Published in the Indian Express
NEW DELHI: This is a country where the law clearly protects the rich and famous and comes down heavily, very often unfairly, on the poor and powerless.
For all those listening / watching aghast at how low our politicians can sink - e.g. Varun Gandhi’s vituperative attack against the Muslim community in an election address in Pilibhit from where he will contest on the BJP ticket - they always knew deep down that nothing would come of it. The interim anticipatory bail granted to him on Friday is on those very predictable lines.
The scion of Sanjay Gandhi will grow from strength to strength in an age which hails ‘khalnayaks’ who indulge in communally divisive politics .For them there is no Model Code of Conduct but a Model Code of Self Seeking Hate Politics. The BJP will not take away their symbol from Varun .Nor will the law of the land really move against him and keep him from contesting the election. And getting a bail will be child’s play for a person as influential as Varun Gandhi. Continue reading ‘India: One land, two laws’
Bertholt Brecht asked the question: “What is the robbing of a bank compared to the founding of a bank?”
Q. What are banks for ?
A. To make money.
Q. For the customers ?
A. For the banks.
Q. Why doesn’t bank advertising mention this ?
A. It would not be in good taste. But it is mentioned by implication in references to reserves of £249,000,000 or thereabouts. That is the money they have made.
Q. Out of the customers ?
A. I suppose so.
Q. They also mention Assets of £500,000,000 or thereabouts. Have they made that too ?
A. Not exactly. That is the money they use to make money.
Q. I see. And they keep it in a safe somewhere ?
A. Not at all. They lend it to customers.
Continue reading ‘What is the robbing of a bank compared to the founding of a bank?’
I lived through the most traumatic event in the lives of Mumbaikars. On 26/11 (the 26th of November 2008), ten armed guerillas held the city hostage at the point of their Kalashnikovs. Indian fledgling Television channels ran a live telecast of the events, each vying to be better and more sensational than the other. Page 3 luminaries sat on panels as if during the general elections and argued their biased views with each other. Over excited amateur journalists reported live from ‘ground zero’ exposing the military operations on the outside to the hostage takers inside. The city sat up for three days and nights and watched the events live on TV… it was like watching Die hard but there was to be no Bruce Willis. Just mortals torn to bits, bleeding and dying on the ground.
Continue reading ‘Mumbai Stories 5 - Slumdogs and Millionaires’
I have been back in Mumbai since two weeks and I caught the retreating tail of the monsoons.
I had the quintessential Mumbai flood experience being stuck in the pouring rain. Most rickshaw-walas had closed shop on this wet and windy night.
My man smiled and told me that he would take me anywhere as long as his machine could.
It was a long and perilous ride from Versova, the wind and lashing rain blurred his windshield despite his hand cranked wiper. We rode slowly in auto pilot in zero-visibility conditions. The last leg down Pali hill towards Sherley Rajan road was as nerve-racking as the climax of Jaws. It was quite a struggle for survival as the little Rickshaw tried to negotiate through the sheets of water falling from the skies and the raging white water rafting conditions from the over flowing gutters.
Continue reading ‘MUMBAI STORIES 4 – The Return’
My new feature film project - Arunoday (The Sunrise) has been selected at the 11th Pusan Promotion Plan of the Pusan International Film Festival in South Korea.
I am to go there with my producer Sudhir Mishra from the 3rd to 6th October.
You can read more about this from an article in Dear cinema. ( an interesting Indian website on world cinema).
Thanks Bikas Mishra (the editor of the site) for sending me a cool email and putting up the news on their website.
More about Arunoday on http://sunrisethefilm.com
I see at least one film everyday. It’s often a tall order and I have to plan in advance to have a supply of good films on hand. I am a member of two video rental shops, a big commercial one and one small art-house place. I also rent from the internet rental house which sends me 2 DVDs by the post, according to my wish list. I watch them and post them back to them and they send me two new ones. I also go to the cinemas as and when there are interesting films shown there. (rare) Continue reading ‘Soi Cowboy’
People often ask me what I have been up to these days… I tell them well I am dying to go on holiday to Italy with A. They look at me questioningly and say ‘ Holiday? What from what?’
Well, from work you shit heads.
Two producers have two full-length feature scripts and budgets, shooting schedules etc and the third is in development. Scripts are born every morning while you read the newspapers on the throne.
‘So what are you doing now? ‘
Hmm!
(cut to) Continue reading ‘Waiting for Godot’
Wong- Kar wai must have some have been born with a silver view finder in his mouth or else how can he make such films and get away with it. When the west complains that Indian films are too emotional and too boo hoo hoo. My Bullberry err My blueberry nights takes the cake!
I guess that’s because he is not Indian?
