Remembering Rafi... the Voice of God

When I was young I saw a movie called, 'Krodh' starring Sanjay Dutt..... it's a nice movie, nothing out of the ordinary but what's more memorable is one beautiful song in the movie; sung by Mohammed Aziz and composed by Laxmikant-Pyarelal.... this I think is one of the first songs in Hindi cinema on a singer; if there are others, I apologize for I have not come across them so far

Na Fankaar Tujhsa Tere Baad Aaya
Mohammed Rafi, Tu Bahot Yaad Aaya

No artist of thy compare ever came after thy departure
Mohammed Rafi, we miss you a lot now, here and after

It's so strange to write about some one whom you grew up listening to, though I should confess he had left for the heavenly abode long before I was capable enough to even understand music but right from the first moment of my living life, if there was a song that moved me to tears, if there was a song that filled me with joy, if there was a song that resonated in my pain and if there was a song that spoke to me of my desires, inevitably I would find the magic of Rafi behind it... somehow, he connected with me when I was not even capable of understanding my own self and still does when I am again incapable of understanding myself...

There have been other voices too, each and everyone of them worth it's price in gold and enriched uranium but somehow the range and sweetness and beauty of this one voice is what propels me all the time.... It's futile to fight over who was better or who was worse, what's important is to remember that there could be comparisons and comparisons but what really matters is not those comparisons but the value of that man's brilliance and talent....

A Diamond will always shine and it does not make a difference if the diamond is set in the crown of England or the crown of India..... it will still remain a Diamond....

I am an atheist, a confirmed one but still the voice of Rafi compels me to listen to such beautiful gems as 'Man Tadpat Hari Darshan Ko Aaj' and makes me feel so much as a theist at times.... Bhajans like 'Hey, Naam Re' and   'Badi Der Bhai Nandlala' could make me feel the devotion of the temple-goer and even today I do not find issue with humming these beautiful gems.... neither do I find any issue with the beautiful 'Parvardigaar-e-Aalam' that makes me go gaga over the miracles of a God that I know does not exist....

Or look at the Ghazals like 'Mere Mehboob Tujhe Meri Mohabbat Ki Qasam" or "Tujhe Kya Sunaoon Main Dilruba" ... the pristine nature of love captured in the most beautiful and innocent of ways.....

I can go on and on.... the thumris, the Quawaalis, the songs of romance, the songs of pain, the songs of separation, of pathos and hurt, each and every one of them so painful, so deep; there is no emotion that cannot be captured that escapes the maestro.... he is in his prime in every moment, every second, every tune....

Maybe that's the reason we say..... Mohammed Rafi is the voice of God if he exists!

I agree with what Shankar-Jaikishen composed for Rafi and made him sing...

Tum Mujhe Yoon Bhula Na Paoge
Jab Kabhi Bhi Sunoge Geet Mere,
Sang Sag Tum Bhi Gungunaoge......

I miss your voice sir.... I wish we could have you back here with us

On The Status of Women... a Beautiful Song

As is my normal daily chore, in this silent lonely existence of mine, I was going through the different news stories on the Internet, stories from different places and regions, different communities and religions, watching over the great Tamasha called Life.

One article specifically caught my attention - it was an article from the highly respected BBC, it stated that even the UN had accepted defeat to the evil of sex-trafficking.... Hold on, did you say accepted Defeat?

I was shocked, I was stunned... I was speechless and out of that pain, that shock was born a feeling of severe revulsion and disgust... something which now finds expression in this article of mine...

In 1958, the great Sahir Ludhianvi, a poet of exceedingly brilliant talents and capabilities wrote an haunting ditty on the facts of feminine life in our male-dominated world... a beautiful song that was very beautifully composed by the underrated N Dutta and masterfully sung by the incomparable Lata Mangeshkar for that paragon of beauty Vyjayanthimala.... 

It's sad to note that today, even after the passage of 52 years, still, the song is as true as it was then .... It's a matter of great shame and great pain but the truth remains that we have failed as guardians of the women in our midst....

The song goes as follows:

Aurat Ne Janam Diyaa Mardon Ko, Mardon Ne Ussey Baazaar Diyaa
Jab Ji Chaahaa Maslaa-Kuchlaa, Jab Ji Chaahaa Dutkaar Diyaa

Woman Gave Birth to Man,
Man took her on the path to Prostitution
Oppressed her, Repressed her at His Will
When felt so, kicked her to Oblivion

Can there be a bigger truth and source of shame than this? How do we, the mandarins of society sleep silently and peacefully as such a crime is being perpetrated in our world?

The hand that rocks the cradle, the hand that's supposed to rule the world, is thrown in the dirty streets of the dark corners for the 'crime' of having a vagina!  Is this the way, we treat our mothers.... the ones who carried us in their wombs for 9 long months? 

Is this theur destiny - to be beaten, to be opressed, to be used and abused and then thrown unto the paths of Oblivion? Where are those that claim women's liberalization?

Tulti Hai Kahin Deenaaron Mein, Bikti Hai Kahin Baazaaron Mein
Nangi Nachvaai Jaati Hai, Aiyyaashon Ke Darbaaron Mein
Ye Wo Be-izzat Cheez Hai Jo, Bantt Jaati Hai Izzatdaaron Mein

Measured in Gold, Sold in Market Places
She dances naked, in the Pervert's Palaces
An undignified piece of Lard, that's shared among Dignified Faces

The honour of the poor woman is no honour, since long have the rich measured it's worth in Golden Coins, to be sold as deemed fit in Market places and the practice still continues in the name of sex-streets..... The woman that clothes us in our childhood is forced to dance naked for the pleasure of the King, the mighty and the high... the Mandarins of Society, for whom Shakespeare said "And they are all Honourable Men" showing their honoured dignity by robbing a poor, unfortunate being of her dignity!

