What can I, as a layperson, say about media ethics or the lack of it that has not already been said before? That the triangular bonding between the media-corporations-politicians is deeply dubious; that the daily news manufacture and manipulation at the television news channel factories is unacceptable and that Rakhi Sawant’s gradual siliconisation is not exactly ‘breaking news’. Suffice to say that the Fourth Estate is crumbling, collapsing and how.
A lot has been written about the devastating blow that the Radia tapes have proved to be on the Indian public’s faith in the media. Media darlings such as the fiery Ms. Barkha Dutt and the suave Mr. Vir Sanghvi ( I thought he had quit non-serious political reporting to become a serious food/restaurant critic hosting custom-made eponymous television shows but hey, what do I know and who am I to say?) have been gamed, named and shamed-all in one go.
Dutt and Sanghvi’s equally glorious media buddies after maintaining uncharacteristic silence for several days on the pretext of upholding highest journalistic standards ( hat they were waiting for the verification of the authenticity of the tapes etc) were finally pressured to speak but they only squealed. Mostly, they argued that the larger issue of business- politician nexus (most important) and media ethics (less important as it exists in abundance) should not be diverted by targeting individual journalists/small fries such as Barkha Dutt and Vir Sanghvi ( who are only the editorial bigwigs in the country’s most watched English news channel and most widely circulated English daily).
I will not talk about Vir Sanghvi as I think he has long moved on to reporting on food, luxury brands and other fancy-shmancy stuff and post the tapes, has severed his last tie to serious journalism by suspending his newspaper column but has promised to be back when this controversy is resolved.
But I wish to talk about Barkha Dutt who is really the ‘face’ of news in India. In the past, her journalistic style has raised a lot of questions but never her journalistic standards. For several days, she did not think it fit to speak on this issue citing legal reasons and deep personal hurt and outrage. Yet, she happily tweeted away in her distinctive self righteous, moralistic and catty style that SHE COULD DO NO WRONG!!
As an afterthought after a few weeks of the expose, (which could only be explained in terms of thousands of I hate Barkha Dutt emails and facebook pages of Take Barkha Dutt Off the Air), NDTV decided to host a dialogue between four senior journallsts, including Manu Joseph, Editor, Open Magazine which published the taped conversations and Barkha Dutt which was hopelessly mediated by Sonia Singh. It turned out to be what it was always supposed to be- a slanging match between Dutt and Joseph (some internet news stories have amusingly titled this debate as a due between BARCA and Man U).
Many commentators have commended NDTV’s largesse in this regard for hosting this discussion but cynics like me believe that this was the least that they could do. In fact, what startled me was the complete absence of Prannoy Roy in this discussion (which would have added a lot more credibility to this debate). I was outraged when I saw Barkha Dutt continuing to report and discuss the whole 2G scam and the Radia tapes as if she were not involved (even if, in a small way). And of course, no sanctions (however, minor) were issued against her by the channel.
On this NDTV mediated dialogue, Barkha Dutt, as expected, showed scanty regard for other people’s views by systematically attacking and interrupting them, completely sidelined the mediator proving once and for all who’s the real boss at NDTV and also, played (rather unsuccessfully) the gender card which seemed to be the last resort of this otherwise verbose and vociferous journo.
She tried in vain to appeal to public sentiments by quoting her long, illustrious and immaculate career in the media. She launched a verbal assault on Manu Joseph as he had not consulted her before publishing the raw tapes in his magazine as if she has, in her investigations always sought the views of her subjects before she telecast a news story on her channel. Manu Joseph’s question as to why she did not break open the story about corporate collusions in cabinet formation/s in 2009 and also in 2010, when there was clear evidence of corruption in the Telecom Ministry and Swapan Dasgupta’s question as to why Radia chose her to plug a request to play mediator between Congress and DMK and endorse Raja as Telecom Minister-was it because of her closeness to the Congress party and the pro-Congress slant in her reportage) remained unanswered.
