Tuesday, June 3, 2008
You read my mind.....
The Terrible People
-Ogden Nash
People who have what they want are very fond of telling people who haven't what they want that they really don't want it,
And I wish I could afford to gather all such people into a gloomy castle on the Danube and hire half a dozen capable Draculas to haunt it.
I dont' mind their having a lot of money, and I don't care how they employ it,
But I do think that they damn well ought to admit they enjoy it.
But no, they insist on being stealthy
About the pleasures of being wealthy,
And the possession of a handsome annuity
Makes them think that to say how hard it is to make both ends meet is their bounden duity.
You cannot conceive of an occasion
Which will find them without some suitable evasion.
Yes indeed, with argumetsn they are very fecund;
Their first point is that money isn't everything, and that they have no money anyhow is their second.
Some people's money is merited,
And other people's is inherited,
But wherever it comes from,
They talk about it as if it were something you got pink gums from.
Perhaps indeed the possession of wealth is constantly distressing,
But I should be quite willing to assume every curse of wealth if I could at the same time assume every blessing.
The only incurable troubles of the rich are the troubles that money can't cure,
Which is a kind of trouble that is even more troublesome if you are poor.
Certainly there are lots of things in life that money won't buy, but it's very funny --
Have you ever tried to buy them without money?
Sunday, June 1, 2008
Of Obscene Wealth and Superstar India....
A super rich person like Doctor (apparently, he gets super-duper pissed if you don’t refer to him as Dr. which although not earned but gifted does indeed display his intellectual ability….so there you go, Doctor….no less no more) Vijay Mallya with an empire that feeds off people’s vices, two airlines (one, the epitome of cheap air travel and what often comes with it…. inefficiency and the other, the symbol of glamour and good travel), a failed cricket team, two rival and fairly successful football teams, the Kingfisher calendar (for the uninformed, the Indian equivalent of the Pirelli calendar and any man’s fantasy desk adornment), etc etc etc…..is not exactly my idea of a role model for superstar India, to use the dame's words. Nor is Donald Trump for that matter with his loud-mouthedness, Trump this and Trump that, Apprentice, pink ties and not to mention, the inimitable hairstyle or a really bad wig..whatever that is!! Watching Mallya or Trump speak fills me with a sense of immense hopelessness…as we get richer, what kind of people are we becoming or aspiring to become and what kind of entrepreneurship/business leadership are we promoting?
With one business launch after another, Dr. Mallya has not learnt that there is humility in accepting defeat. Whatever Dr. Mallya does, he does it big. Not only does he sack the team’s CEO in violation of the ‘sportsman spirit’ that we so often talk about and lambast and very publicly at that, everyone who he thought was responsible for the team’s dismal performance, including captain Dravid and coach, Venkatesh Prasad; he goes ahead and claims his part ownership of the best performing team in the IPL, not because they are great but because they are sponsored by him. So, in effect, the performance of the Chennai, Delhi and Chandigarh teams are of little relevance beecause they are not screaming “HAIL MALLYA’ on their jerseys. Even praise, therefore, is associated to ownership and profit. If it is mine and doing well, it is good..otherwise, no comment! One wonders why Kat Kaif was not sacked as team ambassador because even her pretty presence failed to revive a nosediving Royal Challengers (Oh..I forget, she is a young woman, a pretty one at that..one of Mallya’s many weaknesses, after his shameless pursuit of wealth, of course). And all this is referred to as the ‘killer instinct’, ‘perform or perish’ or the attitude of a true winner in some circles!!
There is always the nouveau riche attitude of not knowing what to do with suddenly acquired wealth. Tasteless spending or over-spending on things of limited importance screaming “I have what you don’t” is on the rise. Look at the wedding industry in India. It's booming (for crying out loud) In fact, a person who earns well but lives modestly (by modest, I do not mean lives in a hut and survives on fresh air) is termed a miser in our modern, progressive scheme of things. Parsimony and prudence is looked down upon. Wastage and obnoxious ostentation are encouraged. Seriously, since when did saving money become a crime??
