DABANGG - 2 - banking too much on formula

I took my daughter Pallavi to Dabang-2, the sequel to Dabang, (though she doesn’t like Salman Khan) as welcome party to Delhi for a month break.  

I too did not expect much from Dabang-2, except a time pass mass masala movie, but it failed to be the same too.     May be because of change of Director to Arbaaz Khan, it lost its sharp and sleekness as the first in the franchise, though to be reasonable to AK, he didn’t do all that bad job.

All the characters of Chulbul pandey’s family have been carried forward, united and close-knit this time (Dimple Kapaida photo hanging on the wall).   The stage was shifted to Kanpur and the hunch man changing to the vastly (but hugely wasted) talent Prakash Raj.      First of all the menace of crime has not been properly built up except one kidnap incident to enable Chulbul pandey to make a typical grand entry which is no different from any of his movies from Wanted.  

Dabang-2 suffers hugely due to lack of storyline, it has too many action-scenes and songs (with as many as 3 item numbers) in the small 2:10 hours movies.   The saving grace being the light hearted comedy specially by the sidekicks of Chulbul pandey  viz., chobeji, sharmaji and importantly the Commissioner – the guy who acts in Yatra.com advt with Salmaan and Vinod Khanna (probably for the first time in his career).   

Salmaan, looks-wise looks smashing, slim, trim and not looking like uncle of Sonakshi who must be more than 20 years younger to him (like the way Sharukh was looking in JBHJ) and conveniently banked heavily on the Dabang brand and the purple patch which he is enjoying for the last 3-4 years.      But alas, the same cannot be said about his mobility, which is looking crippled for quite some time.    Whether it is lavishly mounted action-scenes or gyrating with item-numbers the maximum movement is restricted                    max to a radius of 3-4 feet – that shows that our heros just stand and pump in muscles rather than doing cross-country to improve mobility.    In dialogue delivery he fell back on his time tested Big Boss/Dus ka dum style.      But one need to give it to him that he still commands huge fan base with all the theaters (some good 300 plus shows per day in Delhi) completely sold out.      Sonakshi, who resemble Hema Malini in many angles, need to be appreciated for looking sober and graceful in saris and long hand blouses, in these days where heroins are giving vamps a run for their money in their dress sense or otherwise.

Prakash Raj, for whom I went to see the movie to monitor his progress in Hindi movies, has been a disappointment, not because of lack of efforts from his side, but because his character has not been properly developed and given the power punch dialogues, like in Singham, in which he excels.     Moreover I could not really make out whether he dubbed himself (which he normally does in all languages including in Hindi) or changed his modeling to suit a UP based character (though no specific dialect was used) which taken sheen of his dialogue delivery.     He just sleep walked through the character, such role having been done by him hundreds of times in Telugu and Tamil movies.     I wish he chooses his roles carefully in Hindi (though you cannot blame him for not resisting the temptation of working in Salmaan’s home production).    Having seen hundreds of his Telugu movies where he assayed wide variety of roles, I have no doubt in my mind that he has all the potential to become the next big thing in essaying villan and charcter actor roles and steps into the large shoes of Pran and Amrish Puri.     

The cable supported action-scenes are becoming very stereo-typed and getting on nerves.  For me who has seen all the top Telugu/Tamil stars doing it for the last 8 years or so which later on imported in the Hindi movies from `Wanted’ onwards  and religiously followed by all stars (who all of a sudden want to become action-stars).   The good news is that off-late the action-scenes of some of the second rung  stars of Telugu/Tamil movies are showing some change and hope it will prevail.    We have enough of stunt man flying all over, breaking all and sundry and their bones in the bargain (and our mecho hero just waving his hand) and their bouncing back when banged on floor like a spring ball.   

The strange phenomena I observed in Delhi was that whereas the Hindi producers are jostling with each other to remake top South Indian block-buster, the viewers too are going the South Indian audience way, with deafening clapping and whistling right through the movie, the opening shots of Salmaan, items numbers and for all songs.     

You will not miss anything if you give a `miss’ to Dabang-2, but if you cannot resist the temptation to go to a masala-sprinkled movie go and get head-ache the way I got.  

S. Prabhakar

23.12.2012

It has been a long wait for Talash, with even the finish product being put in canes for more than six months for Satyameva Jayeta to complete its first round.     I also delayed the review by a week so that I do not disclose the non-existing suspense.  

With Aamir Khan’s movie not hitting the theaters for quite a while this wait created a positive vibe which might have helped  in initial collection but the over the top expectations it created has lead to a bit of disappoint after seeing the final product.    In any such movie based on crime investigation, one expects the central character (Aamir Khan in this movie) to have razor sharp mind and brilliant investigation instincts and the script to be absolutely water tight.   But unfortunately none of these are present in this insipid Talaash.    It will be an insult to compare this movie with the likes of Sherlock Homes and Agatha Christine but it could not even measure up to our own desi version investigator like  Byomkesh Bakshi, or KD pathak in Adaalat.

There is hardly any thing to speak about the story.    When a built up is given that why accidents are taking place at one spot and that is what is the central investigating point, I expected some modern and unique way of triggering the event and more exiting revelation through findings by the hero, but just to fall back on bhoot/rooh/atma being the reason for the accident and ultimately that the bhoot itself has to descend to help our lousy sleep walking inspector is as old a formula as the Indian Cinema is.  

Even for the sake of experiment, it is hard to imagine why Aamir khan accepted this role, there is lot of footage eaten away to express his guilty feeling on his son’s death.   He could have seen face off how Nicalous cage express his guilty on shooting down John Trovalta son by accident which forms the central theme of the movie.    As far as acting is concerned it is a forgettable performance by Aamir (may be some marks could be given to accept such unconventional role), Rani did a very good job in a tiny role she got, Kareena did a competent job specially in looking bitchy.  

Anyone who has been lucky to have not seen the movie till now, my advice is to see any of the episodes (or all the episodes) of  Byomkesh Bakshi in youtube for its brilliant story and screen play and fantastic performance by Rajit Kapoor, who portrayed a very simple but intellectually stimulating role (though I saw these episodes more than decade back I still vividly remember how interesting they used to be) or follow Aadalat, though Ronit Roy goes over the top many time, the script and unfolding of investigation and its presentation in the court is very interesting.    Even the episode televised yesterday and today about murder taking place in a hospital and a patient in an immobile state being accused with so many twists and turns made an interesting viewing.      By the way the next week episode on Saturday and Sunday will be on black magic and you better watch out that episodes rather than Talaash with high expectations.  

