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Rahul rights a wrong
Ludhiana is dirty |
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Politics of films
Terror and talks
My dad’s first love
All washed out
Little gravitational pull!
Weird psycho-drama
Captivating drama
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Rahul rights a wrong In
a major departure from his usual stance of maintaining silence on crucial issues, Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi has not only spoken out but also used rather harsh words to convey his disapproval of the controversial ordinance on convicted legislators. Admitting that what "our government has done is wrong" is fair enough. Governments do make mistakes and there are ways to correct them. But to dub the ordinance "complete nonsense" and saying that it should be "torn up and thrown away" conveys his utter disgust. What's more, the government action was not reviewed quietly at an internal party meeting. The ordinance was debunked at a brief press conference on Friday. The UPA government's attempt to negate the Supreme Court's judgment to disqualify convicted MPs and MLAs was ill-conceived. The Law Minister tried to defend the bailout of a key UPA ally, forgetting the political cost involved. The Tribune editorial on Friday, "The UPA blunder", had questioned the wisdom of issuing an ordinance to scuttle the court's attempt to purge politics of criminals. Now Rahul Gandhi wants the government to retreat from the suicidal path of siding with the law-breakers. Initially, there was a sort of political consensus over undoing the court judgment, but sensing the public mood, the BJP took an about-turn. The Congress too has to win elections. So the party is trying to prevail over the government, even if a bit brazenly. Although one can say that Rahul Gandhi should have intervened before the Union Cabinet cleared the ordinance, what the government did was indefensible and contrary to his efforts to clean up the Congress. Besides, Rahul Gandhi asserting himself may be part of a well thought-out image-building exercise and a calculated strategy to deny the Opposition the credit for killing the ordinance, especially after President Pranab Mukherjee showed his reluctance to sign it. But at the end, Rahul's action has diminished the stature of the Prime Minister of India, that too at a time when Dr Manmohan Singh was about to meet President Barack Obama and Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif in the US.
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Ludhiana is dirty
The Union Ministry of Environment has imposed a moratorium on new industrial units in Ludhiana because of the high levels of pollution in the city. The Punjab Deputy Chief Minister has called this ‘step-motherly treatment’ of the state. What he forgets is that humans live in that city, and it is not all about industrial growth and making money. In any case, this moratorium has been imposed on eight cities, including those in Haryana and several others states (across the political spectrum). In fact, the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) had lifted a ban imposed earlier after certain cities submitted plans to check pollution, Ludhiana included. A review showed eight of those cities had shown no improvement, thus the re-imposition of the ban. The levels of pollution in Ludhiana — and many other areas of Punjab, especially waters — are shocking. A few years back Ludhiana was found by the WHO to have the forth most foul air in the world. Now the CPCB finds it the sixth most polluted city in the country, looking at various forms of pollution. To argue over this is irresponsible. To address the ban the state government needs to take immediate action to check the pollution. There are certain measures that can be taken immediately — ensure the treatment plants already installed in the state are put to use, units don't dispose of effluents in an unauthorised manner on the sly or release smoke without installing the mandatory pollution-control equipment, check vehicle emissions, start clearing garbage more efficiently. These require not investment, but will. The sustainability-versus-development debate is not idle talk. It is simple, though — if we can't survive a ‘development’, we’ll not live to enjoy the fruit. And Punjab has strained itself not just in industry — even when it has relatively little industry — but also in agriculture, the other major production sphere of the state. The exploitation of groundwater — which needs electricity, thus polluting thermal power plants — and unscientific use of pesticides and fertiliser are doing equal harm. In the rush for revenues, this slow poisoning cannot be ignored. |