Perhaps, I don’t earn enough to know what it feels to be rich and powerful but I know a whole lot of people from the earlier generation who have earned and spent in moderation and you know what…they are neither unhappy nor dissatisfied. As someone once said, money is the petrol that runs the car that is life. The importance of money cannot be undermined but to make it all-important is probably a mistake. But what do I know? With television channels like NDTV Good Times (sponsored by the King of Good Times himself) airing programmes like “Limited Edition” (on luxury brands in India) and “Best Spas”/Best Hotels”; Shobha De’s path breaking treatise on modern India making it to the best sellers list and popular opinion caring a rat’s ass for anything beyond their bubble, India’s rich-poor divide will further deepen and Mallya will be King….who knows??
With one business launch after another, Dr. Mallya has not learnt that there is humility in accepting defeat. Whatever Dr. Mallya does, he does it big. Not only does he sack the team’s CEO in violation of the ‘sportsman spirit’ that we so often talk about and lambast and very publicly at that, everyone who he thought was responsible for the team’s dismal performance, including captain Dravid and coach, Venkatesh Prasad; he goes ahead and claims his part ownership of the best performing team in the IPL, not because they are great but because they are sponsored by him. So, in effect, the performance of the Chennai, Delhi and Chandigarh teams are of little relevance beecause they are not screaming “HAIL MALLYA’ on their jerseys. Even praise, therefore, is associated to ownership and profit. If it is mine and doing well, it is good..otherwise, no comment! One wonders why Kat Kaif was not sacked as team ambassador because even her pretty presence failed to revive a nosediving Royal Challengers (Oh..I forget, she is a young woman, a pretty one at that..one of Mallya’s many weaknesses, after his shameless pursuit of wealth, of course). And all this is referred to as the ‘killer instinct’, ‘perform or perish’ or the attitude of a true winner in some circles!!
There is always the nouveau riche attitude of not knowing what to do with suddenly acquired wealth. Tasteless spending or over-spending on things of limited importance screaming “I have what you don’t” is on the rise. Look at the wedding industry in India. It's booming (for crying out loud) In fact, a person who earns well but lives modestly (by modest, I do not mean lives in a hut and survives on fresh air) is termed a miser in our modern, progressive scheme of things. Parsimony and prudence is looked down upon. Wastage and obnoxious ostentation are encouraged. Seriously, since when did saving money become a crime??
Perhaps, I don’t earn enough to know what it feels to be rich and powerful but I know a whole lot of people from the earlier generation who have earned and spent in moderation and you know what…they are neither unhappy nor dissatisfied. As someone once said, money is the petrol that runs the car that is life. The importance of money cannot be undermined but to make it all-important is probably a mistake. But what do I know? With television channels like NDTV Good Times (sponsored by the King of Good Times himself) airing programmes like “Limited Edition” (on luxury brands in India) and “Best Spas”/Best Hotels”; Shobha De’s path breaking treatise on modern India making it to the best sellers list and popular opinion caring a rat’s ass for anything beyond their bubble, India’s rich-poor divide will further deepen and Mallya will be King….who knows??
Thursday, May 29, 2008
Ah....the 1970s!!
Watched about ten minutes of a movie called Parvarish which made me recapitulate some of the terribly cliched but oh-so-kitsch Bollywood lines from the 1970s which would invariably be repeated in every single movie made during that time. Story, plot, continuity could easily go and take a walk while these lines carried the movie and coming from Amitabh Bachchan, any word was oracle-like.
1. Driver, gaadi roko! (The car would be a Fiat in most cases (green or orange in colour) or if the person is super rich, a Merc...first would come his shiny pointed shoes, then his white bell bottoms and then those retro, oversized sunglasses...oh!! the sheer magic! Although the standards of living have moved ahead by miles, probably by light years in Bollywood...these stupid actors will invariably drive on their own..no matter what the car and how rich...idiots! ek aur character actor ke pet mein laath!)
