Knockout.

Anurag Kashyap shared an anecdote about what happened after Vineet Kumar Singh came to him with a story, which would later go on to become a wonderful film called MUKKABAAZ. Based in Uttar Pradesh, the story (inspired from true events) revolves around a brawler (Mukkabaaz) who aspires to be a boxer (Mukkebaaz). Kashyap liked the idea and agreed to direct it - but on one condition that if Vineet wanted to play the lead then he had to become a boxer. The transformation began, with a once scrawny Singh turning into a brawny boxer under the tutelage of professional boxing coaches in Punjab. After around a year Vineet was ready and how!

The effort put in by Vineet shows in plenty of scenes which make the boxing look as authentic as possible. Boxing is just a medium that the protagonist Shravan uses, but his fight is against several odds that his life throws up. Be it marrying an upper caste girl, or working for a boss who uses reverse discrimination, or parents who think nothing of their son’s boxing, Shravan is constantly fighting.

But his biggest fight is against the antagonist Bhagwandas (played by a menacing Jimmy Shergill) who runs the town’s boxing federation like his personal fiefdom. Shravan does get help, in the form of a boxing coach Sanjay Kumar (Ravi Kishan in a controlled performance) but how long does it last and will Shravan win against all odds are questions to which the viewers get a fitting and practical answer in the film’s climax.

Apart from the genuine boxing scenes, the other high point of this film are the dialogues. In one hilarious scene Anurag Kashyap creates pure magic with Shravan having a loud altercation with his parents, using wit and sarcasm in plentiful but ends the scene with a character totally misunderstanding the other. The female lead (Zoya Hussain) gives a sparkling performance despite playing a mute girl. In this wonderfully wordy film, it is her use of eyes and sign language that stand out (Thank goodness; we have subtitles for most of her parts).

Acting is always a plus point in Anurag Kashyap films and this one gets it from all the cast. Camera work is excellent too and captures the earthiness of UP very well. What disappoints slightly is the length and the excessive use of songs tends to slow the pace a wee bit. A sharper editing would have made this a five-star experience.

But overall this is an excellent film and is a must watch. I give it 4 out of 5 stars.

"Dangal" review.

Any sports-movie has a set pattern. There is the initial reluctance to train (either from sportsperson or from coach), followed by a twist that shows surge in passion, followed by full blooded training and then the eventual victory. So the audience already knows what will happen.

It is, in making the whole cinema-watching process engaging, where the director scores and Nitesh Tiwari does more than that for his Dangal. It is a riveting watch for most parts and the "full credit" should go to everybody involved - the producers, director, storywriters, cinematographer, editor and of course the actors.

Aamir Khan who plays Mahavir Singh Phogat is excellent. He has three looks in this film; first is of a young muscular wrestler, second - an in-his-thirties desk job employee who still can joust with aplomb and the third a potbellied in-his-fifties father of four. He nails each one of them in a performance that could well be his best till date. The caring husband, a loving father and a strict wrestling coach are all essayed convincingly.

Sakshi Tanwar plays Aamir's accommodating wife with the same assurance that she did when she worked in television. The joy of being a mother not once but four times, yet the angst that a son was not born to her to fulfill her husband's 'Golden' dream, is beautifully conveyed. Her performance should spawn many more film offers in the coming time.

The girls, on whose careers the whole movie is based, give hard hitting performances. The adolescent Geeta and Babita, played by Zaira Wasim and Suhani Bhatnagar respectively are spot on with their Haryanvi accents. Their grappling on the mud brings out some of the highest points in the film. Even the older ones, played by Fatima Sana Shaikh and Sanya Malhotra are neither overshadowed nor look overawed by the superstar playing their father.

The most heart-warming performance in the film is that of the character Omkar (Phogat's nephew). Both the boy (Ritwik Sahore) and the man (Aparshakti Khurrana) are brilliant with their comic touches. Girish Kulkarni as the egoistic coach is effective as is the rest of the cast. The authenticity in each of the roles is what keeps viewers hooked on to this 160 minute feature.

The music of the film is rustic and Pritam does a good job of it. But what impressed me more were the lyrics with Amitabh Bhattacharya at his earthy best. The Haanikaarak Baapu song is a lyrical masterpiece. The background score is solid with some good adrenaline pumping moments during the fight sequences.

