One fine morning on feb 17th, if I wasn’t on a vacation in India, I would have watched this demolition from my usual lunch place - Pizza hut right across the street, of course it would have been closed for this demolition act.
Video courtesy: Ms. Crazy G
Kyon ki..Holi hai!!!!!!!!
Saw two important movies this weekend, The Bandit Queen by Shekar Kapur, and Hazaaron Khwaishein Aisi, directed by Sudhir Mishra. Earlier, Matrubhoomi - A nation without women, and Kamal Hasan’s Mahanadi were two of the most disturbing movies ever witnessed personally. Bandit Queen sure tops the list, more so it’s based on a true story and that makes it just horrifying for any human being.
I was left wondering about the really sorry state of movie making in India, while a soap opera like movie with loads of sentiment(KJ’s) or a movie with meaningless action (Chiru/NBK), or a movie which is a direct rip off of a Hollywood movie(countless?) enjoys good ‘collections’ and has success meets ranging from Dubai to Hyderabad, real cinema like Bandit queen either have to go through hell before they are released (’Censor’ board) and after -with poor collections, threats from various groups and cults or just fare poorly at box office.
How can one protagonist kill hundreds of white shirt and white dhoti clad, sword wielding, tumultuous hordes of people, overflowing in Sumos and Safaris. Heck, TATA (Auto Company) should be fined for manufacturing symbols of violence every time their vehicles are used in such meaningless movies (of course, I’m kidding). Actually, the producers and actors along with the directors should be jailed for inciting violence and hatred (I’m NOT kidding). How can these cheap movies pass the censor board, while the true story of a female tortured in the most heinous and unimaginable ways, and then stripped and paraded in front of a village and the related massacre of people unrelated to this incident by her, which is what ACTUALLY happened - be censored by the censor board. Is this not part of our history? A state government was bought down, is this not part of our geography? The chambal ravines were a stronghold for the bandits, Civics? caste clashes that have been and continue to run forever in rural India.
And then the audience like me and you- sickos, perverts and idiots, with media’s help. Why the heck should I be subjected to the son of a ’star’ who hasn’t had a single release and yet is touted to be the next ’super star’, whatever that means….success meets - where success is relative, every movie nowadays seems to run 100 days whataver crap you make anyway, let’s just donate money for the producers to STOP making such movies.
Hazaar Khwaishein Aisi - the best Hindi movie, I’ve seen in years. Narration, story, style, acting, one above the other. Shiney Ahuja, Kay Kay Menon and the stunning Chitrangada Singh, what adds to her beauty and elegance is the role she chose to play in a movie that has no big stars. She deserves accolades just for being one of the very few actresses who can actually act, it’s a pity she doesn’t act anymore. Set in the backdrop of 1970’s, the story of three people, and their ideologies and their relationships. If it’s called an art movie, it is just to honor it, because no common movie viewer will want to understand it, or digest it.
If it’s a commercial failure, it’s because the society hasn’t matured beyond Karan Johar’s savory cry-baby sagas, ridiculous Hollywood rip-offs, remixed as something between adult movie and porn, not to forget the 6 songs that never seem to integrate with the movie and yet exist for fear of a blacklash for audiences not getting their ‘money’s worth’. Of course, generalization doesn’t help, but I’ve avoided so much crap, but still watched so much more, that I can’t help. Tollywood’s obsession with 20 something heroines falling for and reverse wooing 50- something heroes MUST stop. If not anything else, it’s just perverted. No star’s son can be called a star unless he actually has a proper movie at hand, not one which is self financed and self made hit. And NO, don’t exploit students by showing ’student power’ as something one that will win over mafia, hard-to-convince parents, government and the intergalactic wars-just in case you had such an idea, never happens, actually the situation is so rare, but the filmi culture popularity just enables violence in college life. All students want and need is a degree and a software job (sorry docs and artsy folks, just generalizing again). And people, you don’t need to watch a movie just because I recommended it or not, see for yourself, what kind of movies are in the market, just don’t fall for the hype and hoopla. Watch such movies only if you get the pirated versions instead (oops!), but do spend money and watch ONE good movie that comes occasionally, how can you know? Well you are smart enough to earn a rupee or a dollar, you must be smart enough to sepnd it on something that is worth it.
A nice and scenic video for you - might have to download to view - 6.8 Mb)
Alabama. The country to film in (click here). Courtesy: Alabamafilm.org
Love.
Sid
Been to a magic show today after Yeeeeeears!!
The truly professional one (not counting the ones in school and society sponsored ones in Dr.A.S.Rao Nagar) I went was a P.C. Sorcar Jr show in Ravindra Bharati years ago (’93-’94) with Sasikiran and Karthik, P.C. Sorcar Jr was well, good, not exceptional. For some reason, I’ve not been over awed to the extent I should have been, but again, how can I know something that I have not experienced. I remember some of his tricks, chopping his wife into two using a saw, another one telling you not to blink and I blinked as soon as he uttered that words :), tricks involving drawing on a blackboard blindfolded, while everyone had to draw a mathematical symbol, one smarty I remember drew a ‘#’, that eventually got converted to the jewel in P.C. Sorcar Jr’s turban after he added his mastered strokes on the blackboard.
In a strong quest towards spirituality and mysteries of nature/supernatural events that become my momentary passions several times a month, magicians stand at the lowest rung of the ladder, but most tricks are, even though not very obvious, understood to a large extent. Sleight of hand, card tricks, etc are as we all know, plain tricks, to fool the eye. However very few are unexplainable, I believed, Uri Geller for one was a man with extra ordinary brain power. His performances were not just mere tricks, however there are allegations he failed in controlled conditions. Then David Copperfield is just mind blowing, but I have not seen him live, so can’t say much.
Well, today Norman ng (pronounced Norman ‘ing’) wasn’t bad either, he is an entertainer along with being a magician. The energy around was exciting enough, all the participants among the audience were sportive and funny.
Below is a brief clip from his site, Normanmagic.net and most of his tricks on stage are in this video,
David Copperfield’s clip below
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