2. Isse dawa ki nahin, dua ki zaroorat hain...dua kijiye!! (This is a sociological comment on the medical profession in India at the time and how doctors were often unable to handle sensitive cases. This is also a take on the whole faith question that Bollywood has now adopted as her pet theme ...whether you are a doctor or a farmer, the importance of dua and bhagwan can never be undermined!! Added to this are eternal truths like 'choubees ghante ka waqt hain', 'ab sab upar walein ke haath mein hain' and 'bachche ko toh humne bacha liya par ma.....' )
3. Inspector sahab!! Isse giraftaar kar li jiye!! (Please note that the 1970s was the period when the Indian Police Service was glorified. Their uprightness and honesty were above question with actors like Ifthikar playing a police inspector/commissioner- his position in the Bollywood police hierarchy was often directly proportional to his age whereas protagonists like Amitabh Bachchan and Vinod Khanna were always cast as police inspectors because they were always, you know, aged under 30. Compare it to the Bollywood police of today, no respectable actor in the 21st century would dare to play a policeman...if they do, they will call it a challenging role..not only because the role is difficult but the stereotypes the said actor has to fight!! So low is the confidence on the police that kanoon is often taken apne haath mein by the likes of the RDB boys!! Bring back Ifthikar I say..)
5. Raam Raam Kaka ...(The most common and endearing form of greeting in Bollywood is now lost..The overtly thin, supremely old, dhoti clad, toothless smiling kaka has given way to uncles in business suits and hawaiian shirts who only respond to wassup??)
6. Heere kahaan chhupaya hain?? ( Self explanatory when followed by "Boss, maal pakda gaya!)
7. Ghar mein do-do jawaan betiyaan hain (This dialogue delivered by my father....a really funny sight!!)
8. Gawaaon ke bayaan aur sabooton ko madde nazar rakhte hue, mujrim ko dafaa 302 ke tahet, sazaa-e maut sunaye jaati hain... (No wonder the death penalty will never be abolished in India given its representation in pop culture..In other words, a 'mujrim ko ba-izzat bari kiya jaata hain' in movies would be friggin' sweeet!)
9. Aye ji sunte ho, aap bade woh ho!! (Since one never quite understood what 'woh' means, Bollywood has become more explicit and decided to call a spade and spade without all the cute talkin')
10. Maine tere liye kheer banaya hain beta (with proverbial tear in the eyes) - Unfortunately, no mom makes kheer these days nor do kids like it too much, especially when fondue is available in the nearest restaurant!
11. No I haven't forgotten this....
MAIN TUMHARE BACHCHE KI MAA BAN NE WAALI HOON
This is still true in Bollywood, except that these tear jerkers are now called Salaam Namaste or Kya Kehna and they will always get someone urbane like Preity Zinta to play these parts who will carry the baby alright but cannot, for the life of her, carry off these legendary lines...what a shame!
and the last one for today (I read this on the web...ROFL)
12. Pesh hain shahar ki jaani maani kalakaar, Miss. Renu
These Miss. Renu type roles will almost always go to Bindu, Helen or Aruna Irani and let me tell you, they won't just be nightingales with a mike on a stage addressing a family audience because their bhai is under the kabza of the proverbial kutta-kameena (In Bollywood, a dog and a depraved person are one and the same...always).
This list is endless but I shall end the post. Oh..how I love the 1970s. I swear I would do anything to turn back time and turn Ekta Kapoor into Manmohan Desai or Karan Johar into Prakash Mehra while Yash Chopra still remains!!
Wednesday, May 14, 2008
Cosmic questions..
On blogs and bloggers-
1. Why do bloggers bare it all (and I mean...ALL) on their blogs and then, to create an illusion of maintaining privacy, name the people in their stories as "Max", "A" or sometimes, literary or poetic sounding names, knowing fully well that their friends (who are their only readers, in most cases) will in all likelihood know what they are talking about??? Is it some sorta' cool blog trend that middle-aged wimp blog-owners and occassional bloggers like me are missing out on??
On kids....
1. Why are kids these days so irritating? What happened to the inherent kiddie sweetness that once likened them to the Almighty? They are like, they said in some movie, anti-Christ!! Needy, cranky, demanding, precocious and you cannot even scold/slap them in the fear of being branded a child abuser for life. In other words...uncute (especially the ones aged between 3-12, after which they are teenagers and are supposed to be hormonally irritating anyway)
2. Why do they dress like adults, especially the girl kids wearing backless sequinned dresses with matching jewellery, shoes with heels, sunglasses, chunky bags and the works!! Obviously, I blame the parents and not the kids...
