Monday, March 31, 2008
The Tale
I watched Katha (anyone?) on the VCD last night. I'd watched it when I was a kid. A Sai Paranjape movie is always a heart-warming experience. Her characters are so true-to -life that you relate to them quite easily. You identify with the joys and sorrows, and trials and tribulations of the characters' everyday lives. Katha is no different. For the uninitiated, Katha is a simple story of a do-gooder, played by Shah and how his life changes when his smooth-talking friend, played by Shaikh, enters his life and almost snatches his neighbor, Naval—he has a crush on her. The story is very simple. What sets this movie apart is the background and setting. Viewers of today will find it difficult to visualize a chawl—for them, I must add that chawls are unique to Mumbai. The inter-personal (almost symbiotic) relationships among the residents of the chawl is well-etched out in the movie. Even small details such as a household which has the distinction being the only one with a refrigerator, and folding furniture have been well thought out. There is a scene where buckets are lined at the crack of dawn to fill water—so very true. Coming to the performances, the trio of Shah, Shaikh, and Naval are outstanding in their roles. Everybody will vouch for Shaikh—but it is Shah who steals the show with his body language and understated emotions. Watch the movie if you want to know a day in the life of a typical middle-class Mumbaikar in the sixties and the seventies—the chawls began to disppear in the eighties.
Wednesday, March 19, 2008
Raghuvaran
Raghuvaran passes away. I heard this news with utter disbelief. My memories went back to a Sunday afternoon some 20 years back when we watched the weepy Anjali. The whole world spoke about the precocious kid and her histrionics before the camera, what was not spoken was the understated potrayal of the patient father by Raghuvaran. That was Raghuvaran—everything was understated considering the man's potential as an actor. I watched Anjali on DVD recently and watched it intimately—this time for Raghuvaran. (I wish I had known that I was preparing myself for an obituary!) I was reading that he did only 80 movies in his lifetime—I calculated around 400 minutes of cinematic magic (he just needed a 5-minute role to weave his magic on the audience).
P.S. As I am writing this, the baritone of Raghuvaran is ringing in my ears. He tells Tabu when she approaches him for a job,"Y2Kellam mudinja pochcha."
P.S. As I am writing this, the baritone of Raghuvaran is ringing in my ears. He tells Tabu when she approaches him for a job,"Y2Kellam mudinja pochcha."
Thursday, March 13, 2008
Indian hockey, RIP!
I follow Indian hockey—I have done that for years. My friends will hate me for saying this—they deserted the game when Indian fortunes began to go on a perennial southward dip! I somehow stuck to the sport like a all-weather friend.My reason is simple—they bring in flair and when they are winning, they look pretty on the field. Did someone mention West Indian cricket? The Indian hockey team and the West Indian cricket team have had similar paths of glory and then slid into paths of self-destruction. The West Indian cricket team reached their nadir some years back and don't look like coming out. If that is any indication, God help Indian hockey!
Sunday, February 24, 2008
Lal-it isn't about cricket
I watched with amazement all the hoopla and hype surrounding the IPL.
Few stray thoughts.
That IPL is a pensioner's paradise. How do you explain the decisions of Glenn McGrath and Shane Warne to come out of retirements and opting to play in a grueling schedule? I read a news item where Mathew Elliot (remember him—he last played for Australia a decade ago) and Michael Kaspprowicz have reportedly agreed to play in the IPL. Look at the retirements over the last couple of months—Adam Gilchrist and Shaun Pollock! You do not need to be an Einstein to infer. They said T20 is a young man's game!
That Ganguly, Laxman, Dravid, and Tendulkar are captains of the respective teams. Laxman was discarded from the Indian team in the 50-over format some four years back because he was considered 'slow.' A month back, Ganguly and Dravid were dropped from the Indian 50-over team because their ageing limbs cannot cover the big grounds in Australia. What it tells you is that you may be unfit to play for your country but the same people (who think so) will call you to lead teams in a format where your limbs may even break! It is like withdrawing ageing boxers from the World welterweight championships, but they are found good enough to be part of the Super heavyweight category but at the provincial level!
That no player will talk about too much cricket now. I remember Tendulkar complaining to the media how tightly packed schedules were not helping his tired body. What will he say now? What if he says, "I have just finished a grueling IPL. I don't think I can tour Sri Lanka." What will the selectors say? Will they cry foul? When was the last time a Chief Selector looked at the scheduling and said 'enough is enough?' M/S Vengsarkar & Co., interesting times ahead!
That the IPL management (comprising of Lalit Modi, Lalit Modi, and Lalit Modi) managed to get the likes of Tom Moody, John Buchanan, Greg Chappell, and Martin Crowe to be in charge of the teams. You will wonder if it was the same board that struggled to even find a list of people to call for the Indian coach's job. In fact, the BCCI made such a monkey (not a racist slur—we worship Hanuman!) of itself that it called two candidates, one who had suspect credentials (of coaching South Africa) and the other whose name was added to make it look like a list! Now, the glitterati are coming to India. The Adelaide curator is also coming to create nice cricket wickets. Mr. Modi, couldn't you have done all this to the Duleep Trophy and Ranji Trophy, your premier tournaments. Wonder, what Lalu Rajput would be saying? "Mummy, I want a team too!"