Amongst so many disappointing movies released over the last 2 months of high profile heros, I watched a very interesting movie while travelling between Bangalore and Delhi in Air India’s newly acquired Dreamliner the 2008 release `The Body of Lies’.  I found the movie to be so griping and interesting – I will review separately – don’t miss to see the movie.

S. Prabhakar

9.12.12   

JAB TAK HAI JAAN .........SWAN SONG OF YASH CHOPRA

Normally Yash chopra movies are a bit complicated love triangle stories or love stories between odd couple and/or under odd situations , but I found his last movie (as it turned out to be) Jab Tak Hai jaan extremely complicated and there is hardly any strong reason for all the central characters behaving the way they were. 

 

There was no strong reason for a rich girl willingly settling down in life with the choice of her father to getting interested in not-so-young  Sharukh Khan singing Punjabi songs on London streets and requesting him to  teach her a Punjabi song (had she cared  to go to Southhall she would have got better choice of Punjabi gurus) and falling in love with Sharukh Khan immediately after his taking her to a sort of night club-cum disco-joint and dancing with her (where too she did far better job than the aging superstar).    Strange that going to night club/disco-joint is liberation to a London born and bred girl and going in line with Sharakh’s anticipation doesn’t resist or slap him when he dared to kiss her (quite possible because Sharukh has dared to do so after spending 20 long years in film industry resisting it even with gorgeous heroins like Priyanka and Aishwarya Rai  (and I must say that he was so ill-at-ease and definitely need a lesson or two from Emraan Hashmi or Aamir khan).      When she is caught in two minds she meets her mother and it is almost bizarre for her to pardon her mother who left her husband the child to run away with her new found love, and justifying to herself that the lover boy (the eternal Rishi kapoor) waited for her for 8 years (what a solid reason to desert husband and kid?).     Her style of belief in God and God’s way of punishing are kiddish and make a very weak reason for abandoning Sharukh and equally silly is not to get married with the Britisher with whom she gets engaged on the wishes of her father (there was no mention what happened to the poor father – might have died of heart-break with what his crazy daughter has done)

Come the third character the bindaas Anushka Sharma (who has attained a minus Zero figure so crafitily displayed while standing on the cliff before jumping into ice cold water), whose affairs, by her own admission, does not stay beyond 3 months and who openly admits to her looking for experimental inter-continental love affairs.   With this ultra-modern outlook falling for pita-hua ashiq like Sharak Khan and losing all her zing in life is quit out of sorts.       It sounds very funny when she repeatedly says the `true love’ in your times (which was just 10 years back ) as if she is talking to Bharat Bushan of Baiju Bawara fame or like Saif saying to Rishi Kapoor in Love Aaj Kal.   One can understand such a modern and trendy young chick like her doing masti with middle aged man (and other friends) till she gets her discovery channel assignment done, but falling in so called true love for such brooding Sharukh can only happen in the script of a Yash Chopra film.      If one doesn’t go in the technical goof up it is better – like Army allowing its major going and trying to defuse so many bombs without wearing the bomb-suits (absolutely against SOPs) and the London police who doesn’t allow Katrina going near to the accident victim (Sharukh) but letting the murmuring Sharukh to defuse the bomb (sure London cannot boast of naked bomb defusing expert?) 

But with all loopholes also the film holds interest for major part of the very long close to 3 hours love saga( would have been nice has it been trimmed by about 30 minutes)  primarily because all the 3 central Characters Sharukh, Katrina and Anushka have suited to their respective roles to the T and did great job.    May be for the first time Sharukh has not dominated the proceedings with other two ladies also hogging equal footage and doing their best acts in their career.    Apart from these three there is hardly anything worth mentioning about any other characters.   Good that Yash Chopra has taken leave out of Swizerland shooting and opted for stunning locales of Leh, Ladhak and Pehalgaon and the cinematographer captured the serene locales beautifully.    The biggest let down is the music by A R Rehman, songs are too pedestrians considering ARR’s colossal image and Yash chopra is famous for extracting fantastic music from un-known/less popular and unconventional film music directors, Like Shiv Hari (Pundit Shiv Sharma and Hari Prasad Chaurasia) in Chandni and Lamhe and Uttam Singh in Dil to Pagaal Hai (we hardly heard of him after that movie).    

Honestly the last work of Yash Chopra may not be his best (if one compares with his Kabhi Kabhi, Darr, DDLJ, or Mohabattein)  but his passing away just before the release of the movie, after leaving such a blazing trial of movies (specially romantic), will definitely help the cause of the movie.    Many people like me will see it as a mark of respect to the departed soul.     It was a good idea that along with end credits, the working shots of the movie, Yash Chopra directing people and showing his jovial side of him were incorporated with the movie ending by saying …..he lives on (no doubt he will).  

During my visit to Trivandrum, as I finished my work early in the morning and had to catch an evening flight and with cars/autos on strike and off the road, I best utilized the time to see the movie.     After almost three decades I saw a movie in a typical south Indian non-AC, non-carpet, non-doly sound system theater.   Thankfully the electric fans were very affective and we could not make out that it was a Non-ac Theater (the weather not being hot also helped).   First time I realized the reach of Hindi cinema all across India, with poster of Sharukh khan being hanged all around the theater by Fan Associations (unique to South India), one poster strangely claims Salman Khan your movie from 1988-2009 were FLOP FLOP FLOP, 2010 onwards Wanted, Dabang, Bodyguard, Ek Tha Tiger Hits, every Dog has its day, but the real Tiger comes now.    In Theater when Shrukh makes his first appearance, young boys climbed up on the stage and threw pieces of coloured papers on the screen and there was deafening whistles for 3 to 5 minutes, the same honours were bestowed on Katrina and  Anushka.     The best part is thunderous clapping and whitening was given for Yash Chopra when he was shown along with end credit.        The frenzy is definitely not matched to the near riotous frenzy which I used to see in a NTR, MGR, RajniKanth or Chiranjeevi movies in Andhra and Tamil nadu (flower, garlands, coins thrown on the stage, aartis given to the images on the silver screen and guards and police had to be summoned to pull the crazy fans back).  But such things happening in Kerala will make even Sharukh Khan happier.   For me it was like re-visiting movie-going experience of my childhood days.   

s. prabhakar

15.11.2012

SKYFALL – WHAT A FALL TO INCREDIBLE LOWS

Waiting to see the movie with my spouse I delayed to go to this movie for almost a week and after seeing I wished why not I gave it a miss.     The long wait for about 3 years and a wait of a week after its release in India is not worth and it turned out to be a huge disappointment.    I don’t remember having seen such a boring Bond movie or any Hollywood action flick.   

