The Emperor's new compositions – a la new clothes

Remember the child who pointed out that the emperor did not have any clothes on, even as his most trusted aides lied in fear of appearing incompetent or unfit, a fear inculcated by a bunch of frauds who tailored the so called invisible suit at a hefty price and fled. If Mani Ratnam can draw parallels with epics so can I from a fairy tale.

So who is the emperor you ask none other than our acclaimed music director A R Rahman, the frauds - the Oscar for making the world and Mr. Rahman believe “jai ho” was his best and he had found international appeal (by annoying and excessive use of drums, and beats in the background), the trusted aides - our critics, his best friends in the industry, his own discoveries, the cast and crew of Raavan and last but not the least - the child, the lot like me and you who feel let down ever since Oscars, for there was Blue and now Raavan that truly made us wonder if Mr. Rahman had lost it. Yes, there was respite in the form of Vinaithandi Varuvaya and a masterpiece like Delhi 6. But what hurts is when people in the industry praise this cacaphony of a music in Raavan just to appease Rahman or perhaps to comfort Mani sir (based on the movie reviews I think the man needs to listen to some white lies, loads of it).

Rahman's Raavan is as bad as the Big B hamming in Aladdin. Music sells purely by itself not because of how one is reminded about the movie, or how it’s purely situational. Music from super flops such as "what's your rashee", "delhi 6" etc are case in point. Criticism at any level should be constructive, unfortunately today the industry uses it for all the wrong reasons, to hype, to flatter, to insult, to bring people down. It’s sad because artists just stop giving their best, they get lost in a web of lies, all because someone wants to be in his or her good books or they don't want it to hurt the success of their movie in any way.

Irony - the day the child stops listening, all the emperor will have is his past glory to remember, and the very trusted aides will walk away, whispering a few consolations and faked disbeliefs, while muttering to themselves "well it was about time, remember Blue and Raavan, man!", oh yes there will be the occasional life time achievement awards when the most boring and impassioned speeches are given by the aides, and the emperor can place the trophy next to the Oscar, something that would have ironically defined the downfall of a legend. Some picture I can paint huh? But that's an “ if ”....situation. Let’s hope the emperor does not give more reasons for the child to give up henceforth. Chinna chinna aasai….

Money Money it so funny...in a richman's world

Few years ago when Saif Ali Khan won the national award for his role in Hum Tum, I was like whts happening here. I mean he was pitted against Mammootty in Bhoothakanadi, I mean I agree he's a good actor and if it had been Omkara instead he would have certainly deserved it no matter who was pitted against him. But this would still pale in comparison to what happened a few years before that when Raveena Tandon walked away with the national award for what can be termed only as a lack lustre and unconvincing performance in Daman: A Victim of Marital Violence while Anil Kapoor bagged the same for his nothing great to speak about role in Pukaar.  People cried foul and there were even allegations of undertable dealings and use of political pressure.

Well the sleeping dogs would still have continued to lie if the recent Padmashree awards had not gone and kicked them awake.  Aishwarya Rai, Akshay Kumar, Helen, oh for gods sake whts happenin here.  I mean have we lost it.  One a perfect Doll who has only been able to give good performances when guided by very few directors while in most she hams or simply doesnt even put in a decent performance, the other a good hardworking fellow who has yet to prove his worth as a thinking man's actor(sorry Akshay I like you and I think you have it in you and one day you will be deserving enough but not yet),  and the last a cabaret dancer in movie or should i say an item girl of yesteryears (I'm sure Rakhi Sawant is excited, she can expect one in a few years if this is the case).  

Its not only undeserving but a total mockery of the awards, dont believe it check out the previous winners and how it is impossible to associate the former three with the same list. But with the Bachan name and money and the Samajwadi party's support inroads can easily be made into the award committees decisions.  Akshay too has the money while Helen has the Salim Khan and Salman Khan names and associated Congress support rooting for her. Or perhaps its a whole new way to please these big names in India. Why? Well they have the face, or they have the name or the fame that makes them influential, and are ideal to wield the microphone or voice slogans as ambassadors for political agendas in return. 

One things for sure though, the Padmashri has lost its aura and its no more special atleast, to not just the true art lovers and artistes but the hundreds out there who sincerely dedicate their services in various arenas that are honoured by the Padmashri every year(they of course work unconditionally and not for any awards/recognitions in the first place, take a lesson ash, ak). A whole lot of capable people though were awarded this year in various categories but these three declarations just took the honour away.  Ash, AK and dancing queen may have been honoured to receive the award but from this year the Padmashri has been honoured to present itself to other deserving awardees as a result.

