The vultures are circling

It has not even been two weeks since the first episode of Satyamev Jayate was telecast, turning the spotlight on female foeticide. The political vultures have started already started circling! Look at this response from the Rajasthan State Minister for Health.

The honourable minister claims that Aamir has done nothing concrete in ridding female foeticide, and that he and his government is the one doing all the work. Drawing a compensation of Rs. 3 crores makes Aamir Khan not deserving of any credit in highlighting this issue, as after all he did it for money.

Point well-taken. Here are some more points:

1. Aamir Khan has used his fame and clout, now let's see the minister use his.

2. Either refute the claim that those accused doctors are still practicing and earning, or shift the case to a fast-track court. The show stung the minister because it was specific. So should his response.

3. Is the minister working for the government for free? If not, why does he deserve any credit for what he is doing?

Star Plus agreed to pay crores. Let the minister try his luck at salary negotiation with his employer.

4. Delhi Police should stop going after eve-teasers. After all, why single out Delhi when the problem is in the whole of India?

Voluntary insanity

The weight loss obsession seems to have reached an all-time high (or low, depending on how you see it). Here is an example that is both hilarious and disturbing.

I would've considered this an April Fool's joke, except it appeared on April 16. It is most definitely an example of how an evolved brain like ours can be trained to have the absolutely wrong priorities in life. This one beats crash dieting and even bariatric surgery by a long...tube.

What is the great obsession with looking good at one's wedding that one is willing to risk lives for it? It is almost like creating this wonderful portrait of yourself, because soon your loved one are going to need something to remember you by as you'll try something even more stupid.

The article comes with quotes from doctors themselves, emphasizing that the procedure has no "adverse side-effects" (except that its not healthy to lose so much weight so quickly). One patient actually said she quit 2 days earlier because she had reached her weight loss goal. I'm sorry, but isn't "worsening delusion" an adverse side-effect? Wouldn't those who opt for this procedure be likely be among those who cope by hogging food?

And which prized nincompoop of a doctor started this "optional out-patient procedure for weight loss"? Believe me, that's what they'll call it when they sell it (there is a huge billboard advertising bariatric surgery on the way to my daughter's daycare). What's next: optional induced coma so that you can go hungry and not be conscious to fight the hunger pangs?

ABC news and yahoo commit blasphemy once again by giving this enough publicity. Note, this is in their "Health" section, not "comedy" or "entertainment". Through my blog I'm hoping it receives some counter-publicity.

Agent Vinod: the review

As one watches movies, one forms a general opinion about their categories and wants every movie to fortify that opinion. For example I feel weird seeing women in western clothes dancing on pub music in a marathi movie. Agent Vinod is probably headed for a similar fate, even though the movie overall is quite impressive.

The reason this movie is trying to swim upstream is because no matter how hard it tries, a Hindi movie that looks and feels like a Hollywood thriller (for the most part) is bound to disappoint those who expect a Hindi movie to be anything but. As I saw some of the filmy fighting scenes in Agent Vinod my mind wandered to comparing it to English spy movies like Mission Impossible and the Bourne series and how well made they were. A few seconds later I realized how much crap from an English movie I was willing to swallow without calling it filmy (e.g. anybody tried to jump from a high speed train to a helicopter and then strategically blast your way back, aka Mission Impossible? I wonder how many moviegoers would've found it as thrilling if it were SRK and not Tom Cruise).

Agent Vinod is an Indian spy movie about...well Agent Vinod. What makes this movie different from the other sporadic Bollywoodian attempts in this genre is that it actually manages to be taut most of the times. A globetrotting, spy-busting RAW agent is actually believable and in places, a bit thrilling. Sure Mr. Vinod has 9 lives, but which agent doesn't! The plot of busting a conspiracy across borders to explode a dirty bomb is in line with the current version of terrorist paranoia. The plot quite plausibly moves across different countries, laying different challenges for our desi spy. A special mention about the climax (without a spoiler hopefully): the climax has overall a very predictable (and anticlimactic) ending. However try to picture a Speed-like scenario (no, there are no bombs on buses here) but in chaotic populous India and you'll see that cacophony and seemingly hackneyed twists to the plots are inevitable. Look at the climax from this point of view and you may not be as disappointed.

The most remarkable aspect of the movie is that belying my expectations, Saif Ali Khan actually carries off the role with great panache. A toned body but without a ridiculously rippled belly, mixed with occasional wry humour. The action sequences are shot quite well and seem raw rather than unbelievable (the fist fights in particular). Without seeming like a martial arts expert, Saif carries off the action sequences impressively (if I heard someone say that a few years ago I would've scoffed) with a little help from the cameraman. The movie leverages his strengths: wry humour and decent acting, without revealing his usual weaknesses: dancing and excessively histrionic scenes.

I must admit that in general, I do not like Kareena Kapoor at all. But she has now managed to surprise me with surprisingly good looks and very decent acting twice: 3 idiots and now Agent Vinod. She often looks stunning in this movie. Her role is on the bridge from "item girl" to "serious protagonist" and she manages to balance it reasonably well (she has almost equal screen time as AV in the movie, but the movie is still AV). The other actors are passable and do nothing to deserve special mention.

The music of the movie is noteworthy in that the movie is almost without songs (yes, for a movie of this kind, it is a plus). The three songs that it does have actually advance the story (which is good because the songs by themselves are no great shakes). An absolutely romantic song in the backdrop of a gory shootout was quite uncanny and impressive (that the director thought this would be a good idea and actually managed to execute it well).