Barkha’s dull and uninspiring response to these questions will put even an aspiring school magazine reporter to shame. Like a five year old, she mumbled and grumbled that she was a victim of a conspiracy and the poster girl for a smear campaign that helps Open magazine to sell copies. She said that she was naïve and gullible and as a political journalist, did not understand the workings of the brutal corporate underworld. Isn’t gullibility and naive ness the lamest possible excuse for someone of her stature and experience?
When one of the panelists asked her to end this debate by admitting and apologising to her viewers for a mistake that she had made, she doggedly refused, reiterating that the only mistake that she had made was in relation to the alleged casualness of her conversation to Radia and her promise to speak to the Congress on Raja’s ministerial berth was just to humour her source (because words like ‘sorry’ and ‘thank you’ were too hard to find in her vast vocabulary).
Anyhow, the point of this tirade is that those who have the power and influence over the spoken and written word owe no responsibility to their readers/viewers. Barkha Dutt’s continued screeching on television grossly overvaluing her own importance and undermining the viewer’s intelligence does not annoy but amuses me, the viewer –because it does not matter, SHE does not matter!
Friday, December 3, 2010
Friday, July 16, 2010
Five Reasons why Aamir Khan is becoming unbearable.
1. He is living in denial about his age. He is fast approaching his 50s and has kids who are now rushing into their 20s. He has a relatively new wife (who is way cooler than he is ) but he is no spring chicken!! He is more and more prone to play a college student/college passout/recently graduated business professional or someone who just refuses to leave college. He has unnecesarily pumped up, wears a hairstyle unsuitable for someone his age and is sometimes, seen wearing outrageous costumes. Basically, he is Shekhar Suman but talented and succesful.
2. He is an extremely capable actor but way too overrated as far as his movie choices go. His repertoire consists of rare gems like Mela, Aatank Hi Aatank, Awwal Number etc. In fact, after QSQT, Aamir Khan spent the entire 1990s engaged in mostly making crappy cinema (barring Hum Hain Rahi Pyaar Ke, Andaz Apna Apna and Jo Jeeta Wahi Sikander). I have to admit here that as a child, I thoroughly enjoyed a movie named Dil (and to think, I have never been accused of good cinematic taste)
It was only post-Dil Chahta Hain that Aamir showed some class in selection of his movies and roles reflected in Lagaan and Rang De Basanti. As an avid movie watcher, I would like to remind Aamir that 'quality' is not defined by 'quantity' and vice versa. Therefore, just by virtue of doing less films, he cannot claim to have produced quality work. Besides, even after establishing this false sense of being a 'quality' actor and a perfectionist, his participation in historically inaccurate biopics like Mangal Pandey, which he spent years researching and growing a moustache (not even a beard) for, the horror of a tormented love story like Fanaa and not to mention, the very, very original Ghajini, is unforgivable.
3. His rejection of popular film awards is obviously pretentious. While many might view it as an expression of his political will, I see it as a covert attempt to insult a fraternity that he has 'fed' of but won't 'feed' into. In fact, I support every taunt and joke made at his behest at the innumerable awards functions year after year even by the extremely unfunny bags of recycled humour that are Sajid Khan and his protege, Riteish Deshmukh.
What surprises me even more is that Aamir will graciously accept the National Awards (notorious for its alleged botch ups....the winners from the last few years will prove it) as it comes for the Government of India (the most reliable awards authority in the country where merit is always preferred over petty favouritism). Needless to say, Aamir would never say NO to the Oscars where he can hobnob with Hollywood royalty and may be, breakthrough with a studio deal or two. Officially, he will gush at interviews that the Oscar experience is much bigger than the award itself...ya right!!
At least, he is not as shameless as Anil Kapoor whose behaviour at the Oscars and related international red carpet events left the makers of Slumdog Millionaire (including the demanding parents of the child actors) red faced!!