Two sides of the same coin - The doctor's strike

A scene from the General Hospital in Thiruvananthapuram as doctors went on strike

Is it high time we set other(preferably higher) standards for employment categories that fall under service such as medicine, the army, teaching etc. These are afterall crucial parts of the overall machinery of a country. How do we set the benchmarks for their qualification, their compensation, their sincerity? The goverment doctor's strike in Kerala has made many a few to ponder on the subject. From their point of view, its only fair that they demand a better pay for their services, afterall being part of the highly educated and professional sects in the state its not much to ask for. They have put in years of hard work to achieve their position and their job is definitely not an easy one. However, I wonder if there were less drastic ways too demand their rights rather than boycott their work. Every time any sort of strike is called on, it is the common man that gets affected. Over 1,600 doctors, serving district and taluk hospitals and primary health centers, has been on a work-to-rule by boycotting all kinds of special duties. The rural areas are the worst hit and most cannot even consider alternatives like private care due to their inability to afford the medical expenses. Do the docs conveniently forget the oaths they take at the time of their convocation, or is the nobility of medical service highly overrated? Perhaps we can forgive them this once, but havent they spawned a trend that will be repeated in future whenever they feel their demands, however reasonable or unreasonable they may be, are not met?

And I begin to wonder the state of our BSF offciers, fighting the severe cold on the frontiers of our country, waking up each day(if they ever sleep) not knowing if they will see the next sunrise or not, the prayers of their anxious families giving them the strength to hold on in the most difficult political weather conditions as well, the unconditional love for their country keeping them fearless in the face of an enemy attack - how do we set the benchmark of compensation for these heroes, their service, their lives, our gratitude due towards their families. Ever wondered what they get paid? The answer can be quite embarassing and can make you feel guilty. A more scary scenario - what if they decide to go on a strike in the name of better reimbursements? Striking docs, please take note. Your cause will only seem childish in such a context.

Years ago, a great man thought out the practice of non-violent struggle against the oppressing British by means of boycott, non-cooperation and it got us our freedom. Today, the concept is used and misused every other day for the most non-sensical reasons (about 99% of the time), taking the glory away from the man who created it for a purpose - for the better, brighter and successful future of his countrymen. Sadly, this non-violent practice is now the biggest hurdle in the path of achieving the dream he envisioned for India.

The King's dilemma - The Tiff between SHarukh & BCCI

So much has been put in the media about Sharukh's so called promotion of OSO through cricket matches? I mean so what, when cricket itself has become a glamour quotient in India today, whats the harm even if King Khan happens to be there to give his home production an extra impetus. From what I see the cricket board needs to be thankful, for his presence(along with a certain damsel who seems to be the apple of the eye of more than one on the cricket team) has lent both the team members as well as the viewers motivation to play better, and pay and enjoy better respectively.

Well BCCI seems to be turning out to be a group of bored, irritable and desperate individuals past their prime, who cannot somehow get attention in any other form but a controversy. Thats all the reason they have been in the news for. As for SRK, it would be too drastic a deicision to never watch a cricket match from a stadium for frankly BCCI has no control over such issues and SRK being the true sportsman should let it pass. Indian cricket changes colours faster than the chameleon, they may win a couple and then go on a losing streak, perhaps amidst such catastrophic days (as in the case of the latter) perhaps SRK could pose as an icon of sustenance, power and success to our young cricketers, who can learn a lot about the way the man has made his mark through sheer will power, hard work and determination.

Being a Superstar, a reality check?

Who would not want to veg out in front of the TV after a long day's work? So, I am munching my high cholestrol packed in potato chips, and scanning through the channels on my TV, when I see one reality show after another being screened on one channel OR the other.

Youngsters who dont have a clue on how to handle all the attention at being projected as the potential new superstars, judges who seem to run out of complicated english words(which I am sure they take the pain to jot down before each episode), an anchor who struggles with anglicized Malayalam, making even the average American at Kalamandalm go red in the face(afterall even he does not pretend so much to struggle with what is not his mother tongue) and ofcourse a whole lot of audience like me and you who seem to BE spending so much time to believe this scam OF a music show.

I wish only if youngsters had more faith in their abilities than waste valuable weeks of their life believing that this would be the platform that would fruiten their ambitions. Unfortunately the odds are too high. Its like a mirage, its seems to be there for a while and then fades away in a moment. Worse it has the side effect of a stimulating drug, you love the limelight and so you now cannot live without it. But when the sun has set on the day dream, you have to return back to normal life, but the distress and disappointment can be quite engulfing.

So should such shows be banned, no, one does not have to be so critical either, any exposure is good, but your feet need to be firmly on the ground.

Just as the genre of the show you need to be in constant touch with your reality. Perhaps TV channels need to get good counsellors who would give these young chaps a lesson or two on determination and the bigger picture, to deal with set backs and poential failures, to fight and rise above them. But with the current trends, I think a good bit of counselling needs to be given to the parents too, who seem to dump the burden of competition and winning on the slender shoulders of these youngsters.

Let them break out on their own. Remember, it may seem like a struggle when the maggot tries to shed its mould and stretch out its wings, but if you try to break its mould, you are only rendering it useless, for the struggle to break out is what gives the wings the power the strength and power to fly. So no reality show can help you take off to success, its not a one stop for your dreams to come true, but its struggle, dedication and sincerity with good luck that can give you the power to do so.