Hollywood faded out

Where would the English movie viewers go to watch their favorite and anticipated films? That is the question looming large in the minds of those who watch Hollywood stuff frequently. The regular theatres for the English movies are fast turning into endangered species. They are shrinking to exhibit the stuff in the fear of loosing the profit in the favor of dubbed movies. Dubbed movies also are fast encroaching on the space for the original Hollywood stuff.

It was in the year 1994. First ‘Jurassic Park’ had made waves in the pre-publicity era and its release was widely expected. When the movie actually hit the theatres, it came in two separate versions i.e. English as well as Hindi. That heralded a trend whereby more and more foreign films were dubbed in Hindi and few other regional languages. That business strategy paid off very well paving the way for major and minor Hollywood studios to set up their offices here itself.

What happened to English films later took place with films in other languages too. Chinese, Japanese, French and so many other films started making rounds. Not only through theatres, but through pirated CDs and DVDs too. Increasingly people started to see English films in their language instead of the original ones. The things have come to such a pass that ‘Spiderman 3’ last year was dubbed in Bhojpuri, a first for any Hollywood or for that matter, any non-Bhojpuri. The trend continued unabated and ‘A Night in Museum’ was released in India in only Hindi. However, the film was available in English on DVD circuit.

Rising localization and increasing competition has made original Hollywood films now as rare as old Hindi flicks. Either you see Hindi dubbed versions or else you see nothing. Even some multiplexes are going for the dubbed versions. In short, the day is not far away, when one will have to ask : English films, where are they?

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Happy Birhtday…..Boss!

He reigns supreme in the hearts of those who, with a stomach for reverence and thirst for entertainment frequent the darkness of the film theatres. His mannerisms have survived the criticisms of the detractors and the onslaught of the time. Through thick and thin, from touring talkies to multiplexes, Tamil superstar Rajnikant rules the box office and the minds of cinegoers alike. This is not a new eulogy in the light of the recent success of the Sivaji the Boss, but a time tested praise the actor deserves most.

Rajnikant is celebrating his 58th birthday today. As I write this, he would be celebrating this occasion with the same modesty and charm that he is always known for. He will retreat to one of the holy places that only he knows, visit some orphanages or old people’s home, distribute some sweets or meal to students and many other charity deeds he do often. But for the millions of his fans worldwide, 12th Dec. is the day for commemoration every year. The reserved attitude of their idol notwithstanding, they will also be involved in welfare activities.

Why Rajnikant holds this charisma and influence on so wide an audience is a question that a large no. of critics and viewers have pondered on alike. I would hardly like to add this leaf in the already heavy pile of life stories available on the net. What I would like only to add here, besides wishing him Happy Birthday of course, is that whenever an enjoyment-hungry man will take his place in the darkness of the theatre or in the comfort of his home moving his eye on the TV screen in search of the stuff that he wants, the brimming activities of Rajnikant will be there to amuse him.

People call him desi James Bond or Amitabh Bachchan of the South India. I think and insist that it is passé. Rajnikant is Rajnikant…his own citations of Superstar and Style King fail to appropriately describe his personality. So, the best thing we can do is to watch his movie and say………Repeat


Wish him again Happy Birthday Rajnikant.

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The winner of Kremlin

Vladimir Putin, the outgoing president of the Russia, has once again registered a victory in the form of a stupendous success for his party United Russia, in the parliamentary elections of his country. The questions raised on the manner in which this triumph has come can easily be compensated off by Russian public as a whole with the achievements of the Putin in the last eight years in the office. These questions also, it might be pointed out, have been moved up only by some western countries, US being chief among them. The demand for an independent enquiry into the allegations of irregularities in electoral process put forward by the US gives only the hint of the extent to which it is wary of Putin.

By contrast, Putin has relished this victory with élan. He has not bothered himself with answering these demands and instead focusing on the future course of his action. Though he has exhibited joy in view of this victory, he has in his peculiar manner not gone overboard. He know his business well and he has just implied that he is going to do just that. Whether he will like to effect a change in the constitution and be a president for the third time, or will he wield his power by remaining behind the veil is to an open question. What one is sure of is that he has been rewarded for his spectacular accomplishment in bringing Russia to the brink of its former glory of a Superpower.

