On Slum Dog Millionaire

The ruling Congress for once got it right. Times of India reports of congress moving ahead to take the credit for Oscar success of Slumdog. It is indeed success of congress isn't it. The very story of the movie wouldn't have been possible but for the sprawling slums in our cities. And don't we have the congress to thank for it, with it being in power both at Centre and state for bulk of the time. So here's to the ruling party which made this wonderful movie possible.
Looks like Amitabh Bachan is simply not able to digest the fact that Slumdog has won Oscar, looking at the criticism he has for the movie and the number of times he has called it a medicore enterprise. Well Bachan sahab look at the number of medicore movies you have given over years, which have been huge successes - Mard, Coolie, Kabhi Khushi Kabhi Ghum to name a few. Compared to them Slumdog is a classic.
And finally the Oscar success of Slumdog, for me the story was about those kids from dharavi, sharing the space with who’s who of Hollywood and making everyone groove to their beat. Don’t we all dream of moments like this, and for all their other misfortunes these are the moments which will stay with them for years to come and make their life that much more better.
Jai Ho

Kala Bandar

Kala Bandar:- I sat through the first half of Delhi 6 wondering, where the movie was headed to, but in the end (well not actually in end, but about 10 min before that), it proved to be worth the wait. While I won’t get into the cinematic brilliance (or lack of it as critics are saying), what I liked the most is the point which the movie makes.

There is this brilliant line in a Swadesh song by Javed Akhtar:-

देख धज के पाप रावन, राम तेरे मान मैं, राम मेरे मान मैं, मान से रावन जो निकले राम उसके मान मैं.
The movie brings to light the Ravan – Kala Bandar which resides in our heart, which makes us do all sorts of weird things, which we won’t do if we pause to think for a moment about our actions. Friends for years, suddenly turn into enemies as the monkey in their hearts makes them forget everything they have shared over the years.
At the end of it though was left with a more disturbing thought, what is it that unites India, what will it take to unite a nation of billion which is divided along billion possible lines. Ramchandra Guha in “India After Gandhi” says that the uniting factors for India are Cricket, Bollywood and Democracy. But are they good enough to hold us together for next 60 years while the Kala Bandar wrecks havoc in our minds? How do we find the Ram within us, while Ravan rules our pysche?