On parents (new age)
1. Why do they have to fulfill every demand that their child makes?
Kid- Mamma, I want a new pink dress to wear to Pinki's budday party.
Mamma (Sometimes, even metro Dads) (stealing a glance at the child's wardrobe)- Haan beta, you really need a new pink dress for Pinki's birthday. I will get your a pair of pink shoes with matching bag and hair clips too (Looks at other parent who is, by this time, totally following the conversation..Kitni cute lagegi na...my baby!!)
(Thankless kid walks out of the room thinking what she wants next..The end!!)
Parents (old) in a similar situation with older kids...
Response- Get lost (Emphasis added)
Older kid walks out of the room abusing parents for being so under-indulgent and becoming (as Praachi and I often discuss) "scarred for life".
On people who crib....
1. Why do bloggers bare it all (and I mean...ALL) on their blogs and then, to create an illusion of maintaining privacy, name the people in their stories as "Max", "A" or sometimes, literary or poetic sounding names, knowing fully well that their friends (who are their only readers, in most cases) will in all likelihood know what they are talking about??? Is it some sorta' cool blog trend that middle-aged wimp blog-owners and occassional bloggers like me are missing out on??
On kids....
1. Why are kids these days so irritating? What happened to the inherent kiddie sweetness that once likened them to the Almighty? They are like, they said in some movie, anti-Christ!! Needy, cranky, demanding, precocious and you cannot even scold/slap them in the fear of being branded a child abuser for life. In other words...uncute (especially the ones aged between 3-12, after which they are teenagers and are supposed to be hormonally irritating anyway)
2. Why do they dress like adults, especially the girl kids wearing backless sequinned dresses with matching jewellery, shoes with heels, sunglasses, chunky bags and the works!! Obviously, I blame the parents and not the kids...
On parents (new age)
1. Why do they have to fulfill every demand that their child makes?
Kid- Mamma, I want a new pink dress to wear to Pinki's budday party.
Mamma (Sometimes, even metro Dads) (stealing a glance at the child's wardrobe)- Haan beta, you really need a new pink dress for Pinki's birthday. I will get your a pair of pink shoes with matching bag and hair clips too (Looks at other parent who is, by this time, totally following the conversation..Kitni cute lagegi na...my baby!!)
(Thankless kid walks out of the room thinking what she wants next..The end!!)
Parents (old) in a similar situation with older kids...
Response- Get lost (Emphasis added)
Older kid walks out of the room abusing parents for being so under-indulgent and becoming (as Praachi and I often discuss) "scarred for life".
On people who crib....
Why do most of my friends and acquaintances working in the corporate sector always (by always, i mean always) crib about long work hours and how they don't have a life??
My questions to these kinds
a) You guys get paid a bomb and while I am not saying that is a bad thing....ever heard of the term "adequate compensation". Plus, most of you have weekends off.
b) If you are unwilling to trade "life" for a "fat pay package", then you have two options: a) quit or b) challenge the Indian corporate work culture in the courts ( all of you are well-paid, qualified lawyers, remember or will you leave that also to under-paid, well-qualified (yeah!! and some of them with LLMs and all) human rights people or activist/PIL lawyers??)
c) If you need the money and therefore, need to work hard (or simply work) to support your lifestyle, then why is it such a big deal?? Remember, the grass is always greener on the other side!!
d) Also, define "life" and how do you people manage to "not have it"?
No offence meant, love ya' all !! (See..I am diplomatic also)
On random stuff....
1. Is the world generally dumbing down??
2. Why should anyone read a book on India's development written by the author of cult classics (I mean it) like Starry Nights, Spouse and Socialite Evenings and scriptwriter of the runaway hit television series "Kitty Party" where she has very suttly remarked that "it is okay to photoshop the poor out of the India story". Yes, b@#$&, in your socialite bubble, the poor don't matter because "if you don't have money, you are a loser". Good said!!
