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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123 Agreement : Deal or no Deal?

The long awaited and negotiated Nuclear Agreement, dubbed 123 Agreement from the no. of section in the relevant US law, is finally now in place. It has been one of the most criticized deal in India, while in America it is sure to be find a place in the most debated of the agreements. The congress is yet to approve the final draft of the agreement but it is only a matter of the time for that to happen.
The time factor is the crucial issue in the affair between Indo-US deal. While the United Progressive Alliance government in India want to showcase this deal as the one significant foreign policy achievement before it goes to public for a renewed mandate next year, the George W. Bush administration in US also wants it to be finalised before the 2008 presidential election. The UPA government in lead by the Congress party that was in abyss for the eight years before it came to power. The erstwhile BJP led National Democratic Alliance government pursued some aggressive foreign policy, of which the Nuclear tests were a major part and cemented friendlier ties with US, both in Bill Clinton and George Bush regime. UPA needs something to counter that success and this deal provides the best chance for it to do so. Bush administration’s predicament in Iraq as well as its almost failure in the war against terrorism is evident to everybody now. The need for the administration to illustrate one aspect where it has reaped some gains assumed significance now. That explains why both sides want to ink the deal as soon as possible.
The speed with which both sides moved has been amply demonstrated in the statement by the Assistant Secretary of State Nicolas Burns, who was a key figure in the negotiations that led up to the finalization of the agreement. As Mr. Burns informed the mêlée, the negotiations lasted for about two years and two day. But, “First of all, we were very careful when we began these -- the latest phase of these negotiations to remind the Indian Government that since the President and Prime Minister had their two agreements of July '05 and March '06, something else had happened: The Congress had debated over six, seven months those agreements and the Congress has passed the Hyde Act. …. First, in late May, early June, the Indians came to us and said that they were ready to build a new state-of-the-art reprocessing facility that would be under IAEA safeguards and that any reprocessing of spent fuel would be done in conjunction with that new facility, fully safeguarded, fully transparent to the IAEA and to the United States and to the international community. That was a significant development in the negotiations.” It was clear from the above statement that the matter was settled in just two months when the Indian government agreed to set up a reprocessing facility which will go through the inspection of IATA.
Even as the nod from the Congress is awaited for this agreement, Mr. Burns has sent cat among pigeons by announcing that the right of return from this agreement remains, as imbibed in US laws with the reigning presidents. That effectively nullifies Indian diplomat’s claims that India’s national interests are well preserved in this deal. But the matter of the fact is that neither US nor India are keen to keep their interests intact. Bush administration, especially President Bush himself, wants to achieve a diplomatic milestone by bringing India into the Nuclear non-proliferation Treaty ambit. That will make the administration boast of an achievement denied by the misadventures elsewhere.
A more larger sphere of this agreement lies within the intention of the Bush administration to make them take a lesson from this agreement. The motive has been explicitly told by Burn himself in the same meet. “The agreement also sends an important message to nuclear outlaw regimes such as Iran. It sends a message that if you behave responsibly in regards to nonproliferation and you play by the rules, you will not be penalized, but will be invited to participate more fully in international nuclear trade. India has not proliferated, unlike North Korea in the past. India is willing to subject itself to full IAEA safeguards, unlike Iran today. And India has not violated its nuclear obligations, as Iran has and continues to do. Iran, of course, has reneged on its most important international commitments,” he told the media. Mark the word, ‘responsibly’ and ‘by the rules,’ where the inherent meaning echoes wishes of the US administrators. The message is clear and same that of five years ago: either you are with us or against US.
This agreement will also have a larger impact in another field. That of the nuclear trade. Indian nuclear program, civilian as well as strategic, was hitherto pursued independently by successive governments owing to the sanctions by US and Nuclear Suppliers Group. But this agreement will bring it closer in relation to US which means US companies will have a major role to play in the near future in India. Mr. Burns said, “The final benefit will be that American firms will be, for the first time in three decades, able to invest in India's nuclear industry. American companies have the finest nuclear technology in the world, and we are looking forward to American firms having the opportunity to bring their latest technology to the Indian market. We are confident that American companies will have equal access to this huge market and that they will succeed there.”
This agreement, which will bring US many fruits in just a stone. Indian government have inched forward to sign on this deal and for what price! Going by the confidence of US authorities and confidentiality preserved in the matter, it is all possible that Indian government will not be able to show off this agreement as an accomplishment, but rather a misdeed, committed in haste and repaid in stretches.

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Rajnikant : The new movie icon of India

The new frontiers

As the monsoon has set in the this nation, which is stretched from Himalayas to the Indian Ocean, the news of Sivaji-the Boss conquering one after another box office records are also pouring in. In the hitherto untreaded parts of the country, where regional films were strictly a no-no till now, the film is marching ahead to say the least. Not only in India, but even in overseas markets also it saw even the Hollywood blockbusters in the fray bite the dust in top ten charts. It seems that whole of India is rediscovering this Style King often derided for his mannerisms which many others have tried to ape but fail the produce the charm that Rajni has.
That also made the reigning Superstar of North India (devotees of Big B, please excuse me, but that’s the kind of address more often than not used in Tamil and other South Indian press) to attend a special screening of the film. The Boss was also there with him. And even BigB praised Rajni on the occasion. He has already praised the Thalaivar as the emperor of Indian cinema.

