Tuesday, August 28, 2012

Copy/Paste

Happy Birthday Firaq Sahab ..........

बहुत पहले से उन क़दमों की आहट जान लेते हैं
तुझे ए ज़िन्दगी, हम दूर से पहचान लेते हैं।

तबियत अपनी घबराती है जब सुनसान रातों में
हम ऐसे में तेरी यादों की चादर तान लेते हैं

फ़िराक़ गोरखपुरी ( ज्ञानपीठ पुरस्कार, पद्म भूषण )
( जन्म: 28 अगस्त 1896 निधन: 1982 )

Bangalore Clouds



Tuesday, August 14, 2012

Tehelka loves Congress(Or fears BJP?)

No one needs reminding on how Tehelka has conducted one sting operation after another on BJP. The Defense Expose and The Gujarat Sting Operation are the 2 examples that spring to mind immediately. And today when Assam is literally burning - Tehelka is mute. It's amazing. No shrill shrieks. No In Depth Analyses from the FREE, FAIR, FEARLESS Tehelka. Tehelka's coverage of Assam riots is conspicuous by its absence. Even the Mumbai violence that followed the Assam riots wasn't able to wake Tehelka up?

Let Assam burn. Let Bangladeshis run amok in Kokrajhar. Tehelka would rather busy itself blasting Chetan Bhagat,Baba Ramdev and casting doubts on Team Anna. Sure, that's way more important and easier than to be seen speaking in the same voice as BJP. It's better to keep BJP out of the power as it may open up cases of Income Tax violation against Mr. Tarun Tejpal. What's the point in being free,fair and fearless when their own survival is at stake.

Way to go Tehelka.... You Rock !

Monday, August 13, 2012

The new escapist fares

What do you think is the real reason behind the success of Gangs of Wasseypur,Paan Singh Tomar,Shanghai and the ilk. If you ask me these are the new means of escape for our beloved urban youth - the multiplex audience. Surrounded by the plastic smiles - mostly in their wall to wall carpeted offices, tired of English in their workplaces they(or us?) and recently migrated from their small towns to big cities, they want to escape to The Real India. A land where people ain't politically correct, where no one thinks twice before uttering MC,BC and the similar stuff.

In a way Anurag Kashyap,Tigmanshu Dhulia et al are doing what Sooraj Barjatya,Karan johar etc have been doing till now. Especially Sooraj Barjatya. His Hum Aapke hain Kaun was the movie that ruled millions of Indian hearts for a long long time. At a time when the great Indian joint family was disintegrating at a scorching pace, he sold the dream of a Ramayanesque family to the Indians who wouldn't mind shedding tears by the bucketful. Even his Vivah did quite well - especially in Bihar.

But times they are a changing. Had Haasil been released today - it would have done quite well. It was too early to make money. But the same director has been able to reach 10 times the audience with Paan Singh Tomar.

In the opening credits of Gangs of Wasseypur, Anurag Kashyap congratulates himself for being able to return to his roots - i.e. the rugged lands of UP,Bihar. But paradoxically - for him to be able to return to his roots and be applauded in the process - his audience had to migrate away from their own.