Overall I recommend seeing this movie, if not out of the love for movies, then to simply encourage the director and producers for a well-made attempt in a genre that Bollywood has failed to succeed in and viewers have failed to stomach.

Agneepath: the review

In this era of remixed songs, rehashed tunes and remade movies, here is another one: Agneepath. A "modern" twist to the financially unsuccessful but nevertheless emphatic original with Amitabh Bachchan in the immortal persona of Vijay Dinanath Chauhan.

The 21st century Agneepath maintains the story of the original movie, with twists befitting the renewed action genre and an execution that relies more heavily on histronics, music and in-your-face violence. Since the story isn't new, here it is: a village teacher killed in a conspiracy, with a young and angry son growing up to become a criminal while harboring his mission to avenge his father's murder. The modern Vijay Dinanath Chauhan isn't a don by himself, but the silent right-hand man of a new character, Rauf Lala pitted against the old villain, Kancha (Cheena omitted notably). He is less established, more impulsive and melancholy and possesses a personality much lesser towering than the original.

Since the movie is a remake, let me stick with a comparative analysis of the old and new. The new one definitely wins in fleshing out almost every character of the plot, its biggest success with the villain Kancha. This new movie, as publicity suggests, makes the character more cruel, ruthless and sadistic, and then hands its reins to an actor who reinvents it as well as himself. Much like Saif's Langda Tyagi, the appearance of Kancha wins half the battle in portraying this deviant of a human being. The new Kancha looks like an adult-movie counterpart of Voldemort, the famous Harry Potter villain. Add to it some extremely well-written one-liners and this was a role waiting to succeed with even a modest execution. But Sanjay Dutt does not disappoint with just a modest execution, but one that adds new shades to the penned evil in this character. The protruding eyes and the towering physique of Sanjay Dutt makes Kancha visibly invincible and reduces everybody else to minions. It was flat out funny to watch Aamir Khan bash someone the size of Mukesh Rishi in Baazi, but even with Hrithik's toned physique, he ends up looking puny and filmy trying to beat Kancha in a fistfight. With about 20 years on Hrithik, that is even more impressive for Sanjay Dutt.

The next accolade goes to Rauf Lala. Rishi Kapoor neither looks nor registers in one's mind as a ruthless guy, but he gives a remarkable performance. He is less helped by make-up and dialogues and therefore pulls it off based mostly on his sharpened acting. Convincing the audience to hate and be disgusted with yesteryear's' chocolate-boy Rishi Kapoor truly speaks of the scriptwriter and actor's abilities.

With that, how about VDC himself? I have to say Hrithik falls short in this star-studded line-up. His portrayal occasionally borders on confused. Most of the time he is shown as this drunk melancholy person who seeks revenge, but evidently very deep inside. The crazed obsession of his character with Kancha is significantly blunted by his human side that Hrithik's performance seems to inadvertently emphasize on. Its telling that I found Hrithik's best acting in an action movie to be the 20 minutes when he gets to bond with his younger sister. Its like remembering James Bond for his crying scene. While VDC's character is somewhat most humanized in this version of the movie, Hrithik is not able to convincingly transit from the helpless deprived human to the brazen criminal. He wants to kill Kancha, but when the time comes, his plot seems extremely pedestrian. It does not help the movie at all when Hrithik's entry follows the close-up-on-bicep, running Hrithik "Krrish style". That one scene sets the tone: it is Hrithik, not VDC. Thankfully the script did not require him to dance like he usually does! What proved a strength to Sanjay Dutt and Rishi Kapoor is a liability to Hrithik: his looks. No matter how much he rolls in mud and dust, he does not look like a poor common man. Destitude, yes (in Guzaarish), but not "street". His prince-in-disguise looks don't work in this movie.

The movie is quite gory, a bit more so than Ghajini. The action in the climax, though, sometimes borders on laughable and thoroughly adrenaline-induced. What else could make a multiply-stabbed Vijay lift an extremely hefty-looking and uninjured Kancha and then paralyze him with a big boulder?? But that is masala film for you! An astonishing blooper completes the climax when a Vijay who is stabbed in his stomach earlier tears his shirt later to reveal a relatively unblemished 6-pack belly! The only redeeming thing about the climax are Kancha's caustic and devilish dialogues.

Priyanka Chopra plays the part of the pretty starry-eyed girl well enough. Another big USP of the movie is its music. Most of the songs are quite melodious and actually fit well in the movie. Chikni Chameli is definitely not its best song (i.e. there are better ones). Hopefully Ajay-Atul are here to stay.

In the end, maybe worth a watch. But leave behind the kids and any ladies who cannot witness Hrithik die on screen!

Here we go again!

Its been a long time since my last post. But here is again!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WfGlyjY5bJU

So a 4-second picture of the Golden Temple "hurt" sentiments.

1. I'm confused over why it is hurtful. Sure, it is out of context. It is also being portrayed as a rich guy's "summer house". I can understand why the connection of "rich man's summer house" and "place of worship" is not funny, but why is it offensive again? They didn't distort the picture, they didn't spoof it by actually showing Mitt Romney in his summer clothes partying at the Golden temple, none of that!

2. Honestly, how many people in the general American audience know the Golden Temple well enough to recognize it in 4 seconds? So if nobody knew, and it was in no way related to the religion, how was it insulting?

The online petition to protest this lists other incidents which if true, do classify as racist and derogatory. But why this one? Any clues?

Why must we thrust ourselves in seemingly petty issues and grab unnecessary attention? The net result is even more ridicule! Is this what we want?