Friday, January 30, 2009
If ...
... you turn the clock back and make it go away
... you could give something back when you really want it
... you were forced to receive something that you really want to throw away
... you couldn't just accept whatever life threw at you
... you couldn't just let it be
................. would you?
... you could give something back when you really want it
... you were forced to receive something that you really want to throw away
... you couldn't just accept whatever life threw at you
... you couldn't just let it be
................. would you?
World weary
Sometimes it gets difficult to muster enough enthusiasm to just get through the day. Where's Jimbo when I need him?
Thursday, January 08, 2009
Tell me why
If every crime has a motive, then every confession has a bigger one. What prompted Raju to confess?
Wednesday, January 07, 2009
Raju is no gentleman
Satyam's Chairman Ramalinga Raju has put India to shame by admitting to what may well be the largest corporate scandal to hit Dalal street so far. Takes the gleam off the Indian Shining phenomenon, doesn't it? The regulators better come down hard on the promoters, (the auditors and the guys who awarded Satyam for corporate governance as well!) else we might see foreign investments fleeing the country.Thursday, January 01, 2009
Haapy New Year!!!
New hopes, thoughts and aspirations, and oh yeah, resolutions! Here's wishing you all a very Happy New Year!
Wednesday, December 24, 2008
Oye Lucky! Lucky Oye!
Lucky! Lucky Oye! is the first Hindi film after Johnny Gaddar that I enjoyed so much. Oye Lucky is more 'indie' when compared to the slick Bollywood feel of Johnny G, but I would rate it equally high, if not higher. This is a movie with so many layers that I feel I'll have to watch it again to get all of it.
Lucky (Abhay Deol, wonderful) is a compulsive thief! You and I might reach for some cheese or chocolate when we get stressed, Lucky thieves indiscriminately. He thieves even when not stressed, with scant regard as to whether it is an expensive car or a petty flower pot. In a potent back story, a dysfunctional home headed by a miserly father (Paresh Rawal), and a burgeoning puppy love bring out the consummate thief in Lucky. Lucky grows up to be a thieving phenomenon under the protection of Gogi Arora (Paresh Rawal again), pursues a love interest (Neetu Chandra) and is pushed over the edge by the conniving Dr. Handa (Paresh Rawal, yet again). Lucky then becomes a liability for Gogi, which brings the police out in full force against him.
But that's just a part of what this movie is about. Oye Lucky is a remarkably insightful account of one man's attempt to live life on his own terms, amidst class divisions and power struggles. Abhay Deol's Lucky is an affable young man, the kind you cant resist letting into your home even though he might steal from it. Yet, he is the outsider, the one you might invite home for dinner, but never let him into your inner circle! Deol does a wonderful job as Lucky - I cant think of any other actor who could have been more perfect for the part. I loved the use of Paresh Rawal in the movie, each of his avatars push Lucky further along the road to damnation! Neetu Chandra is a breath of fresh air after the glam dolls we are used to seeing in Hindi movies. Special mention must go to director Dibanker Banerjee - he has created a movie that is poignant and insightful, but at the same time absurdly funny.
Verdict: I want to watch it again!
PS: Saw Wall-E and loved it, especially the first half! Saw Madagascar 2 and hated it!!
Monday, December 08, 2008
Praise and criticism
Barkha Dutt defends herself in this piece! An analysis:
Not once, were we asked by anyone in authority, to switch our cameras off, or withhold images. When we did so, it was entirely our own assessment that perhaps it was safest to do so. - If that was the case, why did they resort to blanking out news channels (including NDTV) in Mumbai? Btw, didn't we hear her describe 'a secret alley behind the Oberoi' through which people were being rescued? Did she think that these terrorists were so brain dead so as to not be able to guess where this was? Or that they would cools their heels in the lobby of the Taj even as she and her colleagues let it be known that several VIPs were hiding in the Chambers? Great self censorship, I must say!
Allegations that I or any of my colleagues across the industry shoved a microphone in the faces of any waiting relative, are untrue in the extreme. - Maybe she was polished enough not to force a mike into someone's face, but she was dragging people around to make sure they were in the right camera angle. And several of her colleagues did actually thrust mikes into faces!
On this one point, I would concede that perhaps, this was a balance we lost and needed to redress earlier on during the coverage. But, mostly our attention was on the hotels, because they were the sites of the live encounters, and not because of some deliberate socio-economic prejudice. - Hear, hear, she concedes a point! Actually, what she meant was that CST wouldn't have such high TRPs!
But it is important to understand that in the absence of any instructions on site and in the absence of any such framework we broke NO rules. - This really gets my goat! She didn't break any rules, but if she had drawn a line for herself, we wouldn't be having those facebook communities!
When asked in an interview on NDTV, what struck him watching the events unfold on television, Narayan Murthy, said it was the "finest piece of TV journalism in a decade." - I have great regard for Mr. Murthy for having put India on the global map, but with all due respect - who died and made him the expert on media coverage? What Ms Dutt really means is - "I have big rich people praising me, why would I bother about what the regular Joe/Jane says?.
I believe that criticism is what helps us evolve and reinvent ourselves. But when malice and rumour are regarded as feedback, there can be no constructive dialogue. - Right, the common man has nothing better to do than malign her. Does she ever stop to think why her and no one else? Srinivasan Jain belongs to the same channel, it would help if she could learn some basics of journalism from him!