When Putin took charge of the presidency in from Boris Yeltsin, land of Russia was nothing more than chaos. People were forced to stand in queues for their daily meal and industry had came to a standstill. As if it was not enough, Russia’s position in the international community was also diminishing. Old friends like India were looking the other way in the garb of globalization and new allies were hard to come by. The economic reforms started by Yeltsin regime had severely affected Russia and people were suspicious of any new move in that direction. Topping the list was the problem of separatism and terrorism, especially in Chechnya.

V. Putin, as he is referred to in the Russian media, showed guts and resolve to solve many, if not all the problems facing his country. One can recount how he managed to face hostage crisis in Moscow and Beslan, even sacrificing some lives for the integrity of the nation. On the economic front, not all of the credit goes to him, but the fact remains that he has used his resources so well, that today Russia does not look so impoverished as it looked not long ago. Instances can be counted when he has looked eye to eye with US or any other western country and scored a point or two.

Here is one. Circa 2002. The then US Secretary of State is on Russia’s official visit. After two days of talks and meetings, he speaks all the good things and says, in the course of one of his briefings, that US does not want any country to help Iran. Within hours, Russia’s ministry of energy declares it will help Iran build a reactor at Bushehr for electricity generation. The only thing US could do was to issue a statement deploring this decision.

These and other aspects have made Mr. Putin a conqueror. He has won his battles from the days in the KGB. He won them in Kremlin. Now he has won the hearts of his fellow countryman. A great achievement indeed!

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The No Show of Sports Movies

Movies and sport compete each other in India for the popularity. The length and breadth of the country unites when it comes to the talk of the movies and sports, especially cricket. But this similarity has seldom been translated in cooperation. The history of the Indian cinema is bereft of any great sport movie till now and what has been showcased now is a relatively new work, which is a product of mainly changed attitude of new crop of filmmakers.

The dearth of good sport movies from Bollywood stable is especially appalling when one looks at the Hollywood which churns out excellent sport movies time and again. Compared to Hollywood, Bollywood’s attempts have been too few in this direction. Neither the audience here has shown any taste for this genre of cinema nor the makers have shown any inclination to cultivate the same. The result is here for all to see, rather not to see.

There were some sports movies in India in the past. ‘Awwal Number’, ‘Boxer’, ‘Ashwini’, ‘Hip Hip Hurray’ etc. were the movies which attempted to showcase sports based subjects in the movie format. But it was only in the last five years or so that the trend has really got steam and the wagon is running in full vigor. ‘Bend it like Beckham’, though coming from Briton based filmmaker Gurinder Chadda, was a runaway hit and talk of the tinsel town some five years ago. That set the coin rolling and thereafter ‘Lagaan,’ ‘Chak de India’ etc have made their entry here.

The question here is : Is this trend here to stay or die away before we even notice it?
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Some Important Sports Movies

Hip Hip Hurray (1983)
Director : Prakash Jha
This film is about a Computer Engineer who happens to be a sport lover and soccer coach in a school in Ranchi. While carrying out his job duties, the hurdles and resistance he faces as well as his determination and the final victory of his soccer team forms the narrative of the movie. An excellent movie as a whole in its category.

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Boxer (1984)
Director : Raj N. Sippy

This flick inspired by the then stupendous success of Rocky starring Sylvester Stallone was more a run-of –the-mill Bollywood film rather than a Boxing feature. But it helped Mithun Chakaborty to establish in Bollywood as a hero.

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Ashwini (1992)
Director : Chandramauli
This movie based on the real life story of ace athlete Ashwini Nachappa was a unique experiment in its genre. What was more noteworthy was that the main role of the athlete was enacted by Ashwini herself. The sad part of it was that though the film appeared well, it received a meager response at the box office.

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Awwal Number (1990)
Director : Dev Anand
The evergreen and irrepressible Dev Anand came up with this novel film. The disheartening part was the half-hearted treatment given to the portrayal of the subject. The film had dwelt on many subjects related to Cricket. Alas, but that dwelling was too superficial. This movie starring Dev Anand, Amir Khan and Aditya Pancholi could not even register its presence at theatres, let alone making any news.