The only flaws were in a couple of scenes involving the final match score and the father's presence at the venue. These are the points where the facts were twisted in the name of cinematic liberty. But it seems to work, as the climax gets the necessary bite and ends the film with style.

Like a couple of lines said in the movie – TERE MEIN DUM HAI and SABAAS - have to be said about the film as well. I rate this - 4 out of 5.

Just Kidding.

Gulzar saahab is in my opinion the greatest writer the Hindi film industry has ever seen. Millions of wannabe writers like me idolize him no end. Just as I write this I hear the song Chappa Chappa Charkha play on the radio. Unbelievable coincidence! God bless Gulzar saahab. Anyway, why I post this is because my admiration for his poetry knows no bounds. 

This year we saw Disney blockbuster The jungle book and almost every Indian of this era will remember the Hindi song Jungle jungle baat chali hai. Again the great soul behind those lyrics is you know who!  So I thought of attempting a simple poem myself. I hope the kids like it. Here it is.
        
The sun is down the moon is up.
Our dinner is done with milk full cup.
Our eyes are tired our body is weary.
Its time to read a bed time story.
Let's hope we get a lot of sweet dreams.
Full of candies, cakes and icecreams.
With fluffy pillows to keep us cozy.
And warm quilts to keep things rosy.
Off we go to catch some sleep.  
In hope that it is peaceful and deep.

Are we HOME and DRY?

The recent Chennai floods threw up a lot of questions.  Biggest of them was, why the drainage system of Indian cities is still in the bygone era. A decade ago, Mumbai saw the highest ever recorded rainfall and in a single day Mumbai turned into a gigantic lake. Of course, the rains were beyond our capacity to handle and floods were inevitable, but surely the damage would have been much less, had the severely plastic clogged drainage system been functioning better.

The next big question posed was, why nothing is being done for flood water management in a country which sees droughts in many places. Well, this is completely our fault; nature cannot be blamed. Flood water stays stagnant and in a while, becomes breeding ground for numerous viruses and bacteria, which lead to epidemic et.al. Not to mention, the damage floods do on our roads, crops etc. Why can’t we reuse flood water?

I was having a chat with my wife on water logging, when we witnessed scenes in Pune after a night of heavy rainfall. My wife, who was born in Goa and has spent all her childhood there, talked very highly of the drainage system in Goa, which is able to handle rains much heavier than what Pune can imagine. She said the Portuguese should be given their due, since they ensured great infrastructure for managing waste water till their rule ended in 1961. Why can’t other cities follow the model of Goa?

Talking of flood water management, I was constantly thinking of how we can reuse water. I googled a bit and found a very interesting idea by someone from America. She said there should be water towers installed at places which are prone to floods. Diesel operated pumps should be used to send water up to the towers, once flooding starts. She further said that the cost of such towers and pumps far outweigh the cost of lives and property lost. Well I believe, this is a good and feasible idea and can be implemented at least in the metro and tier 1 cities of India.

I also read about air tankers. Air tankers are aero-planes that can transport huge quantities of water.  I saw videos of how these planes landed on lakes and floated on them for a minute and in the process pumped water into their tanks. Then they flew away to their targets which were either wild fires or other locations where aerial fire extinguishers were needed. Although this alternative is much costlier than the water tower approach, this is certainly useful in severe cases. What I am thinking of is, having many such smaller planes land on flooded areas, take in water and fly off to drought affected places. Watering those barren lands from above can be an easier option compared to cloud seeding.

Due to the quickly warming planet, the ice at the poles is melting fast. Seas are rising and already a few tiny islands of the world have submerged. Rapid industrialization and deforestation are adding to the woes. Also, it's a pity that trees are being taken for granted. It is universally known that trees not only help in controlling pollution but also in holding ground water together and prevent floods. Water management has to become our top priority else we will reach a phase where that old line will hold true – WATER WATER EVERYWHERE, NOT A SINGLE DROP TO DRINK.

Below is a video that shows the aftermath of Chennai floods.

He walked the MIDDLE PATH!

In our country, movies are mostly about glamour, richness, beauty, grandeur etc. Basically all the possible words that can be used to describe something that is slightly beyond the reach of the common man – the one who makes up the big class of India – THE MIDDLE CLASS.  But it is this very class which loves the movies, partly for entertainment and partly because it’s like being in a dream. A dream which they saw every day and night, but which still was so distant, that they lapped up any movie that was dished out. A plot was barely essential, as long as there was an item number, a gorgeous damsel in distress, a macho hero to become her savior and a savage villain to spoil the settings and get punished for it in the end.

