Bollywood murdering cinema, killing it softly!

Recently I read a movie review written by Kaushik Kashyap for Gundey. To be very honest, these are movies with a warning hidden in their name. If you have a zero tolerance level for silly mistakes, unrealistic plots and chintzy melodrama, you better maintain a safe distance. One cannot sideline the role of their unimpressive and ridiculous (in a sad way) television trailers with the so called ‘peppy’ numbers which only worsen the situation.

Mince no words when you speak the truth...

"A no-brainer from beginning to end, the film is packed with clichés as old as commercial Bollywood cinema goes. Ali Abbas Zafar gives no reason why anything in the film happens"

This is how Kashyap begins when reviewing Gundey. You have to give it to him for clearly outlining the quality and feel of the movie. Had it been the first time that such a movie was to be reviewed, Kushik would have used more words. He surely would’ve tried to justify such strong words. But an aware and reasonable reader, hoping for a magical improvement in Indian cinema, is already aware of the state in which cinema in Bollywood is trying to survive. Commercial aspect of cinema has always been around. But that did not discourage dedicated filmmakers from making good quality films. Issues were taken up, problems were addressed, iconoclasts were aggressive and yet elegant when going after silly social norms. How did we forget the real motive of cinema? When did we get here?

Today, making such movies is not much different from preparing a burger at McDonald’s. If you find this comparison offensive, then it’s about time you actually sat down and checked the quality of content in Indian cinema today. There is a fixed formula which promises billions at the box office level. It’s the same ingredients with the faces changed. Now most would argue that there is reason that these movies are on a roll. It’s because this is what the public wants. I find that outrageous. Are we going to deny true cinema to the audiences just because they are ignorant? Isn’t it our duty to introduce them and make them watch and get used to real cinema? Yes, we might as well have to force it down their throats because this madness needs to end.

You can compare any unsuccessful movie from Hollywood with a major box office hit in Bollywood and you’ll find that Hollywood still manages to impress. And no my dear pseudo-nationalists, it’s not because we like everything that is Western. Before you throw that cap on my head, let me tell you that I still drive on the left and despite of promising to be a good citizen I do end up throwing garbage on the road most of the time. I’m still an Indian curry beneath all that Western garnishing.

Why do we Indians lose all our sensibility when a complete moron, converted into a brand name, comes out with a movie where he’s throwing SUVs at people and fighting 100 bad guys with a cycle or something? The degree of madness and stupidity is so high that you can imagine almost anything and even then Bollywood will manage to surprise you. They will always beat you when it comes to being unrealistic and displaying a unique form of anserine behavior.

We need more Kaushik Kashyaps who will mince no words when it comes to fast food cinema which is a rave in this country. A perfect review for the kind of cinema that we are being served. Such reviews will always save your time, energy and money. I thank Tehelka for all the genuine reviews that they come up with.

Can anyone bring back the Bollywood which was once fueled by brilliant minds like Dada Saheb Phalke, Satyajit Ray, Ritwik Ghatak and others? We have some genuineness and dedication still living through Nagesh Kukunoor, Mira Nair, Deepa Mehta and Anurag Kashyap who all toil hard to ensure that cinema keeps breathing in this circus called Bollywood. Also, there are a few short filmmakers who have contributed to the secret movement of uplifting the quality of cinema. But do they receive the kind of attention and awe that they deserve? Hardly so as Indian audiences have gotten used to an alien version of cinema which aims at killing and replacing cinema forever.

More than skin revealing outfits and controversial publicity stunts, cinema is a form of mass communication. It exists so that a huge number can be addressed on issues which actually matter and on experiences which actually count. How far we are from Fort Cinema is unknown because we haven’t located us yet. We have the compass (a consensus and an ability to change) but nobody is willing to locate us. One really hopes for some sort of a renaissance period for Indian cinema. Meanwhile, Phalke must be dying to be reborn as a film director so that he can get behind one of his archaic cameras and still manage to win a National Award or even an Oscar with an apolitical jury reviewing the legend's work.

Why India needs more Telanganas...

I might be dropping a bomb when I tell you that Telangana was already a free princely state before a rigid and inhumane police action forced Hyderabad's integration with Andhra Pradesh in 1948. Without considering society, culture, linguistics and the outlook of the local population, the Union government zipped the two regions into one state. This hasty and miscalculated decision has come back to haunt the same government, more or less the same that is
.

Telangana Movement dates back to 1969

While most would argue that the Telangana Rashtra Samiti (TRS) is a puppet of the Indian National Congress, such debates and/or accusations are feckless. The more important observation is that how such new states can help the country.

Why would division help? More importantly, how would division help? Let's start with capital cities and understand this. Any capital city of a state in India is comparatively more developed and efficiently functioning than any other city in the same state. We can start with Lucknow in Uttar Pradesh, move to Patna in Bihar and arrive at Ranchi in Jharkhand. These states may be the most troubled ones but the capital cities offer a rosy picture. So do other important cities in these states. How this works is no rocket science.

Formation of a new state calls for division of power. A new Chief Minister and a new capital city is just the beginning of the change. Now this newly formed government has resources of its own. These are resources which they had to share with others before the partition. Now the state and its leaders can focus on an inclusive growth.