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Lagaan (2001)
Director : Ashutosh Gowarikar
This was the film that heralded the new crop of sports movies adoring today’s silver screens. It has cleverly blended patriotism, history and the cricket frenzy of Indians to give a superb celluloid venture. Making its presence felt at the last stage of Oscar race has also helped it to an extent to be a memorable movie.

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Iqbal (2003)
Director : Nagesh Kukoor
This is the story of a deaf and mute but excessively talented Cricketer living in an obscure village. The film saw a stupendous response thanks to the story which was just a filmed version of the dreams and aspirations of thousands in this country. The film not only gave a new identity to Shreyas Talapade, but it also showed to Bollywood filmmakers that an entertaining and successful movie could be done without spicing it up with routine tricks.

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Chak De India (2007)
Director : Shimit Amin
This was perhaps the first film made with a focus on Hockey. Based on the life incidents of Mir Ranjan Negi, it has also blended patriotism and reality. It has received accolades as well as success at many levels. It has not lost focus on Hockey, on account of which it has really became a sports movie.

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Tara Ram Pam (2007)
Director : Siddharth Anand
Though this movie is a story of a Racing Champion, it stops short of bring a sport movie. The reason for this are too obvious. There is no depiction of Car Racing. Instead it focuses on family drama. The audience too did not heeded to the movie. The movie only showed some scenes on Racing field. That’s all.
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A ghastly act, but a possible reaction too…!

The rape and murder of a call centre employ here in Pune has shocked everyone. This is not the first incident but the its very reoccurence shows an inherent lethargy in the system.

The victim, Jyoti Choudhary’s body was found in a roadside farm yesterday near the Gahunje village near Talegaon Dabhade in Pune district. Primary investigations have revealed that she was raped and subsequently murdered by the driver of the company cab Purushottam Borate and his accomplice Pradeep Kokade. Both of them took the cab to the village saying that they have one employ to pick. Since Jyoti was speaking to her friend in Bangalore, she did not noticed this. It was only after some time that she knew she was mislead. But it was too late by then.

As the contact with Jyoti was severed midway, her friend contacted her sister in Delhi who in turn contacted the relatives in Pune. Jyoti was living with her sister and brother- in-law in Pune. Yesterday was her last day in the company. Police had a complaint by her brother-in-law. Meanwhile this incident has once again brought to fore the insecurity in the BPO sector and especially the question of night shift for women. Some have even questioned the role of the company or the security measure taken so far. While the deceased person ought to get the full sympathy, the behavioral pattern of these company employees should also be put to test. This point has long been overlooked.

India was long known for its poverty. It is one sector in which even today the country has done little to boast. The relative prosperity we have seen is there thanks to BPO and IT sector. While this affluence attracted hoards of new people, who are young and energetic all the same, it has also created an unbridgeable gulf between them and the lesser blessed people. The yesteryear jealousy between haves and have not has now transferred to this level.

The driver and his accomplice apprehended in the above crime are a just example of this argument. Their names betray their humble origins in the Maval area of Pune. The wealth and opulence of their passengers, (considering that they ferry these employees daily) and the somewhat liberal attitude of the folks might have imbibed a feeling of envy in them. That might have prompted them to do such a ghastly act. Of course, this is an argument and the criminal bent of mind a person might have a different effect on a whole.

What I only want to say is that this point should not be overlooked.

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Andhra's WhYSR?

The twin city of Hyderbad has been shocked second time whithin a span of three months. The twin blasts have taken a toll of more than 45 persons with casualties including women and children. The day of the blast coincided with the 100th day of the fateful bomb blast in Mecca Masjid in the older part of Hyderabad.On the same day, prior to these blasts, Andhra Police has seized fake currency worth Two Crores and 70 Lakhs Rupees. The feat, though reported widely in local media in Andhra, got rare place in the media form North, which deemed it more important to report the misforun of Salman Khan! I could have easily lost on these news items, but for the Telugu channels which I chanced upon to see on that day. All the media organs in Andhra Pradesh have dwelt on these two aspects relating them to the latest blasts.