Is her naked body, without rights? Does she have no right to her own dignity, for she possesses a vagina and not a penis? If someone is a prostitute by her right, it's her choice, but by what right do we choose to take away one's dignity, if she does not wish to be in that profession? Is she a piece of lard for being a woman and only a woman?

Mardon Ke Liye Har Zulm Ravaan, Aurat Ke Liye Ronaa Bhi Khataa
Mardon Ke Liye Laakhon Sejen, Aurat Ke Liye Bas Ek Chitaa
MardoN Ke Liye Har Aish Kaa Haq, Aurat Ke Liye Jeenaa Bhi Sazaa

For men, every crime forgiven; for women, even tears, a crime dire
For men, every bed is strewn with pleasure, for women, only one funeral pyre
For men, sleeping around, a right; for women even life a quagmire

It's indeed a sad world that differentiates so deeply between men and women... a world where there are glass ceilings for personal growth, a world where a woman is blamed for being raped.... we live in a world, where women are expected to follow a set pattern and any query is considered insubordination!

If a man indulges in sexual misdemeanor, he's just sowing his oats around! If a woman does it, she's a SLUT! Welcome to the world of double-standards

Jin HoThon Ne Inko Pyaar Kiyaa, Un HoThon Kaa Vyopaar Kiyaa
Jis Kokh Mein Inkaa Jism Dhalaa, Us Kokh Kaa Kaarobaar Kiyaa
Jis Tan Se Uge Kopal Ban Kar, Us Tan Ko Zaleel-o-Khaar Kiyaa

The lips that whispered love to you, those lips are being traded
The womb that gave you life, that womb is being exploited
The body on which you lent for support, that body is being humiliated

What else can be said that's worse than this.... the lips of a woman are the ones that speak to the baby, tender words of love in his innocence, and those lips are being sold today for pleasure..... the womb which was your home for 9 months, today you exploit it for personal gains.... the body that you held on to, while learning your first steps, today, you ravish that same body!

And you call yourself, the image of God.... Is this the Image in which God fashioned Man? Thank you, God, I am an Atheist!

Mardon Ne Banaayee Jo Rasmen, Unko Haq Kaa Farmaan Kahaa
Aurat Ke Zindaa Jalane Ko, Qurbaani Aur Balidaan Kahaa
Qismat Ke Badle RoTi Di, Aur Usko Bhi Ehsaan Kahaa

The rules made by Men-folk, are for women Truth's Proclamations
The burning of Women at Stakes, are Sacrifices in our God's Religions
Food in exchange for Bondage, And call it Society's Benedictions

These are the truths of Social mores; we made the rules and enforced them, calling them the way of the world, the way in which we should live and by which we should live... We burned women accusing them of witchcraft, we burned them in the name of Sati.... we burned them at name of our religion and called it sacrifice!

We put restrictions on their movements and in exchange gave them security in form of Food.... and then we were shameless enough to call it a Benediction! All our abuses are women-based, all our honour women- based, and yet women live life worse than animals in many of our societies!

Sansaar Ki Har Ik Besharmi, Ghurbat Ki God Mein Palti Hai
ChakloN Hi Mein Aa Ke Rukti Hai, FaaqoN Mein Jo Raah Nikalti Hai
MardoN Ki Havas Hai Jo Aksar, Aurat Ke Paap Mein Dhalti Hai

Every shame of this world is born in Poverty's Frustration
Brothels are the final resting places of the march of Starvation
It's the Lust of Man that becomes the Stigma of the Woman

And this is the most telling point of the poem.... The poet says that the shame of the brothel, is not born of choice but of grinding poverty that forces a woman to sell her dignity to the highest bidder... that Brothels are the final points of a voyage that begins with the untolerable pain of Starvation.... 

The so-called stigma of being a single mother is no stigma at all, it is a reflection of the Lust of the Incompetent. Cowardly male who could indulge in Lust but has no guts to take responsibility of his actions!

So who is a prostitute? The woman who has been stigmized or the man who ran away after his lust was satisfied!

Aurat Sansaar Ki Qismat Hai, Phir Bhi Taqdeer Ki Heti Hai
Avtaar Payambar Janti Hai, Phir Bhi Shaitaan Ki Beti Hai
Ye Vo Bad-Qismat Maan Hai Jo, Beton Ki Sej Pe Leti Hai

A woman is World's destiny, but has been removed from her own future
Gives birth to Prophets, but it called the Devil's Daughter!
She is that unfortunate, who's being ravished by sons begotten by her.....

This is the telling comment that pains me...... it's said that the Mother is who guides the future generations but is herself clueless of her own future.... she has given birth to all prophets from Ram and Buddha to Jesus and Mohammed and suckled them at her breast but is often referred to as, Satan's daughter... as the one responsible for the first Sin! Can there be a worse indictment than this? Can there be a grosser case of impropriety and miscarriage of Justice?

It's high time we think of these before we are submerged in a tsunami that's born of her tears.... Beware, mankind, you cannot succeed by putting your counterpart in chains.... it never worked, it never will!

I am a Man and I am really sorry!

Where is Comedy?

Comedy as an art is dead.... to be precise, it's very rare to see a movie which can actually qualify to be called a comedy.... all we have have today is those slapstick nonsense that goes on in the name of Comedies... inane comedies that embody more vulgarity than comedy, and situations that are more ironic than comic..... maybe it's because the ability to understand and appreciate real comedy is dead.... and why not, when mankind itself is no longer capable of staying true to it's own words and ideals, wherein shalt remain the talent to make and appreciate real comic situations...... it would be so embarrassing to laugh at one's own self, if it would remind on of the hypocrisy of his or her own character; and trust me hypocrisy is something common to our ilk.

And  the worst part of comedy in films today is the stupid mindless thought of trying to squeeze out the last tang from a used lemon.... you make a good movie, the movie makes money or entices laugh and you are out to mess up with it by making a sequel or prequel or a franchisee..... that too, with no sense of propriety or sensibility.... it seems that 'Brevity is the soul of wit', that great statement by the inimitable William Shakespeare has been forgotten by the denizens of the film world.... And I don't blame them - in a film industry where Golmaal series is considered comedy, where is the place for the old Golmaal (1979) that was more of a true comedy than all the 3 namesakes combined!