Although most political leaders call for a division only to give a literal impetus to the demands of the local population, division of states is crucial for India's development. We need more states. The size of these states can go on decreasing. In a layman's term, you have to understand that if India is somehow divided into 50 states, you have yourself 50 new capital cities which have to look good. The governments will do anything to make them look good. Then the focus will shift to not so prominent cities and then they'll be developed.

It is like a chain reaction. For decades, leaders have been in power and have failed to create a chain reaction. The trickle down effect is way too slow. With new states, the effect will get some much needed momentum.

But the road is difficult and more than anything else, the proprietors of such a controversial but innovative proposal, will have to address the sentiments of the people and the cheap politics of the opposition. A regressive shade will continue to linger.

Instead of digging in search for a political element behind every proposal and/or demand for a separate state, we must inquire into the benefits related to such a segregation. The folklore that demands for states will turn into demands for separate countries is not only ridiculous but one that we've heard before. When India was gifted Independence due to World War 2 and a severe Economic depression, most world leaders had placed bets on how long this complicated Union would survives. More than six decades later, the successors of those world leaders are looking towards India for almost everything.

We cannot discard the ongoing proposition of dividing Uttar Pradesh. Although yes Mayawati and her BSP members know little about the greater advantage that comes with the formation of a new state. They only see it as an opportunity to garner votes before every election. Such is the state of politics in India.

Yes we will be inviting the formation of new regional parties as well. But the entire move is worth the risk. Coalition governments are the main reason politics in India is as complex and dramatic as a circus. But we've only reached here after some considerable amount of thinking and some impulsive actions.

To wind it up, I personally believe that more states will do more good to this troubled country. We need everything fresh and new, be it states, leaders, ideas, dreams or even promises.

CWG and Sochi Olympics - Another bad show by the Indian media

The avalanche of problems doesn't seem to show any mercy on the organizers of Russia's first ever winter Olympics. The plethora of details regarding the shortcomings of these games has even rocked the social media world. Sochi Olympics' official Twitter handle is less popular than the Twitter handle 'SochiProblems' which carves out issues like unusual stray dog gatherings  and incomplete hotel rooms alongside several other problems that the games have became notoriously famous for.

A missing Olympic ring at Sochi cost Russia international embarrassment...

It all started with that one missing ring at the opening ceremony and since then the ride has been rather bumpy for the organizers here at Sochi Olympics 2014. Tweets keep pouring in as per a report leaving this edition of the Winter Olympics with a far greater outreach than other editions. The only problem being that these tweets are actually dedicated to criticizing the manner in which the games have been organized and executed.

One finds a very strong connection with the Commonwealth Games in India a while back where a similar pre-games narrative rocked the Delhi government's boat in 2010. The government was initially criticized for having spent billions to organize the event when millions struggled to make ends meet. It is sad but true that the image of India as a land of snake charmers has been replaced by that of a land of poor and hungry. Several sections of this huge populace were identified as being deprived of even basic amenities. The India media grabbed the bull by its horns and made a mockery of the event under the umbrella of factual reporting.

From financial costs to adverse social and environmental impacts, the CWG in Delhi were outlined as a poorly planned affair. We had debris flowing into the swimming pools and the sudden boom in the paid sex industry along with rising incidents of child labor demarcated the CWG in 2010. The attendance was clumsy and even those who were present were rather uninterested. People came with tickets and cameras and left with a dozen photographs within half an hour. Players were the performers as well as the audience. Some of these players were even brought under the scanner for trashing apartments they stayed in.

However, despite of all the target shooting, the CWG in Delhi were deemed as a successful event as per parameters beyond the understanding of a common man. Even the President of the CWG committee was heard praising the authorities... For what? we still don't know.

What baffles me the most is the attitude of the Indian media towards sporting as a culture. It is very sad indeed that the Indian media sat on top of the CWG in 2010 only because they had an opportunity to target the government. Their concern was not regarding the games and their successful execution. The media was busy selling sensation rather than trying to come up with a solid investigation. The CWG scam added more spring to the misdirected media movement.

International media made it a point to secure and safeguard journalism while the Indian media was busy contributing towards the fall of a government. International media gave emphasis on what was really wrong with the games rather than just blaming individuals and parties involved.

Now when the Sochi Olympics have turned out to be an actual failure, there is little or no interest shown by the Indian media. Simply because this particular news item will not sell to the majority. Only a few will be interested in digging deeper and hence an almost negligible amount of coverage has been assigned to the Sochi Games.

This is again stabbing journalism in the back by ignoring global issues and denying the masses an opportunity to learn from them and about them. The Indian media could've done much more by investigating into the shortcomings of the Sochi Olympics and preparing the Indian sports administration and population for such challenges.

We wish to host the Olympics without having a care or concern about global sporting events. We crave for a title we are not worthy of. How can we organize major sporting events when our media does not even cover them at the international level? How will the people ever get to know what really goes around? Why is a 'concerned' and 'vigilant' Indian media busy covering celebrity abortions and breakups when the world is busy discussing the failure of a major sporting event? It is indeed a can full of worms when it comes to the Indian media and their priorities. They've abducted journalism and replaced it with an imposter we've started to appreciate as an entertainer.