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Politics of films
Politics kills the potential of our well-made films to get international recognition. Ideally, independent filmmakers should compete for the Oscar so that there is no government controlled body like the Film Federation of India selecting the so-called best film to be sent for the foreign language film Oscar and controversies over the selection of the film cease to erupt year after year. Unfortunately, only one film can be sent from a country, and hence the allegations and counter-allegations of favouritism, setting political agenda etc. No Indian film has won the Oscar so far despite the country producing about 1,500 films annually. This year is no different. First, the selection of “The Good Road”, Gyan Correa's debut Gujarati film, financed by the NFDC (national film development corporation) was questioned by a large section on the social media sites. Now, political motives are attributed to the selection of this film for showing the reality of child prostitution. A certain political class sees in it a conspiracy to bring a bad name to Gujarat. That India should select a film that actually stands a chance of bagging the statuette is a different matter, but to pull the issue down to such juvenile levels is pitiable. A rich tradition of regional cinema thrives in India. Yet, so far, only three Bollywood films have made it to the nomination stage of Oscar: Mehboob Khan’s “Mother India” (1957), Mira Nair’s “Salaam Bombay” (1988) and Ashutosh Gowariker’s “Lagaan” (2001). The reason behind this abysmal reality is that most Indian films sent as official entries for the Oscar are of poor quality. Two, when a good film is sent, it is not lobbied for and publicised properly. In 1998 India sent “Jeans” as its official entry, a substandard film; in 2007, “Eklavya — The Royal Guard” was the official entry, while a film like “Dharm”, that could have stood a chance of nomination was rejected by the selection board. And history repeats itself this year too. |
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If I am what I have and if I lose what I have who then am I? —Erich Fromm |
Terror and talks
The dastardly Samba attack by Pakistani terrorists of the "Shohada Brigade", believed to be a pseudonym for or a wing of the LeT, took 10 lives but failed to derail the forthcoming Manmohan Singh-Nawaz Sharif talks on the margins of the UN General Assembly in New York. The incident needs to be probed for security lapses, and assumes special significance as it took place across the international border and was not just a routine violation of the LOC. This constitutes a marked and unprovoked escalation for which Pakistan is answerable over and beyond routine obfuscation, denials and quibbles. The objective of disabling the mini-summit talks in New York was, as usual, powerfully aided by jingoistic politicians, gleefully sermonising television anchors and vituperative panellists whose self-goal scoring rate has climbed steadily in response to their own cheers. The proposed prime ministerial talks must be called off, they cried. The government must here and now declare what it proposed to do to punish Pakistan, and Manmohan Singh must abandon his silly pursuit of a "legacy". The tirade, commencing with Shram el-Sheikh, was both immature and unfair. Whatever else his alleged failings and faltering, the Prime Minister has been courageous and statesmanlike, like Vajpayee, in pursuing the path of peace with Pakistan in extraordinarily difficult circumstances. This is leadership, not retreat, and shows adherence to a larger vision. Manmohan Singh should talk because there is no better option? But what will he say? He can and should tell Nawaz Sharif bluntly that he must walk his talk. Every stab in the back, defended with crude denials in the face of compelling evidence, and subsequent confessions and pleas to "move on" and not reopen old wounds, will not wash. To plead that Pakistan is being far more severely bled by terrorism cannot evoke sympathy and is a totally dishonest defence as these same terrorists are home-grown hate mongers and despicable killers, trained, armed, sustained and led by (elements of) the Pakistan military-mullah establishment. India can therefore reserve the right to take such action it deems fit anywhere and at any time in defence of its citizens and national integrity. Having said that to Nawaz Sharif, while reiterating