Look at Hera Pheri, a movie that defines comedy in it's own way.... and look at Hera Pheri 2 - a rape cannot be more gruesome! Now here comes Bheja Fry to fry my 'Bheja' all the way..... thank God, there was no Jaane Bhi Do Yaaro Part 2 ..... or else I would have definitely had second thoughts on my deferred suicide!

The art of the beautiful is the art of brevity and the look of a comedy should always be a look at freshness.... it's lacking like hell .... No Entry is about womanizers, it's a hit and suddenly every comedy is about womanizers..... Saajan Chale Sasural is about a guy who loves and marries 2 women and suddenly every movie is about a man stuck between 2 women..... Hello, what happened to originality?

The best comic movies have always been the stand-alones.... Charles Chaplin never had a need to repeat a story and look at his repertoire - Gold Rush, City Lights, The Kid, The Last Dictator, so many of them and each one of them, a classic! and just look at the subjects.... awesome! This is what I am talking of, a comic movie need not have 'the usual suspect' circumstances, 'the usual suspect' characters and 'the usual suspect' scenarios.... comedies can be created out of everything .... Cases in point, 'Tere Bin Laaden', a brilliant and humourous take on Terrorism, 'Welcome to Sajjanpur', a humourous look at life in Rural India and 'Well Done, Abba', one of the best films on Corruption and of course, who can forget 'Peepli Live!', one of the best black comedies made in recent times.....

Comedy is strong when it also shows the beauty of other emotions, of pain, of loss, of betrayal..... Charles Chaplin was the master of this beautiful masala mix.... Look at City Lights, no film shows better how a woman uses a man for her own needs and then conveniently forgets him and this beautiful complex emotion is shown in just one scene at the window.... Look at The Kid, the scene wherein the kid is taken away from Charles leaving him all alone in this world is one of the most powerful scenes in entire cinemadom.....

Coming closer to home, have a look at Kunwaara Baap, and Mehmood makes you cry and laugh with his performance of a surrogate father of a lame child..... This is the power of Comedy ... this is the power of Filmdom; films are made of moments such as these, that burn on your conscience and consciousness for all times to come....

I hope the art of comedy will survive; I hope we will all be treated to more beautiful comedies in the future; I hope there will be movies, capable of standing on their own.... I know I am hoping against hope but then, a guy can hope... Can't he?

How to Win a Wife's Trust - My Thoughts on Chupke Chupke (1975)

I was visiting one of my close friends and this is all that he had to say to me, regarding his latest emotional travail

"Nothing pains me more than to hear my wife extolling the praises of her brother-in-law (her Dracula like sister’s Frankenstein husband) while simultaneously berating me for slights seen and unseen.

The cold rage that seethes within me, at such times, is sometimes so immense that the poor guy would die of sheer terror, had we been face to face at that moment in time. I mean, I would prefer that at least one of the fair sex feels I am Superman so what if I have still not mastered the art of eating with chopsticks (Seriously I believe eating with chopsticks should be introduced to train people in the art of throwing the javelin, after all every time I attempt it, I end up with the remnants of my dish on the well-creased shirts of people sitting on the remote corners of the same room, without making any serious efforts to that end) and wear my tie in a more discreet and acceptable fashion."

Let’s face it, guys, every married man alive will concur with me when I say that he wants to be the sole object of perfection in his wife’s esteem and if he finds that position threatened by another, he will do all in his powers to convince her that he indeed is much better in all respects. After all, it’s his life at stake and he has no other choice, either he can go down whimpering chupke chupke;or he can plan a move to unsettle the Challenger, again;chupke chupke!

These are subjects with which the man on the streets of India can identify but which fail to find space in the minds of the great artistes of the Hindi Cinematic world. Maybe it does not provide scope to the creative instincts of a great director and hence the audience waits; film for the common audience is hardly ever made. This is where Hrishikesh Mukherjee stood heads and shoulders above his contemporaries, in making classics out of inane, everyday subjects.It was to his credit that the man from the middle class could also point out and say, “Hey that’s me”

Chupke Chupke is a brilliant movie that teaches us to laugh at ourselves, without trying to make it look larger than life. The travails of Dr. Parimal Tripathi is something every husband can identify with; whether anybody would actually go to those lengths to convince his wife of his capabilities is debatable.

Dharmendra as Dr. Parimal looks ravishing and acts brilliantly. The actor is in full control of his emotions and shows a rare flair for comedy. He is absolutely brilliant as the prankster out to reclaim his wife’s trust and confidence and his interactions with the sophisticated Om as a rustic Hindi perfectionist is simply mind-blowing. In fact, I learnt more about Hindi by watching his performance than I did by studying in my entire matriculation years. In my wildest dreams, I never thought a ‘Ghaas-Patti Ka Doctor’ would know so much about Hindi...

Amitabh Bachchan…. Now what does one say about Amitabh Bachchan? Suffice it to say that the guy is in full control of his role… At a time when people used to equate him with the Angry Young Man, the actor delivers a flawless performance and is definitely one of the brighter stars of the movie. What else do I say about him as he effortlessly keeps repeating … “Aap Log To Kucch Samajhte Hi Nahin Naa…”


Sharmila Tagore adds her own brand of sophisticated realism to the movie. She is the perfect counterfoil to Dharmendra’s antics and appears completely chilled out throughout the movie. In contrast, Jaya Bhaduri is guile personified and plays the role of the confused girl to perfection. See her getting confused between ’Karela’ and ’Corolla’. I never expected to find such an outstanding pair of actresses together but the film appears to be a complete picnic with each and every character having a ball performing. David, Asrani and Keshto Mukherjee play their roles with the regular aplomb.