Bond movies are synonymous with gravity and death defying and edge of the seat; thrill a minute action scenes and gorgeous bond girls, both of which used to serve as bench marks for others to try to copy.    For close to half a century the Bond franchise followed the time tested and most liked pattern, raising the bar with each bond movie and the die-hard bond patrons like me always asked for and looked forward for more and more – and they definitely got.    Skyfall and the new Bond has been a huge disappointment with hardly any action scene worth being in a Bond movie, no gadgets, no car chases, no menacing villain, no equally menacing side-kick to the villain, no exotic locales and above all no bond girls.     

 Last week, I saw on TV, Jakie Chan’s Armor of the God 1 and 2, both of which have urban setting and locales (not being the pony tail  martial arts teaching teacher-student Chinese kung-fu movies) and the action scenes and chase scenes were top class considering that they were released some two decades back.     On today’s count, one will be better served to go to any Surya’s Tamil movie or any Tamil movie directed by Shankar, Muragadass or Allu Arjun’s Telugu movie or any movie directed by Raja Mouli, VV Vinayak or their remakes in Hindi, and you will find fantastically mounted action scenes.    To get clarified of  any doubts one can see the 2 minutes teaser of Kamal Hassan’s most ambitious and eagerly awaited Vishwaroopam released yesterday on his birthday.     Coming to the famous Bond girls and the chemistry between Bond and them, the less said  the better and I am sure our own Emraan Hasmi, at his current form, can beat the hell out of the Bond.   

After a disappointing debut in `Casino Royale’, Creig has picked up considerably in Quantum of Solace especially in the action scenes as the one at the construction site on the crane in a high rise building.  He is considered to be a more rugged Bond who believes more in hand combat rather than falling back on high-tech gadgets.     With this perception in mind, one would expect more bone breaking stunts from him.     Quite disappointingly he gets shot in the opening scenes itself and takes long to heal till interval (a forced one in Delhi theaters) to come back to normalcy and almost till that time the villain was also not introduced.       For most part of the movie, he is acting as if he is acting in a Indian family drama and emotional pot boiler.     The story line is so confusing focusing more on M and trying to show as if she is making more sacrifices in putting Bonds into life-threatening situations than the Bonds themselves, and like an Indian politician clinging to her seat even when he is forced to go on voluntary retirement and quite unpredictably for a Hollywood, in a typical Indian filmy style dies in the end trying to walk away with a sympathies.    So like the old Gadget-guru who was retired few movies back, the M character has also thankfully come to an end – we have seen lot of her.      No strong justification is given why a one-time secret service agent has turned villain and what he wants to achieve.    As again the lavishly mounted climax scenes of any bond movie, the climax was set up in a small fort-like old ancestral house of the bond and what our super-hero like bond was doing was simply take leaf out of Home-alone (that too being a poor take-off) – what a let down?

As far as Indian audience are concerned, like any bollywood movie of Salman Khan, the reviewers have gone gaga about the new bond and jostled with each other in giving 4 and 4 plus ratings and the production house also adopted the same trick of bombarding the market with huge number of prints and many of which are dubbed versions in Hindi, Telugu and Tamil.   The only thing to rejoice about this Bond flick is that on eve of release of this movie, Movie Now is showing Bond-movie a day for the last 10 days and it appears they will show most of the 23 movies and that is a huge treat.    Incidentally day before I saw Roger Moore’s A View to a Kill and thoroughly enjoyed the movie specially action scenes in icy mountains, the polished villain and menacing black lady as his side kick.   

Crieg is signed up for a total 5 movies, which means 2 more Bond movies are going to come with him playing the Bond, one only hopes he becomes more action-oriented than emotional-oriented.    Till then we have to fall back on Mission Impossible, Transporter, Fast and Fury or even settle for Ombak (Tony Jha – the Thai martial arts star) franchises.

The review is a week late and most of you might have seen this movie like me – if not avoid it or go if you have some sleep-disorder.

S. Prabhakar

8^th Nov., 2012

PREVIEW OF `MAKHI'

(P)REVIEW OF MAKHI (EEGA)

The much awaited Hindi dubbed version of Raja Mauli’s Telugu movie Eega (which was simultaneously released in Telugu, Tamil and Malayalam about 4 months back) is releasing next week as `Makhi’.   

Lot of movies were made where actual or animated version of animals/birds/reptiles  (like elephant, cow, goat, Dog, Pig. rat, rabbit, snake, falcon  etc.) as the central character, but to imagine that someone could conceive and make a full length movie on an Eeega/Makhi (a House fly) is hard to believe.    But the highly talented and bold director Raja Mauli (backed by Suresh naidu – son of legendary and Guinness record holder for highest number of films produced Rama Naudi)  not only thought and took a bold step and pulled a fantastic and thoroughly entertaining movie which has all the ingredients of a commercial pot boiler viz., romance, rebirth/reincarnation, sentiments, emotions, actions/chases  and lastly but most importantly `revenge’ all centered around Makhi.    Being simple and down-to-earth, Raja Mouli in one of his recently interviews reveled that he got the idea of the movie while thinking of the irritation/inconvenience he used to face in his childhood on daily basis in the hands of Makhis while going out on to the fields/open areas in the morning to attend natural call.     As the saying goes `great ideas come on the shit pot only'.