his desire to stand by the small but discernible democratic and secular forces in Pakistan and walk the extra mile in any and every direction, Manmohan Singh should state as such in measured terms at a press conference in New York so that the world knows where India stands. He should repeat this to Obama. Back-stopping Islamabad at every step, having itself helped rear the Taliban and other jihadis in Pakistan and piously connived at cross-border terror is unacceptable. As far as the "core" issue is concerned, Manmohan must tell Nawaz Sharif and the world that the only solution to the J&K question lies in moving forward on the path trodden by him and Musharraf through 2005-07until the latter broke off on account of totally unrelated internal problems. That formula included sanctifying the existing boundary/LOC in J&K; making it an increasingly "soft" border by promoting cross-border movements, trade, investment, cultural exchange, tourism and transit; setting up joint institutions to manage and monitor these arrangements; and leave it to each side to grant the fullest degree of autonomy to constituent units on its own side within this evolving condominium under twin sovereignties. Additionally, Manmohan Singh has hinted at exploring possibilities of joint development and management of the Indus waters under Section VII ("Future Cooperation") of the Indus Waters Treaty that could lead to integrated basin development. He has also recalled the vision of J&K with its syncretic, humanistic culture and the hope that it can once again become a hub of commerce and cooperation with Inner Asia, Central Asia and near-West Asia. Far-fetched? Those who endorsed the SAARC Eminent Persons Group's vision of a South Asian Community with a common currency some 12 years ago did not think so. This is the broad, statesman-like vision we should pursue and not the pettifogging, chauvinistic, ruinous path rabble-rousers would have us tread. Even while the nation confronts problems of non-governance, mis-governance and competitive political folly, a wholly avoidable and thoroughly irresponsible aggravation has been rashly introduced by V.K. Singh, former Army Chief, whose swollen ego and vaulting ambition has led him into a minefield of his own making. The Indian Express reported on September 20 that an Army Board of Inquiry, headed by the DGMO, had probed various alleged misdemeanours by Singh when Army Chief and found him prima facie guilty of setting up a Technical Services (Intelligence) Division that purchased equipment for unauthorised eavesdropping and funding an NGO to pay a J&K Minister, Ghulam Hasan Mir, to bring down the Omar Abdullah government. As in the case of his age-fudging row, Singh engaged in newspaper and TV interviews in which he denied indulging in snooping or bribery, "clarified" earlier statements and defended himself by making the most damaging remarks about the Army intelligence routinely paying J&K ministers for "nation-building" and "stabilising the state" over many decades. This practice has been indignantly denied by senior Army commanders who have served in J&K. Denials by the impugned J&K Minister and an understandably furious Omar Abdullah had him retort that the Chief Minister had his own "agenda". He challenged the timing of the leaked report and asked why no action had been taken since March when it was handed over to the Defence Ministry. He described the published contents as false and motivated, described the leak as "treason", and attributed the timing to provide a smokescreen after the "bombshell" report that the government is planning to compromise with the US on civil-nuclear liability stipulations. The BJP take was that the timing followed Singh's appearance on an ex-servicemen's platform with Narendra Modi and aimed to discredit the former Army Chief. Sections of the media and the political class tore into the government. They worked themselves into a tizzy over the issue, partly defending Singh's position by harping on the timing rather than the content. At the end of the day, Singh had done enormous damage to the country by his reckless statements and bravado. The Singh affair has been mishandled by the Defence Minister from the day the man took the government to court in full uniform on a paltry, self-serving issue of his own wrongly recorded age at the time of recruitment. The Supreme Court, which he had approached and now scorns, dismissed his petition. It adversely commented on his thrice having given his solemn word when securing his three last promotions that he would accept the Army's determination of his contested age, only to renege on his word and fight the battle all over again at the next, higher level. Singh has yet to be proven guilty of the charges levelled against him. A high-level, speedy and independent judicial inquiry is imperative on his alleged misconduct. The national interest, the country's democratic ethos and the integrity, discipline and morale of the Armed Forces demand no less. Finally, the selection of the three Service heads must be changed from a manipulative seniority principle to selection on merit by an independent