3. When will Mahesh Bhatt stop and given his legacy of Pooja, Emraan, Vikram and the likes, will he, ever?
4. Why is Amitabh Bachchan writing a blog and abusing the shit out of everyone?? Some call it courage and all that, while folks like me, still think its senility!!! What happened to all the "mazhab (read babuji) nahin sikhata aapas mein bair rakhna" attitude. Methinks, its a thing of the past!! Go, Amitji..we love the re-emergence of the angry old man!! Also, why did you leave Jaya Bachchan out of Sarkar-2?? Was it becoming too much of a family thing?? Nothing else explains her absence. Also, time for national debate on who does the older Bachchan love more..Amar or Jaya??; hate more..SRK or Raj?? (They are alter-egos, just btw); prefer more..Abhishek or Ash (given that both are supremely "gritting my teeth/clinching my fists* irritating). On a more serious note, do parents realise how irritating their children actually are or does one spouse/partner really know what the other is up to?? Do they??
5. Why should Manoj Night Shyamalan get the Padmashri, especially since he referred to SRK as "the dude who is in every film"..LOL and also because he hasn't turned in a classic after the great Sixth Sense and the even greater Unbreakable (what a concept!). Dude, when you donot have a Bollywood copy of your movie, you should really rethink your career moves before flying in confidently to steal our top citizen honours!!
6. Who is Khalli and why is he so famous?? I mean, an Indian makes it to the WWE right after I stop watching it...not cool!!
7. Why is Rahul Gandhi touring India and calling it the "Discovery of India" tour?? Although, I mostly believe that it is indeed a journey of self-discovery and get in touch with the real India, political commentators are finding flaws with his approach etc.. Ya, losers..carry on with your discovery and give us more media fodder coz we are so news-deprived already!
8. I am wondering, after a discussion with Praachi and carefully listening to a speech..who speaks better Hindi...Sonia or Manmohan?? Also, how spineless is Arjun Singh to say " I will always be loyal to the Gandhi family" after being snubbed as a sycophant (and very publicly at that) by the Gandhis.
9. Why do most married people hang out with other married people?? Or new moms with other new moms?? Don't tell me they have things in common...yeah right, my baby coughed thrice today..how many times did yours??
10. Why do all hip Delhi gals look alike?? Is style actually individual?? Living in Delhi has made me question a lot of things, this being one of them.
11. Why do these newly married women wear those red and white churas and sindur with Western wear? I mean, when will these women realise that somethings just don't mix...like chalk and cheese..even if you are married!!
12. Why can I never actually send a SMS using words like F9 (fine), c (see), u (you), dat (that), der (there)?? I use tmrw (tomorrow) and btw (by the way) though. Full power to me!!
13. Why do I always sub-consciously judge people who are not quite like me?? (what do you think inspires this post) Every person is different and you are no epitome of perfection either, for crying out loud...you with your copied and unacknowledged gtalk handels thinking you are too cool and uploading every picture on facebook habits...lame!!!
14. Why do I exclaim so much??
More to follow as and when things happen around me and I am tickled by those happenings (which is also the new Manoj Night movie, btw which I will be sure not to watch especially since he has said that this is his scariest movie ever..the last time he said that, I was laughing in the theatre..yes people, it is SIGNS that I am talking about!!)
My questions to these kinds
a) You guys get paid a bomb and while I am not saying that is a bad thing....ever heard of the term "adequate compensation". Plus, most of you have weekends off.
b) If you are unwilling to trade "life" for a "fat pay package", then you have two options: a) quit or b) challenge the Indian corporate work culture in the courts ( all of you are well-paid, qualified lawyers, remember or will you leave that also to under-paid, well-qualified (yeah!! and some of them with LLMs and all) human rights people or activist/PIL lawyers??)
c) If you need the money and therefore, need to work hard (or simply work) to support your lifestyle, then why is it such a big deal?? Remember, the grass is always greener on the other side!!
d) Also, define "life" and how do you people manage to "not have it"?
No offence meant, love ya' all !! (See..I am diplomatic also)
On random stuff....