But it’s Om Prakash who actually is the man out in the pack.The actor has landed an enviable role and performs it to perfection. The role of the senior and much-admired brother-in-law who vouches for purity of language and chafes at mediocrity, faced with an idiosyncratic gift, one that can neither be wished away nor be thrown away opens itself to many interpretations and is a challenge for any actor. To the credit of Om, the actor performs as if he was born to be Barrister Raghavendra Sharma… One of his best performances ever

Music by S D Burman is as melodious as ever… Lata Mangeshkar is mischief personified as she croons ‘Abke Sajan Saawan Mein’ while the title song finds her in a totally different mellow mood. Mukesh and Lata combine well in the romantic ‘Baagon Mein Kaise’ but the song that makes all of us go bombastic is the Mohammed Rafi-Kishore Kumar duet  “Sa Re Ga Ma”. The song is as hilarious as can be and when two maestros go at each other, the effort is well worth listening. Although when compared with Abhimaan, the score is not that melodious still it retains a charm of its own.

What do I say about Hrishikesh Mukherjee…. The director has time and again proved that even the simple things in life could be turned intoa beautiful movie. It’s to his credit that he could make a serious film like Abhimaan on the concept of Male ego and again take the same concept and make a light-hearted movie on the same, without letting the concept down.  Chupke Chupke is a brilliant example of how a film should be made…. My deepest respects to the common man’s director

Do watch this movie and enjoy it Chupke Chupke….. It’s a grim reminder of an era gone by…. We all miss you Hrishida….

And to my friends; Kejal, Bhavtesh and all ..... God Bless you....  These are one of the few times, when I can smile and say: Better to be single, than to mingle ....

A Walk-up Call to a Lost Truth - My thoughts on Jaagte Raho (1956)

Many a dark truths lurk under the benevolent lights of social facades. Not all of them palatable, not all of them acceptable.  It's a fact of social hypocrisy that often we try and hide the unpleasant truths, that we justify our deeds of betrayal and treachery by high-sounding statements of circumstances, that we give commitments and then try to wiggle out of it citing unexisting pressures  and transfer our love, our loyalty and our emotion to the next merchant with the moolah, giving our disgusting betrayal laughable, high-sounding names like practicality..... and then because somewhere we know we are worse than the worms on the streets, we act as if these facts don't exist; it's not difficult for we are the ones who rape our conscience daily till it has been killed and then cry foul.... the perfect hypocrite!


We crib for social equality , talk about being indifferent to the circumstances (of course as long as they don't burn as) but at the same time, do not think twice before bypassing the beggar on the road; it turns out we have not even seen him..... Of course, we are decent people, humanitarians with a lot of love in our hearts for the poorer sections of society, only it is deemed to be a love that should should start from the heart and never reach the wallet.... for wallets are not supposed to be for love, they are supposed to be for security..... Isn't that the reason why we change relationships like clothes and then we even have the temerity to laugh at whores who live a much more dignified life then us.


Why would anybody want to show this unpalatable fact to the audience and why would the audience be interested in watching it.... Well, there seems to be a genre of intellectuals, who think high as long as it doesn't impact them - a fraternity where love, concern and commitment are words and only words, but words which when spoken well, give rich dividends..... and there is another class of people who try and hope to put an end to these inequalities.... 


RK Films on a whole often made films for the Aam Aadmi, even when he was not so much in the public eye..... One of the early movies made by them, which tried to put across this truth to an unbelieving and unrelenting society in an acceptable form is Jagte Raho. In a bold stroke for those times, Jagte Raho tries to do away with stereotyped conventions of social mores and attempts to reveal that material affluence may not actually be a prerequisite for gentlemanly conduct, in fact, the so-called cultured homes often have the most perverse and undignified of members.... In addition, Jagte Raho was one of the first movies made in India to relate the travails of a human being over the duration of a single day or night. Thus, judging from their past records, this film was a long cry from the formula fare with a strong social theme dished out by the production house and immediately made waves in the international circuit.

So what is the film about? Well, Jagte Raho is a story of a peasant who comes over to the city in search of employment, in wrongly suspected to be a thief, because of his clothing, because he does not suit the dressing sense of the Babu- the cultured and decadent denizens of a city that cries for redemption and the trials and tribulations he undergoes in that dark night. On a parallel track, the movie also underlines the decadence and fall of ethics in a country rapidly trying to grapple with social evils and also tries to paint in bold relief the social mindset which looks at appearances as the final arbiter of a man's worth and character. Isn't money the barometer that decides relationships?


Bikti Hain Suhaag Ki Raatein Bhi, Dulhan Ke Chalan Bik Jaate Hain
Yeh Hirs-O-Hawas Ki Mandi Hai, Yahaan Anmol Rattan Bik Jaate Hain

Raj Kapoor as the simple peasant, a man of conscience and character, gives one of his most perfectly chiseled performances. A performance that can be considered to be among the 100 best ever performances in Hindi Cinema .... Gone and invisible is the stereotyped smart pickpocket of Awara, the guilt-ridden swindler of Shree 420 and the tramp of numerous other such formula fares. In its place, we find an actor who proves once and for all his vast repertoire and intelligent knowledge of the medium.

Throughout the film he speaks with his eyes and those eyes speak more than the most bombastic dialogues of many a great veteran. Equally effective is his outburst, when he's hounded by a partisan crowd baying for his blood and the scene wherein he confronts the young child, ably played by Daisy Irani. Both of these confrontations are on different levels but it's to the credit of the actor that he manages to carry off both with such distinct and overwhelming perfection that it imparts an intense uniqueness to both. This is his film and he ensures it remains his in spite of a galaxy of excellent work of all his co-stars.

Daisy Irani as the young child manages to steal the thunder from all others and its to her credit that her only scene in the film remains firmly etched in your mind as one leaves the theatre. No doubt, she was the highest paid child artiste of her times and still evokes memories of innocence and sweetness.