board. www.bgverghese.com |
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My dad’s first love
My father was posted to Kuala Lumpur as the Defence Attaché in the Indian High Commission in 1980. It was a very exciting time in our lives as it was our first time abroad and our first major interaction with different cultures. One of our first big buys was a shining new set of wheels - a silver Toyota Corolla. We travelled the length and breadth of Malaysia and Thailand and made countless trips to Singapore in that wonderful car. After his tenure was over, the car moved back with us to India. We did holidays in that car and to every posting we drove, no matter how far the location, with our Cocker Spaniel bundled up in it as well. My school friends still remember my rock star Mum driving a carload of us to our board exam centre in the Toyota those days. I learnt how to drive in that car and was spotted occasionally racing down The Mall Road in Jalandhar Cantt. Many years later, in 1991 to be precise, my Dad met with a terrible accident. He had stopped at the red light at Dhaula Kuan, just past the DSOI, when a speeding DTC bus rammed into him. There was another bus in front of him so the car was crushed into a pulp but miraculously my Dad walked out of it without a scratch. I think we all wept when the Toyota was wheeled in by the recovery van. Anyway, months later, thanks to a super mechanic, the car was as good as new or as good as it could be. We've had many adventures in it, including the muffler falling off on the steep slopes of Shimla. When Dad retired in 2001, he drove out of the Vice Chief's official bungalow in the Toyota, with Mum, the grand children, dogs and me (phew!) in it and we drove straight to Panchkula to our 'home'. Over the years, we tried our best to brainwash Dad to get rid of the car, told him "It's old, pieces of it are falling off, etc etc" but it all fell on deaf ears. It's 2013, the car is still with us. My Dad won't part with it. Of course, the latest cars adorn the driveway but the Toyota gets the pride of place. My Dad still insists it is the best car and quite often he zips off in it to do some chores with Mum and I keeping our fingers crossed that it doesn't stall on the way. Once when Dad's ex ADC was visiting, Mum and I told him to convince Dad about getting rid of the car. We sat with bated breath which turned into a scowl as instead of being on our side he continued to praise his old Boss's car…Hmmpphh!! Even our old faithful, Khan told me, "Didi, Saab will never sell this car. He has great attachment to it." I even told my Chacha to suggest to Dad that we move the car to the farm and give it a permanent resting place under the vineyards. He only gave me his naughty smile. My kids refuse to approach the topic of the car with their Nana for fear of being gifted the car. So, we have resigned ourselves to the fact that the ol' Toyota is Dad's first love and that she is here to
stay. |
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CINEMA: NEW Releases RATINGS: *****Excellent ****Very Good
***Good **Average *Poor Johnson Thomas
It's a first for Bollywood, an underwater 3D survival adventure which is creditable but the movie experience by and large is forgettable. This film marks Anubhav Sinha's debut as a producer with first-timer Gurmeet Singh as director. It stars a fairly fresh bunch of newcomers. Shot with 3D cameras, the film hopes to take the audience through a novel cinematic experience. Will they survive is not the question you will ask. It's more like will we survive this pretentious, unadventurous attempt at aiming for Jaws like thrills. The fact that this film is a straight lift of a Hollywood B grader, Open Seas 2, makes it even more difficult to appreciate. Frankly speaking, the 3D cameras fail to generate add-on thrills. The narrative spiel lacks dramatic tension and the weakly drawn characters fail to rouse our sympathies. The flimsy storyline makes the going tougher. Even the acting is quite distressing. With most of the cast wearing skimpy costumes and the camera whirling around in voyeuristic glee, you get a fair idea that the director was not really interested in generating fearsome thrills. |