Makhi has a very simple love story of an ordinary and non-flamboyant hero (cutely played by Nani) falling in love with heroine (Samantha), enter the villain (Sudeep) and without wasting much of footage the villain kills the hero for coming between him and the heroin and no one knows about it.   In a typical filmy fashion the hero incarnates to take revenge but here is the twist in the story - he reincarnates not as a human being but as a `Makhi’ .   From here starts the creativity of Raja Mauli.      The reincarnated Makhi makes a grand entry like a typical south india star (ala Rajni kant or Chiranjeevi), with a ground level Camera angle and huge sound effect.   From there the roller coaster starts.   He incorporated all important ingredients of humor (by the Makhi irritating first and then terrorizing  the villain), romance between Heroine and the Makhi, actions/stunts with Makhi involving in a highway bond-type car chases, dances (taking off dance moment of Jr. NTR Allu Arjun etc. – I don’t know in the Hindi version take off from which popular Hindi movies will be used) sentiments and emotions when Makhi get caught and ultimately make supreme sacrifice of its life (like an Amitabh in Sholay) but not before killing the villain.

Apart from the concept and direction of Raja Mauli, the special effects team  (Makuta Fx) is the real hero of this movie.   Make an out and out Animation movie may not be that difficult but to have real life characters and animated characters simultaneously is a big challenge.    First they made a very cute Makhi character so nicely and colourfully which helped in showing various shades of emotions with crystal clarity.    

Coming to acting department, Sudeep (Kannada actor, who also plays very good cricket in Celebrity Cricket League) did a fantastic job, whether it is cruelty or humour on being traumatized by the Makhi, his body language and acting was superb and his expression have enhanced and magnified the role and character of Makhi and helped in Makhi becoming the hero of the movie.    Again credit should go to Raja Mouli to conceive this idea of highlighting the character of a Makhi (with all the limitations) through the reactions of the villain.   Considering that at the time of shooting there is no Makhi character around (which has been put by animation experts later on ) and Sudeep has to imagine that the Makhi character is around and emote, his acting is  really praise worthy.    Right from the first encounter of Sudeep and Makhi when he locks himself in a steam box to road accident to the climax his acting was of highest order.   Samanta is gorgeous and her encounter with the hero first and Makhi later are pleasure to watch and Nani is very cute in his short and sweet role.     It has a very pleasing music scored by Keeravani (a top Telugu music director who scored music for `Criminal’ and many other Mahesh Bhatt hindi movies) Senthil Kumar should bag few awards for his excellent cinamatography

Coming back to Raja mouli, after a string of big budget and mega successful movies with all the leading and top Telugu heros (including the original of Rowdy Rathore), and the then highest Telugu recording breaking grosser MAGADHEERA, everyone might have thought that he will come up with another big budget movie with another leading hero (every top Telugu star queue up to be casted by him), he did make a big budget `Makhi’ (reported to be at a cost of Rs. 30 crores – more than 80% going into the special effects), but not with any big stars but with animated character of Makhi.   It  really requires great amount of courage and conviction.    One should also give big pat to the producer Suresh Naidu to pump in such huge amounts in such risky venture.    The entire Telugu film industry has rallied around Raja Mouli by participating in film promotional programmes and the South Indian audiences have not disappointed them with movie becoming a huge hit in all the 3 languages and raking big mullah for the producers.     In Hindi version Raja Mouli has already roped in Ajay Devgan and Kajol (also making the Makhi do  the Ajay Devgan stunt of standing on two horses from his yet to be released Son of Sardar).  

Like Rajnikant’s Rabot, this will be liked immensely by not only the kids but by all age-groups.   So go with your children and revisit your childhood.   You will be surprised to see such a neat, clean family entertainer after a very long time.   I can put this experimental movie in the same league as Pushpaka Vimanam/Pushpak (a full length movie without dialogues), Appu Raja (for its special effects and very special acting by Kamal Hassan as ordinary hero and a dwarf), Chachi 420 (kamal Hassain doing a full length female role), Dasavataram (Kamal essaying 10 diagonally different characters including a Chinese  American and a grand old lady) and the recently released Rabot (for its huge special effects)   

S. Prabhakar

7^th October, 2012

AN AMUSING EXPERIENCE IN `KHAJURAHO'

An amusing experience at Khajuraho

Last week I went to Khajuraho for the first time on an official tour.    In a small sleepy city our hotel is built on a huge land and looks very impressive but it has only 48 rooms and in peak season to take care of the corporate guests they made a VIP guest block also.      Though on tour I am allotted a suite in every hotel, in this hotel I was put in the VIP guest block which is very nicely made with all facilities.   When I checked-in I wondered why I was put there and was not impressed since it does not have a good view, being on the back side of the hotel.  

As I was getting late for my meeting, immediately I went to bathroom to take bath.    Unlike the rooms in star hotels, there was a bucket, plastic stool and a mug kept which was a great source of comfort, as in the absence of mug I always use the glass tumblers kept in a bathroom.      After finishing the bath when I tried to come out of the bathroom, I found the door locked from inside (which might have happened on my giving a push on the door after entering the bathroom.   Though such type of locks gets opened by turning around from inside but to my scare the lock got struck up and despite my best efforts of turning around lightly to begin with and hard later on in panic it did not get opened.      After struggling for more than 10 minutes, I realized that I cannot get out without being rescued.    Then I took a close look at the bathroom to see where from I can call for help and to my relief I realized that there was a window 90% of which was covered by a glass, an exhaust fitted to it and on the top there was an old fashion wooden window which was also heavily taped because of which it might not have been opened for a long time.  

So I went close to the window and shouted for about 10 minutes.   As the guest block was at the back of the hotel and it was in the morning hour there was no movement and nobody listened to my shout.  No phone was kept in the bathroom and I really cursed my luck that I did not carry my mobile to the bathroom which would have made things easy for calling for rescue.   Then I remembered my pulling back my daughters whenever I found them carrying their mobiles while going for bath to listen to songs stored in the mobile.