4. He is well on his way towards becoming the Mahesh Bhatt of our generation. Wherever there is a cause, Mr. Khan has an opinion, not necessarily a well-informed one. The quality of Indian education remains one of his pet subjects on which he has made a number of films, will continue to and cast himself as a college student in each one of them.
He is at once, an educationist, legal expert, social activist and a 'lecturer' in the truest sense of the term. He has allegedly argued that the new copyright law should not protect lyricists and musicians as it is the actors who make the song popular (deep thinking) and of course, all this has nothing to do with the fact that he has recently turned producer and music is an important part of his films. He has, in a unique example of balance of interests, managed to defend both the Narmada Bachao Andolan and Coca Cola, on complete;y contradictory grounds. Again, his support for Coca Cola arises out of social concern and not out of pure self-interest. He has also very succesfully managed to pass on the Coca Cola ambassadorial baton to his much younger, less than talented, eyebrow shaping nephew, Imran Khan.
5. While he argues in favour of persons being able to express themselves freely; he himself will take a great idea conceived by someone else and will pass it on as his own and hog the credits (Taare Zameen Par and Amol Gupte). Then, when the movie garners all the awards and appreciation, he will consciously stay away from this and still be talked about. He will appear in ample number of media (non-movie related promotional) events and blog and tweet about every day/event of his life, yet claim to be reclusive, reserved and media shy. Displaying immense emotional maturity, he will also name pet dogs after his greatest competitor because he does not believe in the rat race or care for popularity in filmdom.
AND as you can possibly tell, I am not at all petty and judgmental.
I just hope Aamir Khan the person was as simple, believable and lovable as some of his movie characters!!
2. He is an extremely capable actor but way too overrated as far as his movie choices go. His repertoire consists of rare gems like Mela, Aatank Hi Aatank, Awwal Number etc. In fact, after QSQT, Aamir Khan spent the entire 1990s engaged in mostly making crappy cinema (barring Hum Hain Rahi Pyaar Ke, Andaz Apna Apna and Jo Jeeta Wahi Sikander). I have to admit here that as a child, I thoroughly enjoyed a movie named Dil (and to think, I have never been accused of good cinematic taste)
It was only post-Dil Chahta Hain that Aamir showed some class in selection of his movies and roles reflected in Lagaan and Rang De Basanti. As an avid movie watcher, I would like to remind Aamir that 'quality' is not defined by 'quantity' and vice versa. Therefore, just by virtue of doing less films, he cannot claim to have produced quality work. Besides, even after establishing this false sense of being a 'quality' actor and a perfectionist, his participation in historically inaccurate biopics like Mangal Pandey, which he spent years researching and growing a moustache (not even a beard) for, the horror of a tormented love story like Fanaa and not to mention, the very, very original Ghajini, is unforgivable.
3. His rejection of popular film awards is obviously pretentious. While many might view it as an expression of his political will, I see it as a covert attempt to insult a fraternity that he has 'fed' of but won't 'feed' into. In fact, I support every taunt and joke made at his behest at the innumerable awards functions year after year even by the extremely unfunny bags of recycled humour that are Sajid Khan and his protege, Riteish Deshmukh.
What surprises me even more is that Aamir will graciously accept the National Awards (notorious for its alleged botch ups....the winners from the last few years will prove it) as it comes for the Government of India (the most reliable awards authority in the country where merit is always preferred over petty favouritism). Needless to say, Aamir would never say NO to the Oscars where he can hobnob with Hollywood royalty and may be, breakthrough with a studio deal or two. Officially, he will gush at interviews that the Oscar experience is much bigger than the award itself...ya right!!
At least, he is not as shameless as Anil Kapoor whose behaviour at the Oscars and related international red carpet events left the makers of Slumdog Millionaire (including the demanding parents of the child actors) red faced!!
4. He is well on his way towards becoming the Mahesh Bhatt of our generation. Wherever there is a cause, Mr. Khan has an opinion, not necessarily a well-informed one. The quality of Indian education remains one of his pet subjects on which he has made a number of films, will continue to and cast himself as a college student in each one of them.