Among the others, Motilal as the drunken husband proves that form is temporary but class permanent. When I was young, I was told many a times by older connoisseurs of Indian cinema about this savvy perfectionist but his intelligence and talent is to be seen to be believed. His brilliant portrayal of the drunken husband who has no compulsions in forcing his wife to drink is unmatched in both quality and style. 

Pradeep Kumar as a lover boy, Iftikhar as the local youth leader of the colony, Nana Palsikar as the quack and Nemo as the blackmarketeer who is a saintly figure in social circles play their roles with excellence; each and every one of them just proving a facet of life that we would not like to see... Nargis also impresses with her short cameo towards the end of the movie. A trivia.... this was the last time Raj Kapoor and Nargis came together for a movie and the scene which brings them together is one of the best to be shot and still evokes the memories of a true love, destroyed by the woman's selfishness.

Shambhu Mitra, the director of the movie was one of the best directors in Bengali cinema and that he was no less than his other Bengali counterparts can be very well gauged from his deft direction in this movie, which was considered as drab by many a big name when Raj decided to make the movie.

Salil Chowdhary comes up with another gem of a composition, although the musical score may pale when compared to his other compositions in more popular movies like Anand and Madhumati. Still the songs have a feel and life of their own... Mukesh is ethereal as he croons 'Ziindagi Khwab Hai' ... Lata in one of the beautiful Bhajan of her life brings to life the pinings of a a true Radha as she enters the threos of 'Jaago Mohan Pyaare Jaago'

A movie for those who wish to understand cinema for cinematic reasons and especially recommended for those who believe Indian Cinema never ever made good movies.


And before I end, some beautiful lines from a beautiful song from the movie: 





Ainveen Duniya Deve duhaayi, Jhutta Panvaadee Shor
Apne Dil Ne Pucch De Vekho, Kaun Nahin Hai Chor....


Haque Doojen Daa Maar-Maar De Ban Gaye Log Ameer
Main Ainu Kahenda Chori, Duniya Kahende Taqdeer


Vekhe Pandit Gyaani-Dyaani, Daya-Dharam De Bandey
Ram Naam Japde, Khaande Gau-Shaale De Chandey


Sacchey Phansi Chadte Vekhe, Jhhota Mauj Udaaye,
Lok Kahende E Rab Di Maaya, Main Kandu Anyaaye

Murder, She Decreed - My Thoughts on Saat Khoon Maaf (2011)

Valentine's Day, 2011 was a new day for me .... a day that for the first time in the last 3 years had no meaning for me whatsoever..... the only thing that was worth my attention on this strange day was the premiere attendance request I had for a beautiful movie - 7 Khoon Maaf.... (7 Murders Forgiven) .... a movie by Vishal Bharadwaj ....

I was in no mood for movies but then Kolkata can be a trifle punishing for a lonely soul on Valentine's Day.... And sometimes, when you are in an alien city, and that too alone, it's better to be by your own self then to be at the mercy of your memories....

Based on Ruskin Bond's brilliant short story, "Susanna's Seven Husbands", the movie is a brilliant adaptation of an unbelievable story..... the mood is dark, the camera moves in dark spells, the ambiance is unbelievably gothic and the story dark... but trust me it's worth every minute and every penny ..... my personal advice, do watch it....

The Wife:

Priyanka Chopra has been recently in the news for trying her best to leave some sort of an artistic legacy behind her and this I daresay is the right vehicle for a mighty purpose.... First thing first, she gets the look and the language correct.... the role is author-backed and well-etched, it's complex and it's well-fleshed out and Priyanka does try her best to fit the role.... her eyes are expressive, her actions well-thought out, the movements subtle and the intensity well-documented .... to be fair to her, however, this is a role that requires immense maturity and understanding of the art of cinema and would have been a difficult preposition for any one in her shoes.... the characterization is complex, dark and pervades your conscience, in fact, it looms over every action, making it a tough act to perform and follow ... she does well, brilliantly well and there are times when she is the perfect peg for the perfect hole but then there are other times too..... I would have loved to see someone like Smita Patil or Shabana Azmi or maybe Neena Gupta try this role, the result would have been devastating, still Priyanka has her moments and they are well-utilized.... Indeed, none from the current generation could do it better....

And now let's look at the husbands: each one of them well nuanced and well prepared, such that they appear not only perfect in themselves but also the perfect complements of the characters, they are supposed to play....

Husband No. 1: (Major Edwin Rodrigues)

In Napoleon's times, there lived a soldier called Chauvin who could not hear anything wrong against Napoleon... from him comes the term Chauvinist and the most famous abbreviation of recent times: MCP (Male Chauvinist Pig)... there is of course an equivalent in gender terms ... FCB but it does not concern us here.... So what is a MCP? A classic example would be Major Edwin Rodrigues

A man given to every sort of insecurity can only make a woman insecure of her own position .... he's lame in a leg and lame in his mind, suspicious and insecure, an earnest soldier trying to secure a wild Arabian mare... the result would be obvious to anyone who has ever learnt horse-riding ..... Death!

Neil Nitin Mukesh is simply one of the best actors in the industry today who has been grossly neglected, unappreciated and under-worked.... right from the days of Johnny Gaddar to this beautiful movie, the man maintains his career profile with the same intensity and performance that makes him in my book someone to watch out for.... the contortion of the face to hide jealousy and rage, the deep stare that hides mountains of anger and self-pity, it requires an actor who has studied his own dark side to understand his own insecurities to pull off a role, as uncouth as this one and Neil is bang on target.... Reminds me of Danny Denzongpa in Dhoond.... excellent performance, on the spot

Husband No. 2 (Jimmy Stetson alias Jamshed Singh Rathod)

There is a beautiful story in the Greek mythology about a character called Narcissus ... a man who fell in love with himself to the utter oblivion of everything else.... a man as selfish and as self-absorbed as to be a Narcissus can at best be a leech, fit to be killed with salt than to be a husband... such a man cannot see beyond himself, he can only use all for his purpose....and such a parasite dare not try to cling around the oak... for what follows in the embrace of an oak is.... Death!