The next question

Now, question arises: Is Rajnikant the next movie icon of India? What Rajnikant has achieved is undoubtedly one of the biggest feats in movie industry in India as well as overseas. First of all, he climbed to the stardom in spite of any real backing from the industry. He has proved his mettle through his talents and mannerisms and most of all, his unparalleled ability to churn out films successively single handedly. In likes of MGR and Shivaji Ganeshan, not least Kamal Haasan, he created a place for himself that was unique in every sense. After appearing in some remakes of Amitabh Bachchan, he was described as Amitabh of Tamil movies.
Then in 1983, just eight years after he made his entry on silver screen, Rajnikant starred in the Hindi movie Andha Kanoon, which had Amitabh himself in what was said to be a `guest appearance’ role but extended to a large part of the film, convincingly. That success set up a train of some flicks, some of them making hay on box office while some bringing tears to the producers and distributors. Rajni then satisfied himself with some petty side roles in Bollywood while consolidating his position in his home (?) industry. But even so, his popularity and fan following in rest of India continued to grow. His image as an maverick was also reinforced through the new media like internet, even though there he was more present through the odd jokes.
But to speak of it, Rajinikant was the only non-Hindi actor to gain a large audience in the northern parts of India. His predecessors, like MG Ramachandran never quite entered in this specter, or some like Shivaji Ganeshan could only appear in one or couple of flicks. They never really have a base here. Even Kamal Haasan, who entered Hindi films with a bang through Ek Duje Ke liye (1980), could not make a mark here barring some odd films and a distant admiration from critics. (It was very later, in late ‘80s that Kamal made his re-entry through films like Appu Raja.) Chiranjeevi, Venkatesh, and Nagarjun…all these heroes came and went but except for registering their presence, they could hardly do anything. In that sense, Rajnikant was the first and only southern hero who could navigate the box office.

A large vacuum to fill

Now with Sivaji, Rajni has arrived on the centrestage and with what role, a man single-handedly taking the system by the horns. Many a Bollywood heroes had their careers built on this his image but in the last few years, in an era of globalization, Bollywood has largely discarded this category giving way to some ice-candy floss cinemas. While the former category of heroes and cinemas might appear old fashioned to some, in India these types of films do really capture the imagination of the people. That’s why actors in these types of films are more endeared to the public. This is the large vacuum, that now only Rajnikant can fill.
The process seems to have already started with Sivaji-the Boss gaining foothold even in non-Tamil speaking parts of India. If Rajnikant can bring the Tamil (or for that matter South Indian movie industry) with Bollywood, he will be the first to have this type of accomplishment. The day might be not far away when Bollywood, Kollywood and Tollywood would be amalgamated as one industry. The process has been already started with many a Tamil and Telugu films featuring prominent Hindi and Marathi artists in increasing numbers. And it will also be noted that the process was started by Rajni films whereby his Hindi films were dubbed in Tamil and vice versa (when the trend was almost non-existent.) His Dalpathi had Amrish Puri as the main villain.
In a nutshell, Rajnikant is set be a movie icon for the new India. Sivaji-the Boss’s collection records in UK and phenomenal rush it witnessed in Chicago, Muscat and Malaysia…you name it and he have it…only points to this fact. So toast to this new Sultan of the Indian Movies!

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Bollywood in the dock again

After seeing the most successful year in terms of business, the bollywood is again feeling the heat this year. Big stars, expensive sets and locations or media hype...almost everything has proven unsuccessful for the industry to churn out a single superhit in the first half of the year. What's more, the industry is staring at a big threat by down south to its monopoly over audience.
Barring just one 'Guru', directed by the veteran southern directior Mani Rathnam, no film has seen cash registers ringing. By the end of the June, Rajnikant's Sivaji has surpassed all the Hindi films in business. Even in the north cicuits like Delhi, it has made profits unseen by any southern film before. Even a Amithabh Bachchan starrer like Jhoom Barabar Jhoom failed to offer much resistance to the onslaught of Sivaji and now it seems the Kollywood express has much more steam than expected.
Last year, riding on the multiplex boom and a strong economy, many Bollywood films registered stupendous successes. Lago Raho Munnabhai, Krishh, Dhoom2..those were the movies that gave dose over doses of adrenaline to the producers. Nothing that sort of the thing happened now. In comparison, analysts said, the turnover in the first six months of 2007 was just a fourth of about $55 million collected during the same period in 2006.
Analysts are blaming to the weak scripts for the failures. "Where are the good stories? You can't get away with only star appeal and foreign locales," said Bollywood trade analyst Komal Nahta.
Guru was successful beacuse of its good script as well as hype that sorrounded it. The fact that the film was associated with the life of Reliance Group's founder, Dhirubhai Ambani, also gave the film an extra impetus. Compared to this one hit, the list of doomed big-budget films with top stars is long: "Salaam-e-Ishq," "Eklavya," "Nishabd," "Tara Rum Pum" and "Jhoom Barabar Jhoom," and many more.
This summer, Bollywood is also feeling the heat from Hollywood blockbusters. This week, five Bollywood films were beaten to dust by "Ocean's 13".
No Bollywood film was released on May 4, the day "Spiderman 3" hit the screens. Moreover, the distributors of the films tried to make dent in the traditional and emerging film markets by dubbing the film in Bhojpuri and other five languages. This films has become the highest-grossing Hollywood film in India, overtaking "Titanic."
Considering the heavy business Sivaji the Boss is doing and non-tamils are throngiing the cinema halls, a new curiosity might arise for the southern films which have hitherto been ahead in terms of content and technology than Bollywood. (Two of the blockbuster films from down south, Pokkiri and Gajini are being remade with Salman Khan and Amir Khan respectively.) So much so that going by the response to the Sivaji-the Boss, plans are in the pipeline to rehasp some old Rajni films and market them.

From that account, even if Bollywood successfully faces the onslaught of Hollywood, its real nemesis lies in south named Kollywood and Tollywood.

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