   

Then lot of movie scenes crossed my mind where heroine or even a child artist caught in any such situation breaks open the glass with consummate ease.   So I picked up the plastic bucket and banged on the glass.    Normally, we find in our life everything which are supposed to be very strong turn out to be fragile and break and here I wanted something to be fragile and break but it turned to be rock solid and unbreakable variety and my banging the bucket had no impact on the glass (as nothing else was there and I was not like our foolhardy heroes to break things with hand  and even in crisis I am quite conscious of the fact that `kahi josh mein hamara ded kiloka haath glass pe uthaliyato – phir kabhi uthane ka laayak nahi rahaga’).    The next challenge is to reach upto the window which is at a height and I could not reach with my short height.   To my little fortune the room had a plastic stool which would not have been there in a normal conventional hotel room.   I climbed on the stool and stretched to the full on my toes with great difficulty reached the small window and it took quite a time to take off the layers and layers of tape put around the window, after which the struggle started to push it open, luckily it was not nailed (as is done in many case especially in horror movies to restrict the entry of Bhoots).    After lot of struggle it got opened after bruising of my hand as a compliment and souvenir.   Even after opening of the door, I had to stretch fully on my toes so that a part of head is visible and my shout could be more audible.   After few minutes I found one house-keeping boy coming toward the guest block carrying my shirts which I gave for ironing – and I must admit I was never so delighted at the sight of a fellow human being.    

After spotting me, he raised an alarm and within minutes  4-6 people from housekeeping, engineering and maintenance departments  descended panicking since VP from Corporate office visiting the hotel for the first time got stuck up within minutes of arriving.     Though they swung into action, the ordeal has not ended soon.    As a matter of habit in the house, I put bolt from inside on the main door because of which they could not enter the room by using master key.    The window in the bathroom is too small for even a child to enter through that.    Luckily there was one last resort left, being a room on the ground floor, there were two huge window glasses in the room, the beads around them were removed and the entire glass was removed and someone entered the room and opened the main door to the room.    Despite their trying from outside also the lock did not get open and ultimately the entire penal has to be broke open to freed me to my and their relief.   After every one moved out of my room, I had to take bath again as I was sweating badly – this time with doors wide open.   I was confirmed by the GM that after this episode they put an intercom in the bathroom promptly.

Lessons learnt:

1.  Believe in the old saying `that everything happens for our good’.    Had I been put in the hotel instead of VIP guest block, I really wonder how I could have come out because they will not have windows and the plastic stool for sure, if the room doesn’t have an intercom, then .   

2.   It is after all not a bad idea to take mobile in the bathroom, even if I do not listen to music like my daughters.  (I am sure my daughters will be thrilled by this admission).    

`Khujaraho’ is very famous for the Shiv Mandir and the `poses’ on the temple walls.    But the only pose I will always remember whenever I remember Khajuraho is my standing on the stool fully stretched on the toes with towel rapped trying to reach the window to shout for help.  

It also pleasantly reminded me of my being locked up in the office the entire night in IBP as a penalty for napping for few minutes while studying for my CS exams sitting in my boss’s cabin.   That story in the next  posting

S. Prabhakar

6^th October, 2012 

GREAT CUSTOMER CARE EXPERIENCE OF INDIAN RAILWAYS

GREAT CUSTOMER CARE EXPERIENCE OF INDIAN RAILWAYS

On 20^th September, 2012 while on board Shatabdhi express (one of the most prestigious trains of Indian Railways) from Delhi to Chandigarh I had a very pleasant surprise how prompt the customer care services of Indian Railways (the largest net work in the world with largest number of employees) are.    When the breakfast was served (I and the consultant travelling with me  preferred veg-south Indian), and as can be expected the vada was burnt and hard like a rock and even the portion of Upma was like a one hard cake.   The sambar was ice cold and there was no salt in chatni.   While I left the vada not risking my teeth, the consultant called the pantry people and gave them a dressing down and called for complaint book.    As usual they did a bit of dilly dallying in providing the complaint book, in the mean time he sent an SMS to the customer care number of India railways northern region.

What followed is very hard to believe and very pleasant surprise.    First a thanks giving sms came within 1 minute, in the next 3 minutes a Supervisor of the train has come running in apologizing for inconvenience caused and proposing to replace the breakfast with hot one – we didn’t accept his proposal with food not being tasty at all.   While the conversation was on a call came from customer care enquiring from the traveler whether the problem was sorted out or not and the caller spoke to the Train Supervisor and gave him a good dressing down and ordered him to provide complaint book to us immediately.   

After 10 minutes when he went to the toilet, as always happens, there was no water coming out of the tap on top of the wash basin but there was a pool water on the floor.   He again sent a SMS and told me to see in the direction of toilet to see what happens.    Within 2 minutes 2 cleaners along with TT descended on our coach and set things right and TT personally came and said sir now you can use the toilet, and for the next two hour of the journey an attendant was stationed outside the toilet mopping the floor after every use by any passenger.    Whatever happened is just like a scene taken out of Shankar’s Anil kapoor starrer `Nayak’ (where CM for a day keeps calling government officials on phone and either keep getting the things done by them or dismissing them).   Though it sounded exaggeration while seeing the movie, it proved to be more than real since the call went not from a CM but an ordinary traveler.     I must admit that even while staying in 5 star hotels I never seen a complaint being attended so fast.   Incidentally 4 months back I stayed in Park at Kolkata and in 7 hours I stayed in the hotel, I had to complain 4 times and being fed up while checking out I put down all the issues running into a full page and gave it to the duty manager and till date there is no reply of any action taken by them.    As I am working in a hospitality chain,  I did not press the matter, least they may feel that I am making it an issue since I am working for a rival group.  

   

Having closely observed my father working in Central Govt with great amount of dedication and starting my career in a PSU, I was always opined that Govt and PSUs (whether it is any Government office, police, and defense) work far better than the private sector (in which there is so much of show-biz and less of content)   They are more organized, procedure oriented, methodical and meticulous, great record keepers and their retrievers.  All these despite very poor infrastructure facilities and incentives, and  they can do wonder if they wish to work.    The blame lies on us as neither we use the ways and means to make them work nor have the patience to wait and given them reasonable time to do the work before trying to bribe and get the things done fast thereby corrupting the system ourselves.    In the train yesterday there were not less than 70 people in the coach no one has complained and even when my co-traveller was talking things out with the TS, people were amused and must be thinking the guy must be crazy to make a scene.    They are unmindful that it is not only for him (we did not accept the additional breakfast offered to us), few such complaints going will instill discipline in the staff and the people who travel after that will be benefitted and the contractor who was supposed to supply good and hygienic food does not make a fool of us and make money at our cost.   No one expect everyone to become an APARICHITAN (again a Shankar’s movie) and throw the contractor who supplies bad food into a boiling oil container (that is the punishment prescribed in Garudapurana for supplying bad food, as per the movie), but atleast have the inclination to improve things by making complaint when it is so easily done by sending a sms from your mobile.   