People in Andhra Pradesh have more enraged now with the undue comments coming from none other than the Chief Minister of the State himself. Y. S. R. Reddy has been quoted as saying, "idi aantarjaatiy ugravaadam...Pak, Afghanisthanlo man nighu network vistarinchlem kadaa?" Reddy's comments have invited flak from the largest circulating daily in Telugu "Eenadu." The newspaper has compared his statement with the statement of George W. Bush immediately after the attack on World Trade Centre on 11 Sept. 2001. The paper describes YSR's statement as "this is the counterattack launched by CM in his unique style, the way he does after each attack." His statement has rubbed salt on the already wounded public psyche, says Eenadu. "The terrorist attacks happen even in Bangalore, Malegaon, London, Baghdad...," this is how YSR defended failure of the Intelligence organs in predicting and prohibiting the incident. Eenadu while commenting on this, says "how can the CM compare Hyderabad with Baghdad of Iraq, which is engulfed in the Civil War? How dare CM speak like this even when he knows there has been no terrorist strike on US soil after 9/11.

The AP govt. has categorized these blasts as an act aroused out of the frustration on the part of the terrorists. But, in the words of the paper, the blast occured on account of the failure of the government. The Andhra Pradesh is comparatively a poor state. It was at least peaceful in the tenure of then CM Chandrababu Naidu. The Naidu govt. succeded, to an extent, in minimalising the Naxalite activities. The Reddy government has failed to achieve anything substantial in any direction. It had announced an amneity for the naxalites within few days after coming to power. That has yet to bear any fruit till now. Last month, some seven policemen were killed during a Bandh called by Naxals. Reddy government has unnecessarily induldged itself in non-issues like giving lands in Tirupati to the missionaries, announcing reservation for Muslims...

That has really turned AP in Iraq.

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The King rocks...as always

It is full three decades since he breathed last. Even then music lovers, especially those who are not confined to their genres, all over the world are swayed by his music as they were in old days. The magic that the name of Elvis Presley spells is as strong today as it was thirty years ago. No one could match his enthusiasm nor could anyone attain his unique style...few of them could indeed went in their skills as far as the King himself, but the public acceptance always illuded them...it was the unique domain for the man.

I remember hearing for the first time the name of Elvis Arron Presley way back in 1992. I had some good habits accompanying me in those days. One of them was to wake up early in the morning and tuning to the Doordarshan news in the breakfast show was next to ritual thing. In one of those aquainatcnes I caught this name in connection of a news item. The story referred to a postal stamp issued by the US Postal Department in Elvis's memory. That piece of news, information provided with it and few clippings of his movies and songs...that was the stuff I was prevy to. That memories have long been remained with me.

It took some five years before I realised, albeit partially, what Elvis meant and who he was. Around that time itself, a piece in the Telugu daily 'Eenadu' caught my attention which reported the annual festival at Graceland. That aroused my curiosity. What I got to knew was enough to take me further searching for him...a singer and musician who died at the bare age of 42, one who took US rock music to some new heights, which were never attained before. It would not be unworthwhile to say that he singlehandedly popularised rock music in the masses.

During those dreamy days, I happened to hear `Jailhouse Rock' and something clicked in me. Haven't I heard this same song already, somewhere...somehow? And I got the answer suddenly...The movie 'Dil' featuring Amir Khan and Madhuri Dixit has a peppy and popular number 'Khambe Jaisee Khadee Hai.' The rhythm and beats were unmistakable. On the same line, one could graps the inspiration behind `Bachana e Hasino,' from Hum Kisi Se Kum Nahee. Numerous songs in Hindi films owe their existence from Elvis songs and music.

One question remains: What Elvis did? The answer is simple. He brought the Rock music to the centrestage of musicworld. When Elvis was but a rising star, Jazz and Blues were dominated by the Blacks. Whites had had only country music to tell the world. But the world cared a damn to hear the music. And classical western music was of only a few elite. Elvis made the world to lend an ear to the Rock music. Much as his movements were eye appealing, but they were equally matched by his crooning abilities. He gave voice to all the anger of the youth...that of the post-War generation, the flower children or even a restive young generation of the Seventies.

The name given to the elvis, The King, could not have been more apt. Many dressed in his attire, many aped his hairstyle, but the royal aura built around him could not be created by anyone. The King reigned supreme. It was his sole domain...none dare come there. As every year, many of his fans congregated at his memorial at Graceland. If asked, they would tell only one thing...

The King rocks...as always.

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