1. Is the world generally dumbing down??
2. Why should anyone read a book on India's development written by the author of cult classics (I mean it) like Starry Nights, Spouse and Socialite Evenings and scriptwriter of the runaway hit television series "Kitty Party" where she has very suttly remarked that "it is okay to photoshop the poor out of the India story". Yes, b@#$&, in your socialite bubble, the poor don't matter because "if you don't have money, you are a loser". Good said!!
3. When will Mahesh Bhatt stop and given his legacy of Pooja, Emraan, Vikram and the likes, will he, ever?
4. Why is Amitabh Bachchan writing a blog and abusing the shit out of everyone?? Some call it courage and all that, while folks like me, still think its senility!!! What happened to all the "mazhab (read babuji) nahin sikhata aapas mein bair rakhna" attitude. Methinks, its a thing of the past!! Go, Amitji..we love the re-emergence of the angry old man!! Also, why did you leave Jaya Bachchan out of Sarkar-2?? Was it becoming too much of a family thing?? Nothing else explains her absence. Also, time for national debate on who does the older Bachchan love more..Amar or Jaya??; hate more..SRK or Raj?? (They are alter-egos, just btw); prefer more..Abhishek or Ash (given that both are supremely "gritting my teeth/clinching my fists* irritating). On a more serious note, do parents realise how irritating their children actually are or does one spouse/partner really know what the other is up to?? Do they??
5. Why should Manoj Night Shyamalan get the Padmashri, especially since he referred to SRK as "the dude who is in every film"..LOL and also because he hasn't turned in a classic after the great Sixth Sense and the even greater Unbreakable (what a concept!). Dude, when you donot have a Bollywood copy of your movie, you should really rethink your career moves before flying in confidently to steal our top citizen honours!!
6. Who is Khalli and why is he so famous?? I mean, an Indian makes it to the WWE right after I stop watching it...not cool!!
7. Why is Rahul Gandhi touring India and calling it the "Discovery of India" tour?? Although, I mostly believe that it is indeed a journey of self-discovery and get in touch with the real India, political commentators are finding flaws with his approach etc.. Ya, losers..carry on with your discovery and give us more media fodder coz we are so news-deprived already!
8. I am wondering, after a discussion with Praachi and carefully listening to a speech..who speaks better Hindi...Sonia or Manmohan?? Also, how spineless is Arjun Singh to say " I will always be loyal to the Gandhi family" after being snubbed as a sycophant (and very publicly at that) by the Gandhis.
9. Why do most married people hang out with other married people?? Or new moms with other new moms?? Don't tell me they have things in common...yeah right, my baby coughed thrice today..how many times did yours??
10. Why do all hip Delhi gals look alike?? Is style actually individual?? Living in Delhi has made me question a lot of things, this being one of them.
11. Why do these newly married women wear those red and white churas and sindur with Western wear? I mean, when will these women realise that somethings just don't mix...like chalk and cheese..even if you are married!!
12. Why can I never actually send a SMS using words like F9 (fine), c (see), u (you), dat (that), der (there)?? I use tmrw (tomorrow) and btw (by the way) though. Full power to me!!
13. Why do I always sub-consciously judge people who are not quite like me?? (what do you think inspires this post) Every person is different and you are no epitome of perfection either, for crying out loud...you with your copied and unacknowledged gtalk handels thinking you are too cool and uploading every picture on facebook habits...lame!!!
14. Why do I exclaim so much??
More to follow as and when things happen around me and I am tickled by those happenings (which is also the new Manoj Night movie, btw which I will be sure not to watch especially since he has said that this is his scariest movie ever..the last time he said that, I was laughing in the theatre..yes people, it is SIGNS that I am talking about!!)
Monday, April 7, 2008
Khuda Ke Liye: Praise the effort not the film
Khuda Ke Liye, the first Pakistani movie to be released in India and Pakistan’s highest grossing film ever is definitely worth a watch. Now that I have seen it, I am free to comment on a film that may have been very, very difficult to make in Pakistan with fatwas being issued et.al but did not turn out all that great.