Come to think of it how many people know that there are such customer care numbers for all regions of Indian Railways and how many of us use them?   The number for North is 09717630982 and South Central is 08121281212 (numbers for other regions can be found in the website of Railways).    So next time you travel in a train and find anything not to be in order, instead of cribbing or making it a just a point of discussion go ahead and complaint and see things being attending at an amazing speed.  

Enjoy your journey in the oldest, trusted and most economical mode of transport.

s. prabhakar

21.9.2012

REVIEWS OF AWARA &
TRISHUL


After a long time, yesterday i saw two back to back Hindi movies on TV.   The first one is a more than 60 years old AWARA (1951) and the other one more than 30 years old TRISHUL (1978).

                                                          

AWARA is a very absorbing and at its time a path breaking movie.   Both Raj Kapoor and Prithvi Raj Kapoor (the forefather of the blossoming Kapoor khandaan) were at their best.    Apart from the towering performance of these two, all others too were at their best viz., the magical Nargis-Raj Kapoor chemistry (how i wish our Emraan Hasmi and young crop of actors see this movie and learn how to emote romance on the silver screen without jumping violently on the heroin and smooching at drop of the hat), Shankar Jaikishan’s magical music – songs fantastically rendered by Mukesh and Lata (the all time hits like Awaara hoon, ek bewafase pyaar kiya, Hum tujse mohabat karke sanam, ghar aya mera pardesi, ab raat guzar ne wali hai)and background music  (famous for using 80 pieces live orchestra for the spell binding dream sequence), the great camera work (don’t know who it was) using dim lights, shadows and close ups of Prithvi and Raj Kapoors and extensive use of smoking in clubs and dens to depict the evil side with the great results).     Normally when father and son duo act, it is the father who dominates and hand holds the son who must be very shaky (like Amitabh-Abisek, NTR-Balakrishna, ANR-Nagarjuna, Shivaji Ganesan-Prabhu), but it was to the credit of Raj Kapoor that he held fort, not only stood against Prithvi Rajkapoor, but also stole thunder in many confrontation scenes.     Added to his acting, Raj kapoor, at a very young age,  produced and directed the movie.   The Central theme of movie is so powerful that it has been repeated many times in movies like Dharam karam, Paravarish, Zameer  etc.   Each song was a classic  and  is popular even today.     Apart from being big hit and a cult movie, it has been huge success in USSR and for many years the song `Awara hoon’ was like anthem and Raj Kapoor was the only popular Indian known to them.    When we talk of villain, K N Singh (whom most of the youngster may not be knowing) did a great job, though he could not sustain much after this movie.   

                                

The other film which I saw one more time and enjoyed (after a very long gap) was Amitabh-Sanjeev Kumar starrer Tirshul.    Amitabh was at his peak and on a roll and it is one of his biggest blockbusters and he along with Sanjeev Kumar really spelt magic.   Whereas in Awara,  Raj kapoor was a vagabond in Trushul Amitabh was orphan and both have issues with their respective fathers.      Trishul has a powerful storyline and scorching dialogues by the then undivided Salim-javed Jodi.       The famous confrontations and dialogue baji for which Hindi movies are famous were in full view in Trishul.    Both Amitabh and Sanjeev Kumar were at their best and not giving an inch to the other.      Their performance was unmatched till Shakti was released in which too the magic was re-created between Amitabh and Dilip Kumar (in which both powerful dialogues as well as silence was also used in scenes like when Amitabh comes to meet Dilip kumar after his mother gets killed – the entire scenes was essayed without a dialogue).   Then ofcourse after a long gap it was followed by Mohabatein this time it was a dual between Amitabh and Sharukh Khan.     When Shakti was released Amitabh was praised to skies for being able to stand before towering Dilip Kumar and match dialogue for dialogue and expression for expression.    And in Mohabatein, Sharukh too held his fort admirably especially in the scene where he ends the conversation saying `from where I am seeing you, I find a defeated father standing below the potrate  of his dead daughter)

Coming back to Trishul, the story writers have cleverly shown the hero taking revenge on his father by destroying his business empire through unethical mans and making him pauper since father ditches his mother to become rich.    Amitabh, who was already a `angry young man’ brand at that time, has spilled venom right through in a very polished way and Sanjeev Kumar, as usual, given another sterling performance, graying his hair, closely following Sholay.      Others like Rakhi, Hema Malini, Sacin and Poonam Dhillon are just ornamental.   Prem Chopra, as he has done in every movie, has a punch dialogue at the end, `lijiye sahib yeh raha bandook, woh raha apka vijay, bus aap ko nishana laga ke trigger dabaneka takleef uthani padegi (service at the best as he was engaged to kill Vijay/Amitabh).      With such masala ingredients, as can be expected, it was a huge hit, and one of the land mark movies of Amitabh following Zanjeer, Dweear, Sholay.  

It has that famour song GAPUCHI GAPUCHI GUM GUM ……..which I recently sang with my wife in a family get-together.  