Majority of the movies worked around this and to come up with something which didn’t stick to these standards, meant gambling. However, there was one director in particular who mastered in simple story telling. He was none other than, Hrishikesh Mukherjee. His movies made the Great Indian Middle Class relate to almost every scene. Stories were churned out from situations which were part of everyday life. His movies were light, more often than not had a witty plot and were laced with dialog that sounded brilliant yet next-doorish. Comedy was his forte but he was versatile enough with serious cinema too.

There could be an argument saying that most of his films had plots with characters that lied a lot. GOLMAAL, KISI SE NA KEHNA, BAWARCHI, CHUPKE CHUPKE, NARAM GARAM to name a few had LIES as the crux. Even his last film as director JHOOTH BOLE KAUWA KAATE was like that. But, Hrishikesh Mukherjee was not a stereo-type. He loved to make movies with a message. As they say, communication is more about how well a message is understood than how well it is conveyed. That’s where the simplicity in story telling came from. He did make masterpieces like ANAND and ABHIMAAN, which dealt with complex subjects like death and ego. But then again, he always found a way to add entertainment in all his movies.

Another facet about his movie-making that deserves mention is MUSIC.  He worked with greats like SD Burman, RD Burman, Salil Choudhary and needless to say the songs were memorable. To go with their wonderful compositions you had fabulous lyrics from wordsmiths like Gulzar, Majrooh Sultanpuri, Anand Bakshi and the like. Just like the content of his movies, Hrishida’s movie songs also struck a chord with the general public.

Overall, Hrishikesh Mukherjee knew how to strike the right balance in his films. He neither indulged in opulence nor did he stoop low with production values. So not only did he find an audience with the middle class but also found fans in all strata of society – because somewhere, somehow we all follow the law of averages.  I hope we get many more blessed and great directors like him. Amen.

Unsung hero!

I recently heard an interview of Amit Kumar Ganguly on radio. He is simply and more famously known as Amit Kumar and is the son of the even more famous Abhas Kumar Ganguly. Oh alright, I am talking about Amit Kumar - son of singer Kishore Kumar. In a 30 minute interview I think around 20 minutes were spent talking about Kishore Kumar. It’s not as if Amit Kumar has not sung super hit songs. But so huge has been his father’s shadow, that this guy was hardly visible. At the end of the interview, I couldn’t help but think of Abhishek Bachchan who would certainly relate to this guy.

Anyway, coming back to Amit Kumar – it has to be said that he has lent his superb voice to some of the most melodious songs in the history of Hindi film music. Let me list a few, which I believe will stay evergreen.

1.    Bade Achche Lagte Hai:

RD Burman’s composition takes the cake here, but given that the song uses minimal orchestra, it is Amit Kumar’s soulful voice which adds a lot of value to this song.

2.    Yeh Zameen Gaa Rahi Hai:

Again an RDB creation, penned beautifully by Anand Bakshi is one song, which I like to hear on loop.

3.    Keh Do Ki Tum:

The legendary duo of Laxmikant-Pyarelal composed this one and got the emotion just right. It aptly portrays the possessiveness of a person for the loved one. I actually didn't know till I heard in the interview that this song was sung by Amit. But I always rated this song very highly.

4.    Yeh Ladki Zara Si Deewani: 

This is such a feel good song even though the protagonists are pulling each other’s legs. The picturization of this song may be a bit outdated, but the audio is certainly worth hearing - even now.

5.    Oye Oye:

This song from the movie Tridev had taken the nation by storm. Although its tune is heavily inspired (copied) from an old English song, Amit Kumar’s rendition is delectable.

6.    Yaad Aa Rahi Hai:

Simply awesome to hear this one, but strangely the composer RD Burman himself didn't like this song. May be because he set such super high standards. Having said that, Amit Kumar does a beautiful job, especially in the antara… Bante bante dulhan preet… Wow!

7.    Deewana Dil Deewana:

This one from Kabhi Haan Kabhi Naa is a gem of a song. The other half of this song is sung by Udit Narayan, but in my opinion Amit Kumar wins here.

