Friday, January 30, 2009

Serendipity


Twinkling eyes,
They touch and smile;
Lips always have muddled pain.
May be she also burnt in rain.

He was a vagabond,
for his fate bantered;
Souvenirs of his broken heart;
Squandered like past season's greeting cards.

When they met and
laughed with muffled giggles,
Sore hands caressed wounds and tickled.

Lost was time;
Thoughts left barren.
His essence in her myrrh; her vision in his gaze;
Their love was baked in alluring blaze.

Angels smiled,
for the broken heart bits melt;
and reformed into an elegant diety,
As heavens cried "Serendipity".

Sunday, January 25, 2009

Will, Defiance and A defiant Will

The doors were bolted,
the breeze,stranded in courtyard.
But chimes still ring,
with heavy beating overcast.

Lost to destiny,
A sound plugs can't hide.
The monsoon has arrived.
The acidic rain will bite.

The roof,
plastered last season.
But alas! I know,
the ceiling will indulge in treason.

The will is so defiant,
It will leak.
Rain will chafe the heart.
Drenched heart will tweak.

A Quatrain of Dejection

With teared up heel on desert sand,
His limp deformed his tired shadow;
And with the wind piercing his mortal self.
The vision Contracts, falling in narrow.

Slumdog Indian; Is it??


The claim is coming thick of finally placing India on the centre stage of world cinema with Slumdog millionaire. I haven't seen the movie yet but will see it.

But as much I appreciate the presence of a large Indian crew in making of a worldwide acclaimed movie, I am still quite sceptic of calling it anything near to an Indian movie. True,the movie is inspired by an Indian novel. But going by that standard every third Bollywood creation should be notified as a Hollywood movie because of the penchant of Indian filmmakers to Lift the western Ideas from a Hollywood DVD.

The cast is Indian, but it have to be if the movie is to be placed in India. They cannot have a 'gora' running down the slums claiming as an Indian. We are way too different.

(This remind me of the great ability of Indian filmmakers in past era who easily gave a twisted accent and a golden wig to make an Indian actor as foreigner.To Great Indian mass, you can offer anything on the platter and they will gulp it. But I agree time has changed).


So, even If the characters are predominantly Indian and the spirit of movie, as claimed by Danny Boyle, is of Mumbai, it leaves little for India to be over the moon. The Director and production is British. The screenplay writer is British.The male protagonist or in a more filmy lingua "hero" of the movie is British. The movie is a British movie and the truth is, it's a movie made by a British with his sensibilities. And I have severe doubts that had an Indian with his sensibilities, made this same movie, would it have caused such a stir worldwide?
And their is nothing to feel small. The rush for Oscar is out of my understanding. We have an artistic and eclectic Cinema. But our sensitivities are different from West. It's not necessary they understand us. They may find the dialogues which have us rolling on floor as mundane. To have recognition from them is of course better but expectation is futile. For it is in no way a measure of our greatness or dexterity in the art and entertainment of cinema.The truth is we should stop lamenting for OSCARS and make some Indian awards of the reputation of Oscars. And to achieve that, first of all we have to make them transparent. But surely Awards or no awards, with the current trend Indian movies are and will go great guns. It seems Industry has come to age. And I hope and deem that in coming time Indian Movie Industry will give stiff resilience to the domination of Hollywood.

But, For Rahman, its a true achievement. He has over the time given some great music and the Globe is a justification for that. I keep my finger crossed, that on Feb 22, he have something to cheer.

Moreover, a different section also claims that the movie has shown the underbelly of dirty-murky Mumbai. Well if the plot is set in such a place I think you have to justify by going into slums. And all those who claim this is not true INDIA, must make me understand how much 'TRUE' India they see in Mr. Johar's Kabhi Khushi Kabhi Gam or KKHH or Chopra's Mohabattein or DDLJ . I can bet no part of Chandni Chowk in Delhi is like shown in K3G at any time of year( with a bunch of 100 trained dancers exploding the scene in a jiffy) and I have never been to any village where farmers are singing in Unison with Girls waving sugarcanes and persons happily swinging on a overcrowded bus's roof. Actually Danny has put a step ahead than his Indian counter parts in going and shooting into the real places that story demands. It's true that it shows dirty India but may be the story is about dirty India. A movie about vibrant India will portray upsurging India. How can you have all of the India in some cinematic shots. We cannot capture whole of a person, leave alone a nation and that too a nation like India.Even the thought is preposterous. And if Dirty India sells, then there is much too it than just a movie.



So, stop criticizing or being too ebullient and accept that its a nice foreign production placed in India with substantial Indian contribution. But sadly I find only that much to rejoice.But the hype will drive me to theaters to watch it for sure.