S. PRABHAKAR

10.9.2012

Zindagi Ek Safar Hai Suhana ………..RIP Rajesh Khanna

The original super star of Bolloywood, albeit for a very brief period, is no more.     The fan-following and adulation, specially by females, which Rajesh Khanna has commanded in late 60s and early 70s was unprecedented and the title of Super Star was coined for the first time for him .   His romantic image was so predominant that every young girl of that era used to have his photo under her pillow and secretly wished to marry him  and many were reported to have got married to his photo itself and adore (a la Meera).  Stories were rife in those days that female fans used to write letters  dipped  in their blood, picking up the dust of the car in which he used to travel and  some young girls committing suicide after listening the news of his getting married to Dimple Kapadia.   Such a phenomena Rajesh Khanna was.       Some of the author backed roles by the then Bengali directors in films like Anand, Aradhana, Amar Prem, Aap ki Kasam, Namak Haraam,  Bawarchi, Kati Patang Daag, Do-Raste and Dushman, with fantastic music by SD/ R D Burman  and singing by Kishore, have catapulled him to super-stardom.    But a series of such hits, later on proved to be disadvantageous with pitfalls like type-casting, stereo typed acting  and over use of mannerism by tilting his head, blinking eyes with camera zoomed very close to his eyes, dialogue delivery which comes like a flow first and then put a sudden break to enable him to blink his eye and tilt his head.    At the peak of his career in early 70s the advent of action movies, thanks to the super duper hit of Zanjeer has seen the birth of another superstar Amithabh Bachan signalled the beginning of his end.     Zanjeer followed by Deewar, Sholay and Trishul establish Amitabh who scorched the screen with his angry young man image and with already established Dharmendra and the then upcoming Vinod Khanna being in the same mould of action has not helped the cause of Rajesh Khanna who has a soft, sober romantic image and/or a tragic image.    His flirting with action movies in Sacha Jhoota, Apna Desh, The Train and Roti have  gone unnoticed.   He never could adjust himself in multy-starrers of 1970s/80s which has promoted even average performers like Sashi Kapoor to stardom.   Come 1980s, Bollywood stars starting taking their dancing skills very seriously with jumping jack Jeetu followed by John Travolta and Michel Jackson's Clown our own Mithun becoming big hits as dancing stars.  Here too Rajesh khana had a disadvantage with having two left foot.  

At that time the only thing which could have saved his career was banking on south-indian remakes which had large number of family dramas with one man-two heroines stories, the super sacrificing elder brother, husband, village head-man etc which were originally done by ANR (who has on top bracket for over 50s years) and Shoban Babu (who was a popular star for over 40 years).    But to his misfortune, the mega record breaking Telugu hit film Prem Nagar (with ANR in Telugu and Shivaji Ganeshan in Tamil) when remade with him in Hindi (with a popular combination of Hema Malini and music by S D Burman)   bombed at the box office.      Few more South Indian remakes like Red Rose, Masterji also bombed at box office Apart from this set back, working in a South India set-up at that time (or even now) means to be highly disciplined, giving bulk dates and ensuring that the film was completed in record time of few months, but with larger than life image, undisciplined and cranky behavior has made him a non-preferred choice and the loss of Rajesh Khann has proved to be Jeetu’s gain who camped himself permanently in Hyderabad at the backyard of Annapurna, Rama Naidu and Padmalaya studios bagging almost all the Telugu remakes of 70s and 80s.   

Though his attempt to come back many times with Avataar, Swarg, Thodisi Bewafayi  and Souten met with modern success, he could never regain any of his past glory whatsoever.     His last movie which was like a semi-porno with an unknown C grade actress and his first and last TV commercial  for Havel fans given the fans more pain than pleasure and many might have wished why he doesn't learn to fade gracefully.     With the age he could not graduate into matured roles and also into the TV as has been done by every star worth his salt.   His disastrous marriage with Dimple Kapadia and negative publicity given for years together by the print media, has eroded his huge female fan following and proved to be the last straw on the camel’s back.

The tragedy with Rajesh Khanna, as he himself admitted in one of his interviews, that like Amitabh Bhachan, he did not have a Super Star before him to observe and take care of pitfalls of super stardom.    He allowed success go to his head and became super-arrogant and took the demi-God status bestowed by the fans too seriously.     As shown in the BBC film on him (a tribute in those days), when he came to know that he has not bagged filmfare award, he hosted a dinner on the same night as that of filmfare awards' night.      But he could not handle the fall from the grace and not adjusted and accommodated himself with changing times and hit the bottle in a big way leading to health complications.  The life and times of Rajesh Khann after that has become a manual for other stars who  followed him to realise how fickle and temporary the tinsel town stardom is and take care and we find most of the actors now-a-days are more sensible and organised.    

It is very sad that, unlike so many Ballywood stars, like Dev Anand, Raj Kumar, Rajendra Kumar and Raj Kapoor who played well within their own limitations and survived for a long time, Rajesh Khanna could not succeed in doing so and his stay at top was like an `Anar’  (flower-pot), very bright but for very short period.  

His captivating smile and innocent face (of Anand, Amar Prem and Bawarchi) will always remain etched in my memory .      Let’s celebrate his life rather than cry for him since as he famously said `I hate tears Pushpa’.

S. Prabhakar
18th July, 2012

SJ on `neglecting of aged parents’

15^th July, 2012 episode of SJ has taken up the sensitive issue of `neglecting of aged parents’.   The entire programme was summed up by one of the participant when he said that there used to be time when a mother used to cry that the child was not eating food and now time has come when the mother is crying because the child is not giving her food.   

Pramila Krishnan made startling revelation that in some parts of Tamil Nadu, the children started killing parents and it has a become a tradition sort and they call it a `talaikutal’ (head bath) and the relatives are also intimated post the act and it is taken as perfect moral way of terminating the `perceived overstay of old people on this earth’.   Some children are kind enough to make it less painful for the parents by getting poisonous injection administered.    A scary and forced mercy killing.   This is done for getting away from the responsibility of taking care of old, frail and diseased old parents/grand parents who are treated as hindrance for the progress in their lives.

Mr. Rath  has practically explained the economical angle.  In many cases the problem comes because people have planned and programmed thinking that their life expectancy will be 60 years whereas it has gone up to around 80 years so 20 years post retirement for a male and another 10 years or so after that for his wife were unplanned which makes them vulnerable with children feeling the burden of carrying for few more years.  Added to this those who don’t have financial independence or innocent enough to pass on the property to children in their life time under bouts of sentiments will invite troubles because there will not be any self-serving motive left for the children to take care of their old parents.  The properties held in the name of parents still acts as carrot for a stage-managed display of love, affection and care, which though made to believe, gives some comfort and solace to parents.  