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Little gravitational pull!
Sci-fi today comes on an assembly line, the most popular genre but that doesn't mean a thing. Elysium shuttles between a ravaged earth (read Los Angeles) and a luminous space habitat called Elysium. The opening shot of the decaying earth, skyscrapers et al, very much diseased and then goes upwards. The set is immaculate and worth the price of the film. So far, so good! The classy space habitat too is the cynosure of all eyes. It is, as you may have guessed by now, about the haves and have-nots. Meanwhile, a caravan of illegal earth immigrants is bound for Elysium, so Dalacourt orders agent Kruger (Sharito Copley) to shoot them down. On the other hand DaCosta is being helped by his friend Julio (Drego Luna). It is a technical solution with gadgets inserted in the head, all one-dimensional with the viewer scarcely involved. With such a wide canvas the attention span is well looked after but the action, and surfeit of it, is far too mechanical. Except for Matt Damon and Alice Braga the others are clinical. Even veteran Jodie Foster, though she carries herself with rare aplomb. But really, in spite of all the FX or may be because of them, I would not rush for it. |
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Weird psycho-drama
Yet another psycho-drama, a little more ambitious than Raqt-Ek Rishta, Prague is set in a city with a history of heritage, myth and superstition. It is about a handful of weird characters - a passionate architect with delusions about love as well as life, a Czech gypsy girl looking for her identity and love, a mean friend and an imaginary apparition, who exists in the mind of the lead character. All these come together; interfering, manipulating, coaxing and torturing each other as their search for peace, freedom and love continues. It's the best recipe for confusion! The character does appear to have a certain uncanny resemblance to Dostoyevsky's Raskolnikov, from Crime and Punishment. The lift is provided smartly enough with Arfi (Arfi Lamba) and Gulshan (Mayank Kumar), who make the alter-egos quite interesting. Shubhangi (Sonia Bindra) and the gypsy Elena (Elena Kazan) add more interest to the complications. The narrative moves from Mumbai to Prague, creating another level of psychological intrigue where space, architecture and history add depth. But the lack of lucidity and clarity hampers understanding. Chandan Roy Sanyal tries valiantly to hold the strings together but it's a lost cause. Uday Mohite's camerawork and Atif Afzal's music provide some relief, but the overall effect is not very fulfilling. |
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Captivating drama
Set in a small town in the United States, Prisoners is an absolutely absorbing drama of two missing girls and the ramifications it has on its inhabitants and in the process baring the variety of weirdoes that people it. The opening shot of a young boy shooting a deer in the woods is followed by the recitation of the "Our Father" to give it a religious flavour. But this is a red herring. More such follow and though there are some loose threads one cannot be admire director Denis Villeneuve's taut handing of the 153-minute drama which defies the Buneullian 90-minute theory which this reviewer generally upholds. Anna and Jay are the kids who disappear setting the Dover and Birch families in a panic. But the Birchs handle it with greater restraint than the Dovers, especially Keller (Hugh Jackman) who goes berserk. Aaron Guizowski's screenplay is terse dotted with some good lines and Roger Deakin's sweeping camerawork is awesome, specially the sequence where Loki drives like a maniac on the highway at night. The outdoor shots which are visually satiating also provide relief from the action and suspense. Hugh Jackman is his usual competent self but it is Jake Gyllenhaal who slowly grows in stature to ultimately overshadow him. Paul Dano, a known cameo player, is again excellent with Melissa Leo suddenly gaining stature towards the end. The title "Prisoners" is apt but gains significance only when the curtain comes down. Not in a long while have we seen such an edge-of-the-seat thriller. |
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Movies on tv