He is at once, an educationist, legal expert, social activist and a 'lecturer' in the truest sense of the term. He has allegedly argued that the new copyright law should not protect lyricists and musicians as it is the actors who make the song popular (deep thinking) and of course, all this has nothing to do with the fact that he has recently turned producer and music is an important part of his films. He has, in a unique example of balance of interests, managed to defend both the Narmada Bachao Andolan and Coca Cola, on complete;y contradictory grounds. Again, his support for Coca Cola arises out of social concern and not out of pure self-interest. He has also very succesfully managed to pass on the Coca Cola ambassadorial baton to his much younger, less than talented, eyebrow shaping nephew, Imran Khan.
5. While he argues in favour of persons being able to express themselves freely; he himself will take a great idea conceived by someone else and will pass it on as his own and hog the credits (Taare Zameen Par and Amol Gupte). Then, when the movie garners all the awards and appreciation, he will consciously stay away from this and still be talked about. He will appear in ample number of media (non-movie related promotional) events and blog and tweet about every day/event of his life, yet claim to be reclusive, reserved and media shy. Displaying immense emotional maturity, he will also name pet dogs after his greatest competitor because he does not believe in the rat race or care for popularity in filmdom.
AND as you can possibly tell, I am not at all petty and judgmental.
I just hope Aamir Khan the person was as simple, believable and lovable as some of his movie characters!!
Monday, March 22, 2010
OD'ed on LSD
Honesty is hard to find in mainstream Hindi movies and for it to succeed as a concept is almost unthinkable. The scope for pretence and falsehood, however, is ample.
LSD comes at a time when Karan Johar is 'allegedly' coming of age as a film-maker, Shyam Benegal is going mainstream, the literary giant, Chetan Bhagat is horrified that Bollywood copies without due credit (not only from mediocre movies but also from classic fiction), SRK and Aamir Khan are gradually moving away from films....more and more into sports ventures and social causes and the Bachchans have decided to counter public scrutiny by clarifying every single detail about their personal lives through regular press meets, blogs and of course, twitter, because as fans, we have a right to know it all.
The timing for LSD could not be more appropriate as the country overdoses on reality on television. Couples break up/make up/make out on facebook and spy on their spouses on prime time television; ministers tweet their frustrations with the government they represent; blood brothers fight over property at press conferences and arranged marriages find a whole new meaning on television where women queue up to marry Rahul Mahajan and if we can still believe what we see, they actually do!!
LSD explores and exposes the voyeur in all of us. Is it true? Of course, it is. Do we like to hear about it? Of course, not. And it is this shock value attached to something that all of us practice or partakes of, in our own lives is what makes us such hypocrites and such attempts, laudable.
Won't rant. Will just mention a few things that caught my attention and captured my imagination:
1. The three elements of Love, Sex and Dhokha run as a thread through all the inter-related storylines instead of taking the commonly tread path of all stories going their different ways until they converge..usually at an airport or as a result of some tragic accident or simply because the director decides to connect the dots at some point in the movie. But as is expected in this age of spy cams and live footage, there is more of 'S' and 'D' and less of 'L'.
2. The storylines are not unique, so to speak, but that is not a lack of originality on the part of the makers and is attributable to how 'real' these situations are and could be. To me, that is a great achievement.
3. The use of the camera/s as if if were a real character in the film was amazing. The use of digital cameras and spy cameras adds to the rawness of the sub-text and the drama lies in the situations that these characters gets entangled in over the course of the film.
4. The cast was well-picked and yes, all of them could act fairly well. May be they were NSD graduates..may be not (I just find it very funny when pseuds talk about theatre actors as a blanket category...Oh...he is awesome..he does theatre or he graduated from NSD...he should not be wasting time on that daily soap and my favourite...he is so underrated as an actor... he comes from a theatre background, yaar!!)