But in journalism, we know that, praise and criticism are twins that travel together. And we welcome both and try and listen to both carefully. - Does she really? The whole article does nothing but defend her stance - we broke no rules, the people wanted to talk, XYZ thanked me, ABC praised me. Grow up Ms Dutt. And shut the h$#% up!
Not once, were we asked by anyone in authority, to switch our cameras off, or withhold images. When we did so, it was entirely our own assessment that perhaps it was safest to do so. - If that was the case, why did they resort to blanking out news channels (including NDTV) in Mumbai? Btw, didn't we hear her describe 'a secret alley behind the Oberoi' through which people were being rescued? Did she think that these terrorists were so brain dead so as to not be able to guess where this was? Or that they would cools their heels in the lobby of the Taj even as she and her colleagues let it be known that several VIPs were hiding in the Chambers? Great self censorship, I must say!
Allegations that I or any of my colleagues across the industry shoved a microphone in the faces of any waiting relative, are untrue in the extreme. - Maybe she was polished enough not to force a mike into someone's face, but she was dragging people around to make sure they were in the right camera angle. And several of her colleagues did actually thrust mikes into faces!
On this one point, I would concede that perhaps, this was a balance we lost and needed to redress earlier on during the coverage. But, mostly our attention was on the hotels, because they were the sites of the live encounters, and not because of some deliberate socio-economic prejudice. - Hear, hear, she concedes a point! Actually, what she meant was that CST wouldn't have such high TRPs!
But it is important to understand that in the absence of any instructions on site and in the absence of any such framework we broke NO rules. - This really gets my goat! She didn't break any rules, but if she had drawn a line for herself, we wouldn't be having those facebook communities!
When asked in an interview on NDTV, what struck him watching the events unfold on television, Narayan Murthy, said it was the "finest piece of TV journalism in a decade." - I have great regard for Mr. Murthy for having put India on the global map, but with all due respect - who died and made him the expert on media coverage? What Ms Dutt really means is - "I have big rich people praising me, why would I bother about what the regular Joe/Jane says?.
I believe that criticism is what helps us evolve and reinvent ourselves. But when malice and rumour are regarded as feedback, there can be no constructive dialogue. - Right, the common man has nothing better to do than malign her. Does she ever stop to think why her and no one else? Srinivasan Jain belongs to the same channel, it would help if she could learn some basics of journalism from him!
But in journalism, we know that, praise and criticism are twins that travel together. And we welcome both and try and listen to both carefully. - Does she really? The whole article does nothing but defend her stance - we broke no rules, the people wanted to talk, XYZ thanked me, ABC praised me. Grow up Ms Dutt. And shut the h$#% up!
Wednesday, December 03, 2008
Small change
If you were disgusted by the media as they turned the most horrific attacks on Mumbai into a nightmare and hindered rescue operations, please sign this petition!
Saturday, November 29, 2008
Friday, November 28, 2008
Unbelievable
Are these guys out of their minds? Why would the NSG want to continue conducting rescue operations in full view of a media that only wants to sensationalize the issue? Even my mum knows that TV feeds could be watched by anybody who is assisting these terrorists and help them stay one step ahead of the commandos! The mobile networks are also helping I suppose. What a disaster, we are looking at a seemingly never ending crisis!
Thursday, November 27, 2008
And the ordeal continues...
Close to 24 hours and there seems no signs of resolution in either the Taj or the Oberoi. Hope this ends soon!
Living in a nightmare
I was watching 'The Siege' on TV just a few days ago, and today I feel as if I'm living in it. The city is paralyzed, the armed forces have imposed a curfew in South Bombay and everybody is panicking! G was at the Taj till about 8 last evening, and fortunately, we decided to head home at 9 instead of going to Colaba for dinner. The recent events at Nariman Point are worse than anything we could have imagined. Top cops have been killed including Hemant Karkare, the head of the Anti Terrorism Squad, Vijay Salaskar and Ashok Kamte. Tourist and business locations, including the beloved Leopold cafe, the heritage Taj property and the Oberoi, where most of the financial community passes by every single day, have been targeted.
And the media is having a field day, creating as much sensation as possible. It was really heart wrenching to hear a distraught witness plead with the anchor of an English news channel, asking him to flash on screen that innocents were stuck inside the Oberoi and they needed help. And all that the anchor was bothered about was the body count!
As usual, government officials are mumbling their way through this (Milind Deora seemed coherent, I'll grant him that!), and nobody is offering any reassurances. Much has been said about the legendary resilience of Mumbai and how the city is in shock, but the fact remains that this is no ordinary terrorist attack. Mumbai is under attack and we need a better response than this!
And the media is having a field day, creating as much sensation as possible. It was really heart wrenching to hear a distraught witness plead with the anchor of an English news channel, asking him to flash on screen that innocents were stuck inside the Oberoi and they needed help. And all that the anchor was bothered about was the body count!
As usual, government officials are mumbling their way through this (Milind Deora seemed coherent, I'll grant him that!), and nobody is offering any reassurances. Much has been said about the legendary resilience of Mumbai and how the city is in shock, but the fact remains that this is no ordinary terrorist attack. Mumbai is under attack and we need a better response than this!
Wednesday, November 26, 2008
Oh no
Rumours are afloat that Bruce Wayne will be killed off today in a new comic titled "Batman RIP". Boo, I say, Boo Hoo!
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