The plot is simple. Khuda Ke Liye is a story of a family torn by Islamic radicalism and 9/11. While I agree with practically everything that the film has to say and nobody can deny what the movie truly tries to get across…..an important message about the essence of Islam or any religion for that matter, i.e peace and brotherhood; Khuda Ke Liye, the movie, is at best average.
I am no expert on the Pakistani film industry and its nuances. I do not claim to have seen any Pakistani movie ever but if Khuda Ke Liye is one of the best it has produced, then it surely has a long, long way to go. Yet, there are some moments in the film which are great and as I mentioned earlier, it reiterates and challenges some of the strongest stereotypes of religion that 9/11 has thrown up.
The director wanted to say too much in too less a time which leads to a confusion of sorts. But I must admit, given the multiple storylines, the connectivity between them was fairly well-established. That it did not get the support from the cast of characters, barring a few, is another story. The acting in the film was amateurish, to say the least. Iman Ali, with her fake British accent and even worse Urdu diction, accompanied with complete lack of acting talent kills the character of Mariam/Mary. Her, “I want revenge” rant (okay…you are a liberated woman who speaks her mind, we get it!) looks contrived and takes away from the seriousness and importance of her character in the film. The transition of Sarmad’s character from rocker to radical was not well-portrayed either. In fact, he literally slept through the transition, leaving much to be desired. While I am not one from over-dramatisation, a little intensity never hurt anyone and almost every character in the movie lacked that. The only impressive, well-played part was that of Mansoor whose strong performance justified the angst and emotion of his character; the rest were just breezing through the movie, riding on a great story.
Naseeruddin Shah literally has three to five minutes of screen time in Khuda Ke Liye. He plays the wise, old, progressive religious scholar who is summoned by the High Court of Lahore to testify on women’s rights in Islam and of course, what constitutes a “Good Muslim”. His monologue, while being informative was boring (snore!) is the turning point of the film. Naseer, too, does not justify his presence in the film or in the entire collaboration.
The movie ends more or less on a positive note with the characters having found their destiny. While, both critics and audiences got somewhat carried away by the message of the movie, somewhere good movie-making just about lost out.
The plot is simple. Khuda Ke Liye is a story of a family torn by Islamic radicalism and 9/11. While I agree with practically everything that the film has to say and nobody can deny what the movie truly tries to get across…..an important message about the essence of Islam or any religion for that matter, i.e peace and brotherhood; Khuda Ke Liye, the movie, is at best average.
I am no expert on the Pakistani film industry and its nuances. I do not claim to have seen any Pakistani movie ever but if Khuda Ke Liye is one of the best it has produced, then it surely has a long, long way to go. Yet, there are some moments in the film which are great and as I mentioned earlier, it reiterates and challenges some of the strongest stereotypes of religion that 9/11 has thrown up.
The director wanted to say too much in too less a time which leads to a confusion of sorts. But I must admit, given the multiple storylines, the connectivity between them was fairly well-established. That it did not get the support from the cast of characters, barring a few, is another story. The acting in the film was amateurish, to say the least. Iman Ali, with her fake British accent and even worse Urdu diction, accompanied with complete lack of acting talent kills the character of Mariam/Mary. Her, “I want revenge” rant (okay…you are a liberated woman who speaks her mind, we get it!) looks contrived and takes away from the seriousness and importance of her character in the film. The transition of Sarmad’s character from rocker to radical was not well-portrayed either. In fact, he literally slept through the transition, leaving much to be desired. While I am not one from over-dramatisation, a little intensity never hurt anyone and almost every character in the movie lacked that. The only impressive, well-played part was that of Mansoor whose strong performance justified the angst and emotion of his character; the rest were just breezing through the movie, riding on a great story.
Naseeruddin Shah literally has three to five minutes of screen time in Khuda Ke Liye. He plays the wise, old, progressive religious scholar who is summoned by the High Court of Lahore to testify on women’s rights in Islam and of course, what constitutes a “Good Muslim”. His monologue, while being informative was boring (snore!) is the turning point of the film. Naseer, too, does not justify his presence in the film or in the entire collaboration.
The movie ends more or less on a positive note with the characters having found their destiny. While, both critics and audiences got somewhat carried away by the message of the movie, somewhere good movie-making just about lost out.
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