They looked believable in their parts and comfortable in their so-called (to use Bollywood lingo)..bold skins.
5. What is commendable about Dibakar Banerjee is his fearlessness. He is three films old...all three on completely different themes....the Indian urban middle class, the charming conman swindled by a doctor, and then this...the dark world of technology and titillation. Having picked up national awards for both his films (not that it means anything anymore....Arjun Rampal..the 'handsome piece of wood' has also won one), he seems strangely relaxed and unconcerned. His kind of nonchalance is rare yet not arrogant.
I just hope these honours do not corrupt the simplicity and satire; honesty and humour in his work that many of us have come to love. I also hope that LSD-the movie about voyeurism attracts more than just a voyeuristic audience.
Tuesday, February 2, 2010
Emotional Atyachaar: Reality Television at its very worst
Look what you've done, Mr. Anurag Kashyap?? While I hailed you for the fantastic effort that is DevD, I cannot help but blame you in part for inspiring the cheapest form of reality television (also, I am pretty sure the entertainment media will stoop lower...and lower in the future)
As if the horror of prospective brides violently blushing at the sleazy advances of the very unemployed and totally unmarriageable Rahul Mahajan and lost celebrities regressing into their past lives to find their lost fame on prime time television was not enough, here's another addition to the reality TV bandwagon...EMOTIONAL ATYACHAAR...
Claiming to be of extreme social value, this television show aims at helping young married/committed men and women to discover the status of their relationships through loyalty tests conducted on their partners with hidden spy cameras and undercover agents. The show is, of course, not about the sex and the sleaze but to rescue people from cheating partners and meaningless relationships!! The fact that the show is aired post-dinner on a channel called BINDAAS is also a mere co-incidence.
The format is simple....the formula...tried and tested....sex sells!!
Allegedly, the emotionally tormented/ tortured (atyacharit) partner approaches the EA team, like a NGO, counsellor or even the police, and seek their assistance in establishing the loyalty of their better or battered half, as the case may be. A loyalty test is thus, conducted, with full consent of the tortured party against the accused party and the proverbial linen is washed dirty in public. There is some serious cheating, buckets of tears, shot of abuses followed by some hardcore slapping, punching and beating, if you are lucky.
The tortured party orders the loyalty test on their partners with the disclaimer that they love and trust them, despite the test. The accused party, invariably, picks up the undercover agent (almost always, struggling models and actors) at the very first meeting at a coffee shop. Things move quickly and soon (by soon...I mean a day or two..tops), they are a couple. Nothing is hidden from the hidden cameras...and all unedited footage is shown to the tortured party with them bawling and screaming beeped unmentionables at the camera and the hapless host mumbling...'we can stop the footage if you want' or 'this is all live feed ..they are in this building now' but the tortured party, being iron-willed, tough individuals, continue to watch the misdeeds of their loyal partners despite the tears and the heartache.
It all ends with a confrontation, often violent, drawing the curtains on the relationship, at least on camera, with the tortured party thanking the show for saving their so-called lives and the makers and undercover agents shouting LONG LIVE INFIDELITY!! But mind you, this is all a sociological experiment not merely entertainment!!
As if the horror of prospective brides violently blushing at the sleazy advances of the very unemployed and totally unmarriageable Rahul Mahajan and lost celebrities regressing into their past lives to find their lost fame on prime time television was not enough, here's another addition to the reality TV bandwagon...EMOTIONAL ATYACHAAR...
Claiming to be of extreme social value, this television show aims at helping young married/committed men and women to discover the status of their relationships through loyalty tests conducted on their partners with hidden spy cameras and undercover agents. The show is, of course, not about the sex and the sleaze but to rescue people from cheating partners and meaningless relationships!! The fact that the show is aired post-dinner on a channel called BINDAAS is also a mere co-incidence.
The format is simple....the formula...tried and tested....sex sells!!