Saturday september 28 Intolerable Cruelty is a romantic black comedy film co-written, produced and directed by Joel and Ethan Coen and starring George Clooney, Catherine Zeta-Jones, Geoffrey Rush, Billy Bob Thornton, Cedric the Entertainer, and Paul Adelstein. ZEE CINEMA 7:32AM Ravan Raaj: A True Story 10:35AM Mera Krodhh 2:00PM Krantiveer 5:16PM Coolie 9:00PM Phir Hera Pheri ZEE CLASSIC 9:35AM Do Phool 12:27PM Sangam 4:04PM Kalicharan 7:00PM Mera Naam Joker 10:00PM Vidhaata ZEE STUDIO 8:00AM Stealth 10:30AM Hostel 1:00PM Intolerable Cruelty 3:10PM Stealth 5:30PM Miss World 2013 8:00PM Loins of Punjab 9:30PM The Tudors (Season 1) 10:30PM Pride and Prejudice STAR MOVIES 7:42AM Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull 10:11AM The Front Row with Anupama Chopra 10:41AM Hot Shots! Part Deux 12:34PM Kung Fu Hustle 2:14PM Bean 4:08PM Terminator 2: Judgment Day 6:49PM X-Men Origins: Wolverine 9:00PM The Watch 11:01PM Titanic MOVIES OK 8:45AM Blue 11:20AM Ajnabee 2:00PM Mann 5:55PM Dus 9:00PM Shola Aur Shabnam STAR GOLD 8:55AM Na Tum Jaano Na Hum 11:45AM Ghar Ho To Aisa 2:40PM Deewar: Man of Power 9:00PM Dangerous Khiladi 11:45PM Bhoot FILMY 9:00AM Filhaal 12:00PM Main Aisa Hi Hoon 3:00PM Chachi 420 6:00PM No Entry 9:00PM Indra: The Tiger ZEE ACTION 7:00AM Jaan Ki Baazi 10:30AM Ek Aur Zalim 1:30PM Yeh Hai Jalsa 5:30PM Hum Bhi Insaan Hai 8:30PM Raat SONY PIX 7:05AM House on Haunted Hill 9:05AM Mean Girls 11:06AM Shrek the Third 12:56PM Spider-Man 3:08PM The Terminator 5:05PM Lake Placid 3 7:02PM The Adventures of Sharkboy and Lavagirl in 3-D 9:00PM The Amazing Spider-Man 11:56PM Rocky IV Dabangg 2 is a Bollywood action film directed and produced by Arbaaz Khan under the banner of Arbaaz Khan Productions. It's a sequel to the 2010 film Dabangg and is written by Dilip Shukla. The story is set in the city of Kanpur. ZEE CINEMA 8:38AM Vaishanavi 11:41AM Shahenshah 3:00PM Commando – A One Man Army 5:52PM No Problem 9:00PM Commando – A One Man Army INDIA TALKIES 9:30AM Chorni 1:00PM Desi Boyz 4:30PM Rangeela 8:00PM Anjaana Anjaani ZEE STUDIO 8:00AM Cruel Intentions 3 10:00AM Miss World 2013 1:00PM The Break-up 3:15PM The Woman in the Fifth 5:15PM The Secret in their Eyes 8:00PM The Waterboy 9:30PM The Tudors (Season 1) 10:30PM Hostel ZEE CLASSIC 7:10AM Azaad 10:15AM Ginny Aur Johny 1:04PM Shirdi Sai Baba 3:57PM Padosan 7:00PM Naseeb Apna Apna 10:00PM Prem Bandhan MOVIES OK 9:30AM Bhoot and Friends 12:05PM Heyy Babyy 3:10PM I Hate Luv Storys 6:05PM Nauker 9:00PM Dabangg 2 11:40PM Right Yaaa Wrong STAR GOLD 9:00AM Chillar Party 11:55AM Dil Hai Tumhaara 3:35PM Qayamat: City Under Threat 6:30PM Gharwali Baharwali 9:00PM Judwaa No.1 11:35PM Don ZEE ACTION 7:00AM Insaaf Ki Awaaz 10:30AM Ichhadhari Sarp 1:30PM Shera 5:30PM Nafrat Ki Aandhi 8:30PM Chandaal FILMY 9:00AM Chala Mussaddi: Office Office 12:00PM Devdas 3:00PM Ghar Mein Ram Gali Mein Shyam 6:00PM Sarkar 9:00PM Mohabbat STAR
MOVIES 7:10AM Ratatouille 9:26AM The Watch 11:30AM Titanic 2:35PM The Darkest Hour 4:31PM The Lost World: Jurassic Park 7:09PM Hot Shots! Part Deux 9:00PM Brave 10:54PM X-Men: The Last Stand |
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The storyline reflects Bollywood's recent penchant for being inspired by Hollywood. The movie begins with a guy contacting his school buddies through a social networking site and getting them to join him on an adventure in the sea. The five buddies reunite on Tanveer Singh's (Santosh Barmola) yacht in Fiji. Sabrina's (Manjari Phadnis) husband, their baby daughter Sara and Tanveer's girlfriend are the outsiders in the group. It's celebration time - reunion plus Sara's first birthday. The group decide to jump into the sea but they forget to lower the ladder. The gang of seven fail to pay heed to the warning and find themselves in the deep seas infested by sharks. The joyride on a luxurious yatch which was meant to be a reunion now becomes a matter of survival. Sara who is left on board, cries incessantly. Expectedly, old conflicts surface and new ones emerge. 
Defence Secretary Jessica Dalacourt (Jodie Foster), in high heels and mini, struts about speaking in French and ordering her underlings various tasks. Cut to Maz DaCosta (Matt Damon), a former car thief, who lives in run-down LA and works for the Corporation that built Elysium. Max meets with an accident and an overdose of radiation means he has only five days to live.
The sincerity in effort cannot be ignored though. Despite budgetary constraints, the film tries its best to go out-of-the-box. Scripted by Sumit Saxena (co-writer Pyar Ka Punchnama), the narrative does attempt a multi-layered set-up that delineates the guilt-ridden thought process of Chandan (Chandan Roy Sanyal). 
Sunday september 29