John Abraham is a revelation.... I have never thought of him as an actor except in a few movies here and there, which do not merit him as an actor outside of those films but it appears that a good director can indeed make an actor out of even wooden boards.... John plays the role of the self-obsessed, addict to perfection ... I do not think it could have been done any better....

Husband No. 3: Wasiullah Khan 'Musafir'

Sigmund Freud once stated that the most polite of the characters often hide a ruthless streak.... and isn't it true? Look at all the serial-killers that have been around in history ... their alter-egos were always pretty decent, church-going, mama's boy kind of individuals... the type of guys who fit the role of the typical guy-next-door, not someone you would think would be messing up with the lonely doggie on the street... but then appearances can be deceptive... and the gentlest of the souls can really hide a violent streak....

So what's the problem with Wasiullah? He seems to be a gentle poet who seems to be disturbed by the Kashmiri insurgency but hold on, he's actually a sado-masochist in bed... his sexuality needs the abject and total degradation of his partner... what he needs is not a partner but a slave girl.... well, this isn't exactly the 10th Century AD ... Slavery was banned in the 16th - 17th century ... Mr. Wasiullah got it wrong!

Why would a woman suffer violence? Why would any one suffer Violence? Have you ever tried to fight a cornered lioness ..... the result is only... Death!

Irrfan Khan is too good.... an alumnus of the National School of Drama, there is not a single step that's put wrong... the schizophrenic personality of Wasiullah is a challenge for even an accomplished actor but Irrfan makes it seem so simple... the softness of the speech, the harshness of the violence all makes it so believable....

Husband No. 4 (Nicholai Vronsky)

I am an ardent supporter of Polyamory, of course there was a time when I desperately wanted to be a monogamist but the time is past now and I am back to where I was.... the most important aspect of polyamory is the cause of no-cheating, and complete honesty between partners.... in a way, that makes it so very difficult... but then who said love was easy? I didn't!

Cheating someone who loves you, using someone who loves you, playing with the emotions of someone who loves you, is often easy whether it be physically, emotionally, psychologically, financially - in whatever way, it's standing with the one who loves you when the chips are down, that's difficult... and what often is the result of these misdeamenours.... Death!

The Russian actor. Aleksandr Dyachenko, has worked hard on the movie... he's earnest and his earnestness comes out very well; each and every scene of his shows his earnestness and his intensity... the guy has done a good job, especially in his last scene; he emotes well but remains within the confines of his role and characterization ... maybe because it's an alien language and his body language is not complementing him but his slight diffidence pays him good dividends....

Husband No. 5 (Keemat Lal)

Keemat Lal is a nymphomaniac and here it's lust that dictates love.... but any love that has a larger complement of lust will not have the two essential complements of love, commitment and attachment... lust is never about attachment, it's always about self-gratification and self-gratification often ends the day the other does not have the wherewithal to withstand the harsh times... so deficit of money, end of love; deficit of sex, end of love; deficit of security, end of love.... the truth of many girls and boys out there, sadly!

Keemat would have done well to have studied the mating habits of Black Widows.... he would have understood that after the sexual desire has been satiated, the female of the species, as a part of her orgasm often eats up the male of the species, who often meets his end while still in the throes of sexual passion.... it's the most beautiful way to meet... Death!

Annu Kapoor has always been one of the few actors I have respected and he has never let me down.... the lecher's role has been done to perfection by so many villains in the industry that I did not have any expectations from Annu but then I was stupid, Annu actually showed me how even a role that has been done to death by exceptionally brilliant performers can still be performed with an originality that's all it's own and that's commendable!

Husband No. 6 (Dr. Modhusudhon Tarafdaar)

Have you ever heard the Devil speaking? He never speaks harshly, he is never excited; he's calm, he composed, he's soft and he's patient... because he knows what he's talking about... the duty of the Devil to excite passions, not to get passionate itself.... remember, the Devil excited Eve to have the Apple of Knowledge but he himself, never ate it nor did he pluck it!

And why can the Devil be calm... because it doesn't care! The one who cares, is bound to lose patience, to get angry, to shout back but what about one who doesn't .... he can always be the patient one because it does not effect him.... but then they can be dangerous... Remember the most deadliest of the predators does not run you down or kill you will strong claws or fangs.... it weaves a soft web and then waits patiently for you to get stuck in it ... and once you are in, this one will ensure that only one things can take you out.... Death!

And so is this doctor.... soft-spoken and calm, hiding his intent behind a show of culture and love, but in reality, hiding a deep and dangerous mind, one that only has it's own personal agendas always on the back of it's mind; Like any true double-gamer, he's calm and courteous, showers love and talks of till-death-do-us-part but actively and ruthlessly plans for keeping it's options open, once the other party has been financially compromised.....

Naseeruddin Shah has played this role with the aplomb expected of an actor of his calibre.... every gesture is perfect, every statement perfect, the actor shows himself in complete command of the medium ... simply awesome.... if there was an actor who ever deserved a perfect 10, here he is.... Naseeruddin Shah!

The Others: 

Vivaan Shah, on his debut scores a perfect 10 ..... the guy seems to have inherited all the right genes from his father, Naseer, as he makes an effortless and polished debut.... his is an assuring role, even the voice inflections of the role have kept pace with his screen age, which for a newcomer is commendable....

Konkana Sen Sharma, is wasted in a role that could have been done by anyone.... similarly Usha Uthup, though very expressive with her eyes does not have much to say.... Harish Khanna as the butler is impressive but does not have a lot to say for himself.... Benjamin Gilani is wasted.... Shashi Malviya does impress as a dumb jockey but then he does not have much to do in the movie...

Vishal Bharadwaj has proved to be one of the best directors and music composers in the current Indian scenario.... once again he does not disappoint you... .both the music and the direction is first-rate... the scenes well-crafted, well-constructed and well-shot.... the music topical, fresh and lovable....

