is the only option but as an indian I would surely appreciate to see a concrete step taken by the government which would instill my faith in the nation. Organizing peace rallies and seeking support at G-8 summits won't prevent the next bomb blast or get india a place in the UN Security Council. How long do we have to bear this..how long should innocent families lose their fathers, mothers, sons or daughters...is there a count which we need to achieve before India decides that the world is just not going to help except 'condemning' terrorist activities.

Sitting in the US, I am stunned and can just use words to vent out my frustations!But I take this moment to salute every single person who still continues with his/her life in India well aware that the next victim might just be him!

Bolly's wood..

I think one can safely say that the face of Indian Cinema is changing and it is transitioning from the phase of being called ‘Phillums’ to ‘Picture’ to ‘movies’ to Cinema! If we look at the last few years, the Indian audience (in India and worldwide) have been more receptive. With movies like Rang de Basanti, Being Cyrus and Black doing good business, it would help India present a global face on the world platform and not just restrict themselves to a bunch of people dancing around trees.

As I was browsing through the list of good films that have been released this year, personally I had a tough time deciding ( I am not on the panel but hey, I can voice my opinion/frustration) which actor, director, actress, cinematographer etc should be awarded the Manikchand’s statue! But lo, behold..thats exactly when my eyes fell on something which suddenly just forced me to accept that perception can never be reality. Not least in Bollywood! If you didn’t guess what I was talking about, I was hinting at the mega piece of repetitive crap that is going to come out soon from our very own 'Mr.Panzy' Karan Johar! i was referring to kabhi alvida naa kehna. I really doubt if there is any corner of NYC which ahs been left unturned to shoot for a Karan Johar production.This I do say with complete hatred not for the filmmaker but the bundle of crap he churns out under different titles. It really surprises me that an audience which appreciates sensible stuff on one side can suddenly turn equally senile and go bonkers over the same melodrama of Rahul-Raj-Anjali.

I understand that Filmmakers have their niche areas where they excel and some prefer sticking to that. Personally, I feel that’s justified as long as you do justice to your area of expertise and explore all dimensions associated with it. But though it frustrates me, I have to live with it because eventually it’s the cinema goers who still want this stuff. From an analytical perspective, there has to be some amount of creativity and imagination in cinema but keeping in mind the intellectual capability of Indians today, I think one should be careful not to pull the thread a bit too far! I still remember a few scenes of Kuch Kuch hota hai, they show an eight year old girl udnerstand complex human emotions when in school she would barely be comfortble with elementary math! I seem a bit too frustated because it pains me to see a powerhouse like Naseer or Om Puri with barely any films in hand while Shah Rukh a.k.a Rahul walks away wearing the same GAP/Gucci/Armani with the same women in either NYC, London or Switzerland...I still can't believe he agreed to do Swades and am not surprised that it didn't do good busines...obviously, the movie made sense and had a message! I jsut realized no use writing further coz you can sell nonsense only if people buy it...

As it is rightly said..with Mr. Panzy..expect same shit in a new movie!