Loneliness: In advanced age, more specially, if the aged person is a widow or a widower the loneliness, feeling of being neglected, not given importance compounds the problems for the elderly people.  Very interesting statistics revealed that in voting the majority of the voters are above the 60 age of and most of our politicians too are in the same age group.   The expert who appeared was of the view that it is in a way of assertion of their voice, which is not ever heard by anyone else.   The video clippings of `Dada Dadi’ park whose slogan is `Budha hoga tera baap’, where elderly people were shown singing, dancing, and even playing cricket is very refreshing and quite unbelievable and I would definitely like to join one of such parks when I really feel old (if at all I feel).   The humorous part of the programme was the chat with the old couple who got married when the gentleman was 72 years old and enjoying the bliss of married life for the last 7 years.  As pointed out by the aged wife the gentleman was looking aged in the marriage photos but looked healthy now.  An association in Ahemedabad is giving platform for the aged single men and women to meet and forge alliance for live-in relations.  I strongly feel that live-in relations, at a platonic level, will be a reality amongst aged couple only.   

Mr. Narainan Mahajan, 91, has done amazing feats of trekking to a peak of 3,500 feet and has done raffling between two cliffs which earned him a place in Limca Books of records.  His mantra of good health is compared to normal capacity eat half, take water two times, exercise three times, laugh four times.  Lead a satisfied old age for which tension should not be there and if you don’t want tension don’t keep your expectations high.  

Amazingly Mrs. Chandralomo Tomar and Mrs. Prakashi Tomar two very elderly ladies from a small village in UP have taken to shooting at a very advance age and won lot of medals.  Mrs. Chandralomo concluded with a witty punch line that `tan budha hota hai man nahi’.

My take:  No one can deny that parents make their best efforts and make lot of scarifies in bringing up their children and when they grow old it becomes the moral duty of the children to take care of the aging parents to the best of one’s ability so as to ensure that in the last leg of their life they don’t face any discomfort, anxiety and anguish.

The best way to recollect what parents have done for us is by remembering the number of times mother has not slept the entire night taking care of the child running high fever or any other ailments and her not taking any food on all those days on which her kids have not taken food for whatever reason including as a protest for the scolding received from parents for their mistakes.  All the efforts made by father to earn that extra rupee, and beg and borrow for educating the children and get them married off especially the daughters.   I never stop wondering that when the child get infected by chicken pox/small pox, which is treated to be so highly infectious that no one is permitted to go near the infected children and they are confined to one corner of a room in the house, it is only mother who stays with the child till full recovery and she never get infected.  God has gifted the Mother with fantastic immunity apart from other great qualities.

My first exposure, at a very young age, to the neglect, rejection and travail of the aged is a look at the widows who used to struggle to earn two square meals either staying and slogging throughout the day at widow-homes or shuttling from one relatives house to another serving them at the times of marriages and/or child-delivery.   In some cases the children of the widows have washed off their hands on them.  From that time onwards I kept witnessing such acts of negligence of parents to some degree or the other. In many cases it happens because of the children unwittingly turning their old parents as unsung, un-acknowledged and in all cases unpaid ayas (maid-servants) to their children.    Children staying with their parents or keeping the aged parents has this `taking the care of their kids’ angle to it. While bothering about their own children and their comfort, one tends to forget about the discomfort to their own aged parents in the form of their not been able to go to bus stop in hot summer, or thundering and flooding rains or chilling winter to pick up grand children, not been able to take rest in the afternoon, not having their own freedom to decide what to do, where to go at their own will and so on and so forth

The Reality Check:

While undoubtedly advocating that the children should do everything within (or even beyond) their means/disposal to make the lives of their aging parents as comfortable as possible, but aged parents should also take a reality check of their expectations and whether they are in sync with constraints thrown up by the modern jet set age.  Though parents do not make it public the ill-treatment in the hands of their children as suggested in the programme, there is always undercurrents and nagging making the existence very unpleasant. There is no doubt that beyond certain age the parents start behaving like kids expecting too much of attention, care, stubbornness and when the children keep a tab and put restrictions on their movements, eating habits and living styles (in the same way the parents have done when their children were kids for their good), there will be lot of resistance.  Lack of clear and open communication between parents and children airing their opinion, views discomforts, misgivings and misunderstandings and choosing to communicate through taunts and comparisons especially directed towards ‘the fall-guy for all reasons and seasons’ daughter-in-law.   In many house-holds the things takes an ugly turn after this and it will be a one way traffic from then onwards. I vividly remember my wife telling me that she used to find a very elderly uncle known to us in our locality quietly and sheepishly having street food and lightheartedly saying that his kids don’t let him have spicy food at home and that’s why he has to do it.  But the fact was whenever that elderly gentleman used to have spicy food, he used to suffer from indigestion and suffer because of which his children had to keep him under check.   If facts are not known, this could be translated into ill-treatment.  In the same way because of various constrains of modern times like both husband and wife working in high pressure jobs with long and unpredictable working hours children find it difficult to manage time to attend to the needs of their elderly parents despite their best intentions.   In such circumstances if the elder parents are to be put in a well-maintained old-age home with all amenities during the day time or during week days where they get good company, better attention and medical care and security it is dubbed as throwing out the aged parents.  Though no parent or no child likes, we do send our kids to crèches from very young age and no one treats that as abandoning of the children.    Parents, on their part, should be progressive, practical open-minded and adaptable and children should be companionate, compromising, caring and exhibit great degree of patience as they do with their own children since elderly parents tend to become and behave like children.   A better communication dispels lot of misgiving in such matters and there could be peace and happiness.

About Aamir: at the beginning of the programme Aamir tried to exhibit a high moral ground by saying that he is doing this programme as part of discharging his social responsibility.  He is reported to be charging around Rs. 3 cores per episode – what a fancy way of discharging social responsibility.   While he makes appeals to people to send SMS and some part of the revenue goes to some charity and an equal amount being contributed by Reliance foundation,  but till date he did not contribute a single penny from his fat remuneration.   Within 5 minutes into the programme immediately after showing the first video clipping of the plight of old ladies in UP, camera was zoomed on to his face and tears rolling down his cheeks unabatedly.   I really wonder being a seasoned actor how come he finds it so difficult to control his emotions – but if it is part of the script that he has to do so, being a top actor he is doing a great job of it – I have no doubt in my mind that it is proving to be counterproductive and may soon become a laughing stock. While introducing the programme he said that India is the only country where we touch the feet of elders as a mark of respect, but even when he has gone down into audience to meet a 91 years old man he just shook hands and hugged rather than paying respect by touching his feet.  There lies the difference between an Aamir and an Amitabh.  

Satyameva Jayate

S. Prabhakar

15^th July, 2012