I love specially the scene wherein Vivaan comes to meet Priyanka after completing his studies in Russia... the rocking chair, the seduction and the rejection are all so beautifully captured..... it shows a genius at work!Also, the final confrontation between Vivaan and Priyanka is also brilliant.... as are all the interactions between Priyanka and her husbands

But the one scene I can never forget it the last scene, after Priyanka becomes a nun and dances with Jesus Christ on the backdrop of the pain she went through in her life, looking for love.....

Vishal Saahab... Agar Aap Aisi Hi Filmein Banaate Rahe To Aapko Saat Kya Sau Khoon Maaf

(Vishal Saahab... if you keep making films like these, you would be forgiven murder not seven times, but a hundred times)

Life as a Teacher - My Thoughts on Do Dooni Chaar (2010)

Guru Vishnu, Guru Brahma, Guru Maheshwara,
Guru Saakshaat ParaBrahmaa, Tasmay Shri Gurevey Namaah .....

I once had a teacher .... a woman of iron with a heart of gold and a voice of velvet.... to be frank, she was not my teacher, she was my surrogate mother, my grandmother and elder sister, all rolled in one .... Years have passed, since I last saw her, Nineteen years to be precise but I don't think there has been a single day when I have not prayed for her well-being, and that's a strange thing to say, for I am an atheist and know no God.... Her name was Mrs. Poornima Sarkar and this post of mine is dedicated to the memory of the one woman who has never left my heart....

A nation is made of it's teachers.... a nation is made of it's professors.... a nation is made of it's lecturers.... for only they can be of the most use to the nation, who can mould the fiery spirit and innocence of childhood to a beautiful dream of a different tomorrow when the today is far from perfect... and they always end up among the poorest sections of society, except of course those teachers who have made teaching into a commercial enterprise and education a commodity to be sold at the highest price to the richest bidder.... but then, we are not discussing the snakes in the garden today, today our focus is on the gardener who creates the beautiful garden and gives it his blood, his sweat and his dreams...

Indeed, there have been many interesting movies on the educational system which have captured the imagination of the people and depicted the most beautiful relationship between a teacher and a student, notable names would mean Imtihaan starring Vinod Khanna and Taare Zameen Par starring Aamir Khan but very few films have focused on the life of the teacher himself.... a few have used it wonderfully as a support base to depict other parameters of the story but the life and times of a teacher have been rarely presented.... Do Dooni Chaar is a film that looks at this aspect of the teacher's life and does so wonderfully....

It is indeed an irony of nature and a travesty of our political system that our teachers earn less than what the peons earn in Municipal offices.... they travel in buses and scooters while the students they teach graduate to the the cars within no short time.... When did it become so difficult for a Teacher to buy himself the basic requirements of his life? Is it not a matter of great concern, if just to graduate from a two-wheeler to a four-wheeler, a teacher has to be forced to be ready to sell his soul? What kind of society is this when the one who gives us weapons for our dreams is often unarmed himself / herself?

The nation needs to think and think hard.....There is a gap here, a gap which can make the most idealist of teachers break down and sell his wares to a Duryodhana, the way Drona was forced to do for the sake of his child and his love of his child.... and this is the premise that the film beautifully captures....  Drona would have never taken Eklavya's thumb, had it not been for the fact, that despite being the best teacher in the country, his wares were for sale and had been sold to the Bharata clan... Time to stop and ponder...!

Rishi Kapoor as a middle-aged professor who loves to teach is a revelation ... as I have often noted in this blog, in his heyday, his branding as a romantic hero often failed to do justice to his immense talent and it's not strange then that once he has put down the yoke of an image, that often stopped him from proving his brilliance, the man has grown rapidly, whether it's the unmarried, still-deeply-in-love, middle-aged lover boy in Delhi-6, the mature and worldly-wise father figure in Love Aaj Kal or the increasingly assertive, used to see things in his way patriarch in Patiala House or a common middle class mathematics professor, trying desperately to indulge in his favourite passion - teaching and also trying simultaneously to juggle a highly-dissatisfied family in ever-increasing inflationary times.....

It's a beautiful role and it has been performed with a panache that comes from being secure... and security comes from trust in self, faith in one's abilities and belief in the premise of the story....  lack on even one parameter is enough to destroy one but Rishi has no such qualms... he is Santosh Duggal and we never can forget that, such is his command over the role....

Neetu Singh is unbelievable.... She left the industry when I was not even conscious of her as an actress and every time I say a film of her, it only made me think of her as this beautiful, young girl who lived only to have fun.... so it was a treat to see her perform.... what a performance... I will confess, I never knew that Neetu had such a brilliant knack of seeing through.... I mean, her performance in this film as Kusum Duggal, is the complete anti-thesis of the person she actually is but who can say that after seeing a performance as towering as this one ..... We missed you Neetu .... We really did

Aditi Vasudev and Archit Krishna as the teen-aged kids of the house are just picture-perfect... the girl's frustration at her father's social status is so very common that it points out a sorry picture for our education system... a system which makes people aware of their inadequacies but does not let them take pride in their background is a sure recipe for the making of a hypocritical nation... Indeed this is where nations are made and destroyed.... and this is where India lost it's story.... There is a lot of spontaneity in Aditi's performance making her an actress to watch out for....

The boy is also a victim of the same circumstances... the only difference being that in place of becoming a hypocrite, he has become a smooth operator of the system .... I am not very confident of whether this guy will make it big because in some of the other scenes, where a little subtlety is required, the face does get emotionless but then he does have a spark and it would be nice to see how this spark turns out to be...

Akhilendra Mishra turns in a brilliant performance as the next door neighbour, Farooqui. Supriya Shukla is also well-suited for the role of the sister but I really loved the woman who plays Mrs. Farooqui and the guy who plays the role of the Inspector....