Allegedly, the emotionally tormented/ tortured (atyacharit) partner approaches the EA team, like a NGO, counsellor or even the police, and seek their assistance in establishing the loyalty of their better or battered half, as the case may be. A loyalty test is thus, conducted, with full consent of the tortured party against the accused party and the proverbial linen is washed dirty in public. There is some serious cheating, buckets of tears, shot of abuses followed by some hardcore slapping, punching and beating, if you are lucky.
The tortured party orders the loyalty test on their partners with the disclaimer that they love and trust them, despite the test. The accused party, invariably, picks up the undercover agent (almost always, struggling models and actors) at the very first meeting at a coffee shop. Things move quickly and soon (by soon...I mean a day or two..tops), they are a couple. Nothing is hidden from the hidden cameras...and all unedited footage is shown to the tortured party with them bawling and screaming beeped unmentionables at the camera and the hapless host mumbling...'we can stop the footage if you want' or 'this is all live feed ..they are in this building now' but the tortured party, being iron-willed, tough individuals, continue to watch the misdeeds of their loyal partners despite the tears and the heartache.
It all ends with a confrontation, often violent, drawing the curtains on the relationship, at least on camera, with the tortured party thanking the show for saving their so-called lives and the makers and undercover agents shouting LONG LIVE INFIDELITY!! But mind you, this is all a sociological experiment not merely entertainment!!
Friday, January 29, 2010
Who will write your obituary, Mr. Salinger??
Jerome David Salinger is no more...
Contemporary and competitor, Joh Updike predeceased him...
Now, the thing that immediately popped in my head mind when I heard of Salinger's death was not what the world will miss (because he hasn't written a book in the last half of his life and at 91, one wasn't really expecting anything from him at all), but who will write him a fitting obituary now that the rockstar of a literary/culture critic of all times is no more.
I am confused...I don't know who I like more...Updike or Salinger....I don't know what saddens me more...Salinger's death or the fact that every obituary (and there will be many) will repeat every boring cliche that every existed on the man (reclusive, cool, crazy, inspirer of assasination plots and the whole Mark Davuid Chapman-John Lennon reference etc etc etc) in the absence of Updike, who, if alive, would have produced a legend of an obituary..yet another thing to remember Salinger by, after Holden and the Glasses!!
That, however, is not to be for reasons as mundane as mortality....
But I remember reading a review of 'Franny and Zooey' a few years ago by Updike, which confirms the big loss I just talked about.
'Franny and Zooey' is a big favourite with me despite my contempt for precocious children which is exactly what this book is all about. But I guess the written word can change all of that, which is what Salinger is loved for...for turning phonies into heroes, idiots into icons!! :-)
Anyway, F & Z was panned by critics as a rich person's guide to raising children all wrong. Updike shared this view:
Salinger loves the Glasses more than God loves them. He loves them too exclusively. Their invention has become a hermitage for him. He loves them to the detriment of artistic moderation.
but ended the review on a note of respect and appreciation:
When all reservations have been entered, in the correctly unctuous and apprehensive tone, about the direction [Salinger] has taken, it remains to acknowledge that it is a direction, and that the refusal to rest content, the willingness to risk excess on behalf of one's obsessions, is what distinguishes artists from entertainers, and what makes some artists adventurers on behalf of us all.
and the words which perfectly explain why I, like many others, love Salinger:
We live in a world, however, where the decisive deed may invite the holocaust, and Salinger's conviction that our inner lives greatly matter peculiarly qualifies him to sing of an America where, for most of us, there seems little to do but to feel. Introversion, perhaps, has been forced upon history; an age of nuance, of ambiguous gestures and psychological jockeying on a national and private scale, is upon us, and Salinger's intense attention to gesture and intonation help make him, among his contemporaries, a uniquely relevant literary artist.
Salinger had the rare ability to convert extraordinary feelings into ordinary words (incidentally, that's what all writers intend to do) and who could know it better than Updike!!
That Updike feeling is what I am going to miss when I read those factory-made obituaries about Salinger that I shall read starting later today.