There are plenty more, but I’ll wind up. It’s a pity this wonderful singer didn't get the acclaim that he truly deserved. But I am sure, like me there are many more Amit Kumar fans out there.

Luck

Years ago in Kerala, there was a couple who lived a pretty downtrodden life. Meeting ends were so difficult that on some days, they went empty stomach so that their only child could eat. The husband, a daily wage worker didn't always find work and so the wife supported by doing petty jobs. They often cursed their luck, until one day while cleaning the house, the wife found a five rupee note. Husband was away on work. Wife picked up her child, locked the door and walked towards the market.  She stopped at a shop to buy some food, and just as she was about to speak, she felt a nudge on her shoulder. She turned around and saw an even poorer man, standing with his hand thrust forward, holding a bunch of printed papers.

The man said, “Please buy one madam, and help this poor man”. She thought for a moment and then picked up one paper and asked him the price. “Good choice ma'am, that’s a lottery for 25 lakhs and it will cost you just five rupees. God willing, you may win the big prize”, he replied. Willy-nilly, she bought a ticket and walked back home. Two days later, the village was abuzz with news of a first ever full lottery win there. The wife’s luck had smiled big time. The family became the first lakhpatis of that village.

Such is luck, and talking of it, I think I need to share this wonderful message I had received on whatsapp. Read on.

Why some people have all the Luck ?  
By Professor Richard  Wiseman, University of Hertfordshire.
Why do some people get all the luck while others never get the breaks they deserve?
A psychologist says he has discovered the answer.

Ten years ago, I set out to examine luck. I wanted to know why some people are always in the right place at the right time, while others consistently experience ill fortune. I placed advertisements in national newspapers asking for people who felt consistently lucky or unlucky to contact me.

Hundreds of extraordinary men and women volunteered for my research and over the years, I have interviewed them, monitored their lives and had them take part in experiments. The results reveal that although these people have almost no insight into the causes of their luck, their thoughts and behaviour are responsible for much of their good and bad fortune. Take the case of seemingly chance opportunities. Lucky people consistently encounter such opportunities, whereas unlucky people do not.

I carried out a simple experiment to discover whether this was due to differences in their ability to spot such opportunities. I gave both lucky and unlucky people a newspaper, and asked them to look through it and tell me how many photographs were inside. I had secretly placed a large message halfway through the newspaper saying : "Tell the experimenter you have seen this and win $50."

This message took up half of the page and was written in type that was more than two inches high. It was staring everyone straight in the face, but the unlucky people tended to miss it and the lucky people tended to spot it.

Unlucky people are generally more tense than lucky people, and this anxiety disrupts their ability to notice the unexpected. As a result, they miss opportunities because they are too focused on looking for something else. They go to parties'; intent on finding their perfect partner and so miss opportunities to make good friends. They look through newspapers determined to find certain types of job advertisements and miss other types of jobs.

Lucky people are more relaxed and open, and therefore see what is there rather than just what they are looking for. My research eventually revealed that lucky people generate good fortune via four principles. They are skilled at creating and noticing chance opportunities, make lucky decisions by listening to their intuition, create self-fulfilling prophesies via positive expectations, and adopt a resilient attitude that transforms bad luck into good.

Towards the end of the work, I wondered whether these principles could be used to create good luck. I asked a group of volunteers to spend a month carrying out exercises designed to help them think and behave like a lucky person. Dramatic results ! These exercises helped them spot chance opportunities, listen to their intuition, expect to be lucky, and be more resilient to bad luck. One month later, the volunteers returned and described what had happened. The results were dramatic : 80% of people were now happier, more satisfied with their lives and perhaps most important of all, luckier.

The lucky people had become even luckier and the unlucky had become lucky. Finally, I had found the elusive "luck factor".
Here are Professor Wiseman's four top tips for becoming lucky: 
1) Listen to your gut instincts - they are normally right 
2) Be open to new experiences and breaking your normal routine 
3) Spend a few moments each day remembering things that went well 
4) Visualize yourself being lucky before an important meeting or telephone call. 
Have a Lucky day and work for it... "
The happiest people in the world are not those who have no problems, but those who learn to live with things that are less than perfect."
" There is a great difference  between "worry"  and  "concern", 
A worried person only sees the problem and a concerned person solves the problem..!"
TO BE LUCKY OR UNLUCKY - it is by  practice and choice.