Habib Faisal has proved to be a good addition to the director's fraternity.... at a time when making picture-postcards has become an obsession with the industry and the art of directing films is almost forgotten, the movie comes as a breath of fresh air... we hope he redeems himself by such beautiful movies and the times of the masters can at least be remembered fondly, if not re-assessed!

Lastly, I will end by stating that the Shlok I invoked in the beginning gives the Guru a place greater than even God.... they are not asking to be made Gods but at least let them live like Men so that they do not have to be forced to go to the Devil .... Think about it!

To India With Love From Bharat - My Thoughts on Peepli [Live] (2010)

There are two different India that inhabit the bosom of my country, the one we call India where I reside, with it's 24 hour Internet Services, Credit Card Services, Anytime Banking, Malls and all other facilities - then there is the other India, also called as Bharat, whose limits start within India itself and go on deepening as we recede from the neon lights of the cities and move to the moonlight of the interior... This India has not even heard of the internet, does not know the meaning of the word 'Credit', has not seen a well-functioning bank and only knows malfunctioning tractors and has no idea of malls.... Strange as it seems to people living in Mumbai, Delhi, Chennai and Kolkata, such an India does exist ... but then we are so used to our own comforts, where do we have the time to observe an India that's so different from us!

Today is the 61th Anniversary of our Republic Day ... on 26 January 1950, we bequeathed to our selves a constitution that remains the pride of every Indian .... but there is a lot in India that needs to be looked at carefully if we intend this pride to remain constant forever.... today, on the occasion of the Republic Day, I would like to move beyond India and speak of a beautiful film from Bharat that made me think of the differences between the two...

Anusha Rizvi's Peepli Live is one of the few films that have taken a very interesting and satirical take on the problem of farmer suicides that has become endemic in Bharat..... Banks loan money to farmers for seeds and other implements at very high, exorbitant rates; the farmer (even after 64 years of independence) depends on the rains for a good crop that mostly fails, fails in re-payment of the loans, the loan-sharks start attaching properties and enforcing payments leading to more destitution among the farmers finally leading to a cycle of debts to pay up debts an often ends into Suicides..... the perfect example of Chakravyuh in today's world..... The nation has so far failed to alleviate the concerns of the farmers and have left them to die in their own misery.... Despite being a topical issue, no other filmmaker had dared take an interest in the subject and hence Peepli [Live] has a fresh look to it's recipe....

The film works brilliantly due to an excellent directorial effort by Anusha - the excellent performances by the ensemble cast - specifically Raghubir Yadav and Omkar Das Manikpuri who play the roles of the two debt-ridden brothers who have failed in their attempt to save their farms from the Loan Sharks....

Omkar Das (as Natha), a new find as the younger brother, is exceptional in his use of body language and eloquent use of Silence as he tries to find out his way from the melee created by the entire episode..... Raghubir Yadav, complements him fully as the elder brother, who can go to any extent to clear the debt but had not bargained to see the extent of uproar it could create.... The film primarily works on the brilliant and exceptional chemistry shared by the two brothers.... The pain of penury, the fear of loss and the expectations and hopes of a better future - a future that is dependent on the death of the dreamer is dark and requires a lot of effort on the part of the actors and the director... Needless to say, it comes out well....

The character of the nagging wife played by Shalini Vatsa is so true to form that I could remember a person I met when I used to visit villages for my Social Service Classes in College... And her interactions with her mother-in-law make for some interesting observations in the saas-bahu saga (Ekta Kapoor, are you listening?)

The 'tamasha' called the press has also been very-well depicted .... like Rann earlier in 2009 but in more deeper shades, the business of creating news has been laid threadbare for our inspection.... Nandita, the hoi-polloi big newscaster from ITVN is one of the best and most professional presentation of the breed on cinema. Nandita is from the big city and couldn't care less for the problems of Natha and his family - what she wants from the entire game is TRP ratings for her company and her career.... Malaika Shenoy brings a natural colour to the proceedings with her effortless performance... Pitted against her, as the Hindi Correspondent and Master Manipulator, is Deepak (Vishal O Sharma), a correspondent who is a reporter by profession but actually a propagandist by nature for the Ruling Party.... the divide between the regional and the English Channels is beautifully laid bare.... the fight for TRP and the fall from exalted standards to garner those TRP is so well depicted that beyond a limit, the crassness of the spectacle makes you revolt rather than laugh at them.....

And in between the two is Rakesh, a small-town reporter who dreams to make it big in the world of News, but who still seems to have some conscience - a man who actually senses the story before anyone else does and then tries to retain the human angle and the reporter's values as everything around him seems to crash down.... He is that rare breed of reporters that no longer exist; the last of those for whom reporting news was about the human aspect primarily and its fitting that he should die unknown and unsung while the paragons of what make news today live on to tell their story..... Nawazuddin Siddiqui plays the role with a real heart...

Interestingly, in a movie of such an anti-establishment nature, leaders and politicians  are often lampooned to such an extent that they end up as caricatures of the community. However, Peepli [Live] treats them with the respect of position and at the same time does not stop from hitting out a few lusty blows to the fraternity..... However, I think this aspect of the movie is on the whole not-as-convincing as the others....

The music is rustic and carries the charm of a full-throated, deep-chested, uncaring attitude.... the song 'Maare Saaiyan To Khub Hi Kamaat Hain' is such a beautiful gem that I cannot stop humming the song ..... It's just too good and Raghuvir Yadav sings with the lusty overtones of an intrepid singer, making it more melodious and effervescent.... the magic of the song lies in it's melody - simple and straight.... Maybe that's what is lacking in all the Sheelas and Munnis of the day....

A brilliant movie, which needs to be seen to be believed and a question that needs to be asked... How long will this state continue? How long can the country allow such a schizophrenic attitude to something as dangerous as this?

It's time for answers.... or else Natha will keep on dying and we will, to save our faces, keep on lying.... but that won't help because the Truth is out there and Truth will forever remain out there....