Contemporary and competitor, Joh Updike predeceased him...
Now, the thing that immediately popped in my head mind when I heard of Salinger's death was not what the world will miss (because he hasn't written a book in the last half of his life and at 91, one wasn't really expecting anything from him at all), but who will write him a fitting obituary now that the rockstar of a literary/culture critic of all times is no more.
I am confused...I don't know who I like more...Updike or Salinger....I don't know what saddens me more...Salinger's death or the fact that every obituary (and there will be many) will repeat every boring cliche that every existed on the man (reclusive, cool, crazy, inspirer of assasination plots and the whole Mark Davuid Chapman-John Lennon reference etc etc etc) in the absence of Updike, who, if alive, would have produced a legend of an obituary..yet another thing to remember Salinger by, after Holden and the Glasses!!
That, however, is not to be for reasons as mundane as mortality....
But I remember reading a review of 'Franny and Zooey' a few years ago by Updike, which confirms the big loss I just talked about.
'Franny and Zooey' is a big favourite with me despite my contempt for precocious children which is exactly what this book is all about. But I guess the written word can change all of that, which is what Salinger is loved for...for turning phonies into heroes, idiots into icons!! :-)
Anyway, F & Z was panned by critics as a rich person's guide to raising children all wrong. Updike shared this view:
Salinger loves the Glasses more than God loves them. He loves them too exclusively. Their invention has become a hermitage for him. He loves them to the detriment of artistic moderation.
but ended the review on a note of respect and appreciation:
When all reservations have been entered, in the correctly unctuous and apprehensive tone, about the direction [Salinger] has taken, it remains to acknowledge that it is a direction, and that the refusal to rest content, the willingness to risk excess on behalf of one's obsessions, is what distinguishes artists from entertainers, and what makes some artists adventurers on behalf of us all.
and the words which perfectly explain why I, like many others, love Salinger:
We live in a world, however, where the decisive deed may invite the holocaust, and Salinger's conviction that our inner lives greatly matter peculiarly qualifies him to sing of an America where, for most of us, there seems little to do but to feel. Introversion, perhaps, has been forced upon history; an age of nuance, of ambiguous gestures and psychological jockeying on a national and private scale, is upon us, and Salinger's intense attention to gesture and intonation help make him, among his contemporaries, a uniquely relevant literary artist.
Salinger had the rare ability to convert extraordinary feelings into ordinary words (incidentally, that's what all writers intend to do) and who could know it better than Updike!!
That Updike feeling is what I am going to miss when I read those factory-made obituaries about Salinger that I shall read starting later today.
Friday, January 22, 2010
Chalk and Cheese
Dr. Vijay Mallya and Anil Kumble just do not belong together...so didn't Mallya and Rahul Dravid...
As far as I am concerned, this is an absolute travesty!!
Wednesday, January 13, 2010
Strange Idols....
At the very beginning of this post, I should mention that it concerns a representative from a group of people I dislike with single-minded devotion. I have faced maximum rejections, not at the hands of employers or men but ….auto-rickshaw drivers.
The upside of this is that any auto rickshaw driver, who does not reject me, agrees to turn on the metre or is even reasonable in his demands and is not a lech appears GODLY to me.
I encountered such GODLINESS on my way to work this morning. Not only did the first auto driver agree to take me to my destination, he agreed to do so on my terms. If I remember correctly, his exact words were, “De dena madam, jo aap ko theek lagey”. To a hassled public commuter, this is pure, unadulterated sweetness!!
On the way, I took a look around the small vehicle and was slightly surprised not to find laminated Rs. 10 posters of skimply clad Bollywood actresses on both sides of the seat.
( I have noted that auto drivers prefer Kareena and Priyanka to the rest of them!!) Although these pictures officially offend me, I totally get it!! While searching for Kareena inside the auto, I spotted something rather odd but oddly reassuring.