That everybody from Ness Wadia to Shahrukh Khan is talking about Indian domestic cricket. No longer, will first-class cricketers be looked at as "domestic" helps (obviously pun intended!), so say the city club honchos. Therefore, you have a situation where money is splurged into a format that is not even the mainstream format. The players say that playing Tests for their countries is the ultimate thing! If that is the case, am I wrong to infer that the players will not play the IPL with that intensity? Can this imply that the quality of cricket will not be that great? In that case, why should I watch it? Rather, why should anyone watch it?
That everybody is gushing over how Anil Kumble will get to bowl to Sachin Tendulkar and that Brett Lee will finally have a go at Mathew Hayden and Ricky Ponting. They will only get a 4-over spell and that too in a format that has field restriction! Sorry, this does not work for me. Ask Kumble and he will tell you that he would rather bowl to Tendulkar with a slip and couple of others in close-in positions. Can his captain give him that luxury? I am not sure. So, is the Indian public short-changed again? You will probably see a heavyweight bout with one of the contender's arms tied up!
That I recently saw a news item where Channel Nine stopped telecast of a one-dayer between India and Sri Lanka. Increasingly, cricket administrators are finding it difficult to fill stadiums ( or find enough TV viewers) for neutral games. The Champions Trophy matches held in October 2006 in India, not featuring India, were played to empty stands. I asked myself," Will I go and watch Joginder Sharma bowl at Stephen Fleming?" (I hope they are not teamed together.) NOOOOOOOO! OK, where do I go and watch that happen? In an Indian stadium—we don't have a decent stadium! For years, cricket administrators have short-changed paying spectators by providing them with broken wooden chairs and leaky toilets in the cricket stadiums. Somebody screamed, "TV rights hai na." Last morning I asked my dhobi (who provides a daily analysis to the other support staff in my building on the day's cricket news),"IPL aa raha hai. Tum dekhoge?” "Nahin saab, ismein India kahaan hai? India ke match ho toh mazaa hai." I wished I had taped this and sent it to Lalit Modi.
Few stray thoughts.
That IPL is a pensioner's paradise. How do you explain the decisions of Glenn McGrath and Shane Warne to come out of retirements and opting to play in a grueling schedule? I read a news item where Mathew Elliot (remember him—he last played for Australia a decade ago) and Michael Kaspprowicz have reportedly agreed to play in the IPL. Look at the retirements over the last couple of months—Adam Gilchrist and Shaun Pollock! You do not need to be an Einstein to infer. They said T20 is a young man's game!
That Ganguly, Laxman, Dravid, and Tendulkar are captains of the respective teams. Laxman was discarded from the Indian team in the 50-over format some four years back because he was considered 'slow.' A month back, Ganguly and Dravid were dropped from the Indian 50-over team because their ageing limbs cannot cover the big grounds in Australia. What it tells you is that you may be unfit to play for your country but the same people (who think so) will call you to lead teams in a format where your limbs may even break! It is like withdrawing ageing boxers from the World welterweight championships, but they are found good enough to be part of the Super heavyweight category but at the provincial level!
That no player will talk about too much cricket now. I remember Tendulkar complaining to the media how tightly packed schedules were not helping his tired body. What will he say now? What if he says, "I have just finished a grueling IPL. I don't think I can tour Sri Lanka." What will the selectors say? Will they cry foul? When was the last time a Chief Selector looked at the scheduling and said 'enough is enough?' M/S Vengsarkar & Co., interesting times ahead!
That the IPL management (comprising of Lalit Modi, Lalit Modi, and Lalit Modi) managed to get the likes of Tom Moody, John Buchanan, Greg Chappell, and Martin Crowe to be in charge of the teams. You will wonder if it was the same board that struggled to even find a list of people to call for the Indian coach's job. In fact, the BCCI made such a monkey (not a racist slur—we worship Hanuman!) of itself that it called two candidates, one who had suspect credentials (of coaching South Africa) and the other whose name was added to make it look like a list! Now, the glitterati are coming to India. The Adelaide curator is also coming to create nice cricket wickets. Mr. Modi, couldn't you have done all this to the Duleep Trophy and Ranji Trophy, your premier tournaments. Wonder, what Lalu Rajput would be saying? "Mummy, I want a team too!"
That everybody from Ness Wadia to Shahrukh Khan is talking about Indian domestic cricket. No longer, will first-class cricketers be looked at as "domestic" helps (obviously pun intended!), so say the city club honchos. Therefore, you have a situation where money is splurged into a format that is not even the mainstream format. The players say that playing Tests for their countries is the ultimate thing! If that is the case, am I wrong to infer that the players will not play the IPL with that intensity? Can this imply that the quality of cricket will not be that great? In that case, why should I watch it? Rather, why should anyone watch it?