On the mirror, there was not one, but two unevenly cut out (heart-shaped, if I might add) postcards of two unlikely heroes…..Ritesh Deshmukh and Rajpal Yadav.
Now, not only did I wonder why those pictures were up there and how, in God’s name do you get postcards of these fellows for a price?? (I am pretty sure they weren’t newspaper or magazine cut outs but an actual, 50 paise/ Re. 1 postcard), I decided to wonder aloud.
The answer I received was obvious in many ways yet it appeared to me as charming. He said, ‘Woh hasatey hain madam…unka chehra dekh ke din achha jaata hain’. My response to that was a dim, not so charming “Oh” (Not that I intended to discuss my sociological findings with him and appear even more stupid).
Today, I learnt to keep it simple, go back to the basics and I already feel good. What I did not learn, however, is where you can buy postcards of strange idols as I have some of my own!! :-)
The upside of this is that any auto rickshaw driver, who does not reject me, agrees to turn on the metre or is even reasonable in his demands and is not a lech appears GODLY to me.
I encountered such GODLINESS on my way to work this morning. Not only did the first auto driver agree to take me to my destination, he agreed to do so on my terms. If I remember correctly, his exact words were, “De dena madam, jo aap ko theek lagey”. To a hassled public commuter, this is pure, unadulterated sweetness!!
On the way, I took a look around the small vehicle and was slightly surprised not to find laminated Rs. 10 posters of skimply clad Bollywood actresses on both sides of the seat.
( I have noted that auto drivers prefer Kareena and Priyanka to the rest of them!!) Although these pictures officially offend me, I totally get it!! While searching for Kareena inside the auto, I spotted something rather odd but oddly reassuring.
On the mirror, there was not one, but two unevenly cut out (heart-shaped, if I might add) postcards of two unlikely heroes…..Ritesh Deshmukh and Rajpal Yadav.
Now, not only did I wonder why those pictures were up there and how, in God’s name do you get postcards of these fellows for a price?? (I am pretty sure they weren’t newspaper or magazine cut outs but an actual, 50 paise/ Re. 1 postcard), I decided to wonder aloud.
The answer I received was obvious in many ways yet it appeared to me as charming. He said, ‘Woh hasatey hain madam…unka chehra dekh ke din achha jaata hain’. My response to that was a dim, not so charming “Oh” (Not that I intended to discuss my sociological findings with him and appear even more stupid).
Today, I learnt to keep it simple, go back to the basics and I already feel good. What I did not learn, however, is where you can buy postcards of strange idols as I have some of my own!! :-)
Thursday, January 7, 2010
Food for Thought: Globalisation and Androgyny
Heterosexual, Homosexual, Metrosexual, SNAGs (Sensitive New Age Guys), Retrosexual, Neosexual.....
Cross-dresser, Transvestite, Hermophrodite, Androgynous....
When girls go baggy and boys go skinny....
For every Audrey Hepburn and Aishwarya Rai, there is a Tilda Swinton and Charlotte Rampling (Strong yet sensual)
For every Hugh Jackman, there is a Justin Timberlake (with that falsetto voice and boys too can cry kinda' appeal).
An actress, Diane Keaton, whom I love just for her spontaneity on and off screen, starred in a movie titled Annie Hall in the early 1980s, where she iconised androgynous fashion as it is known today, wearing baggy pants, waistcoats, oversized shirts, neckties and fedora hats. She was consistently voted as the Worst Dressed Female for years for her conservative and rather 'eccentric' fashion sense. She never changed though. Today, international fashion swears by that look.
The importance of trends and buzzwords in our daily lives is overwhelming...Ah...the things I have to keep up with in this lifetime!! Having said that, the revival of androgyny continues to fascinate me in its impact on gender relations (not only in fashion but in the real world..inside our homes, at the workplace, in other informal social spaces etc) and someday, equipped with better knowledge on the subject and a live muse, I will seek to undertake detailed research on GLOBALISATION AND ANDROGYNY...SERIOUSLY!!
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