That everybody is gushing over how Anil Kumble will get to bowl to Sachin Tendulkar and that Brett Lee will finally have a go at Mathew Hayden and Ricky Ponting. They will only get a 4-over spell and that too in a format that has field restriction! Sorry, this does not work for me. Ask Kumble and he will tell you that he would rather bowl to Tendulkar with a slip and couple of others in close-in positions. Can his captain give him that luxury? I am not sure. So, is the Indian public short-changed again? You will probably see a heavyweight bout with one of the contender's arms tied up!
That I recently saw a news item where Channel Nine stopped telecast of a one-dayer between India and Sri Lanka. Increasingly, cricket administrators are finding it difficult to fill stadiums ( or find enough TV viewers) for neutral games. The Champions Trophy matches held in October 2006 in India, not featuring India, were played to empty stands. I asked myself," Will I go and watch Joginder Sharma bowl at Stephen Fleming?" (I hope they are not teamed together.) NOOOOOOOO! OK, where do I go and watch that happen? In an Indian stadium—we don't have a decent stadium! For years, cricket administrators have short-changed paying spectators by providing them with broken wooden chairs and leaky toilets in the cricket stadiums. Somebody screamed, "TV rights hai na." Last morning I asked my dhobi (who provides a daily analysis to the other support staff in my building on the day's cricket news),"IPL aa raha hai. Tum dekhoge?” "Nahin saab, ismein India kahaan hai? India ke match ho toh mazaa hai." I wished I had taped this and sent it to Lalit Modi.
Monday, February 18, 2008
The night ends and all that........
I watched Nishant last night. I had picked up the VCD over the weekend. What a movie! For the uninitiated, Nishant was directed by Shyam Benegal in the mid-70's. The story written by Vijay Tendulkar and set in 40’s is about four brothers who rule a village in Andhra Pradesh with an iron hand and then how a rebellion overthrows them in a super climax!
The movie has few standout points!
What an ensemble of talent! Naseeruddin Shah, Anant Nag, Mohan Agashe, Amrish Puri, Girish Karnad, Shabana Azmi, Smita Patil, and Kulbushan Kharbanda light up the screen with their electric performances. None of them is wasted in the movie—that is a tribute to the maker. None of them tries to upstage the other in the movie. Even the unsung Sadhu Meher is brilliant in a cameo.
The movie takes you to that era—an era you will find it difficult to relate to if you have led sheltered lives in cities. If a book or a movie can take you to that era and through the story provide a social commentary of the times and the place, the job of the maker is done! This movie is no exception—it takes you to that era and you can relate to those characters, empathise with them and feel for them!
A case in point is a verbal exchange between Karnad, the schoolteacher whose wife has been kidnapped by the lecherous brothers and Kharbanda, the corrupt cop.
Kharbanda: Why do you want to register a complaint?
Karnad: Because she is my wife
Kharbanda: Even if she comes back, will she be your wife? Then why complaint?
(I felt like slapping the cop!)
There is another scene where the hostage, played by Azmi, begins to flex her muscles, much to the dislike of the wife, played by Patil. Shah, who is smitten by her, rushes to his elder brother, played by Puri, for a solution. The elder chieftain, with a deadpan expression, says, “Keep emotions out of a relationship. You already have a wife at home." Riveting stuff!
The movie has few standout points!
What an ensemble of talent! Naseeruddin Shah, Anant Nag, Mohan Agashe, Amrish Puri, Girish Karnad, Shabana Azmi, Smita Patil, and Kulbushan Kharbanda light up the screen with their electric performances. None of them is wasted in the movie—that is a tribute to the maker. None of them tries to upstage the other in the movie. Even the unsung Sadhu Meher is brilliant in a cameo.
The movie takes you to that era—an era you will find it difficult to relate to if you have led sheltered lives in cities. If a book or a movie can take you to that era and through the story provide a social commentary of the times and the place, the job of the maker is done! This movie is no exception—it takes you to that era and you can relate to those characters, empathise with them and feel for them!
A case in point is a verbal exchange between Karnad, the schoolteacher whose wife has been kidnapped by the lecherous brothers and Kharbanda, the corrupt cop.
Kharbanda: Why do you want to register a complaint?
Karnad: Because she is my wife
Kharbanda: Even if she comes back, will she be your wife? Then why complaint?
(I felt like slapping the cop!)
There is another scene where the hostage, played by Azmi, begins to flex her muscles, much to the dislike of the wife, played by Patil. Shah, who is smitten by her, rushes to his elder brother, played by Puri, for a solution. The elder chieftain, with a deadpan expression, says, “Keep emotions out of a relationship. You already have a wife at home." Riveting stuff!
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