Any intelligent observer would be able to judge the wheat from the chaff. In case of the blogosphere there seems to be an epidemic of bloggers trying to bask in some glory that their professions have bestowed on them. If there is an Amitabh Bachchan writing his generally pompous and somewhat pontificating blog there is no dearth of some people in 'Traditionally Respectable' professions indulging in the mundane.
One such blog I recently came across was of Mr Anil Wilson , erstwhile principal of St. Stephens and also Vice Chancellor of H.P University at one point of time. If academicians are considered a breed of knowledge bestowers than somehow the writings have to reflect that. In the case of Mr. Wilson sadly this is far from the truth.The recent post has been "To Chemo or not" a poem depicting a dying man's dilemma to undergo chemotherapy . The verse couldn't have been more puerile , the whole attempt has been to pass off mediocrity as something noble, exemplified by the note at the end(Hope this does not turn Shakespeare in his Grave.)One certainly expects better from somebody with a doctorate in Literature , considering the fact that the man also headed an institution which produced some of modern India's brightest and enlightened minds.
The rest of the blog is also pathetically rudderless with a lot of self praising entries depicting a callow nature fed on some grandiloquent flattery. There is an entry where Wilson describes an encounter with Amitabh Bachchan in Shimla , again the post reeks of a mind filled with preconceived notions and fallacies. The whole blog points towards a mind which has got undue attention due to heading a prestigious institution. Institutions should be ranked as per the calibre of their academicians , seeing Mr. Wilson's pop academic theory and carelessly written entries, one wonders on the procedure and rigour applied to choose people heading our elite institutions.
Tuesday, April 7, 2009
Sunday, March 1, 2009
Slumdog Millionaire : Review and musings.
Cinema is a medium where a lot of life's happenings like misery, happiness ,sorrow are captured in their various hues. Literature does not have any obligation on society to act as a medium of change. It can depict society as it is, without a coloured view on right and wrong. Literature and cinema are alike in their ability to tell a story , however enchanting or dull depending on the whims and the talent of their respective creator.
I had heard a lot about this movie before I finally got a chance to see it , agreed there were a couple of scenes which were disturbing however, the essence of the movie did not diminish. I also failed to understand critics of the movie for their consistent nitpicking on its alleged catering to western stereotypes. One of its celebrated critics who later withdrew from his comments,being India's new favourite blogger who uses his blog to shed light on his day to day activities and has found a new pastime in celebrating certain movies and downgrading others, however i do not intend to delve into that area as of now , this movie is good and their are reasons which should have been obvious for any cinema lover.
First of all Slumdog Millionaire is a superb story of a downtrodden youth and his journey through the first half of his life. There is a touch of Magic Realism in the movie which many Indian Filmakers , actors and critics failed to pick up due to their fixation with the message theme. Danny Boyle is a filmaker and it is his right to show the movie as he wants without carrying any burden of moral education. Jamaal wallowing in shit for an autograph is not depiction of a slum dwellers hard life as a Metaphor of a child's fascination with his childhood hero. Similarly the depiction of violence and shifts from one situation to the other is a journey of a protagnist struggling for his identity . This treatment of the extraordinary circumstances of an ordinary child is a beautiful mix of cinematic and literary traditions of magical realism. Danny Boyle's 'Trainspotting' was again a brilliant film and for people to understand Slumdog Millionaire , one has to look into his earlier work to understand this filmmakers craft.
This movie does not bother with explanation centric cinema of bollywood. It allows us to use our own intelligence to interpret its happenings.It does not go into a long paen where Irfan Khan has a guilt of conscience and he releases Jamaal to take part in the show , It does not go into overt messages on right and wrong , it is a mystical journey of a weather beaten , callow but hardened youth and needs to be looked at in the same fashion. I was actually not surprised when 'Aamir Khan' said that the film did not work for him . For all Aamir's sincerity and hardwork , subtlety has never been a part of the actor's cinema and acting. He is not a natural actor and potrays emotions in the typical bollywood syle of grimacing and lighting up for sad and happy scenes. His movies tend to be message heavy including the revered 'Taare Zameen Par' I always wondered on why could that movie not be more subtle. Ishaan's dilemma had to be explained time and again , the explanation part should have stopped after the discovery of the Kid being a Dyslexic. Unfortunately the fimmaker kept on piling us with tears and more tears to bring home his point and ultimately had to make the child a winner in the end for popularity.
Slumdog too has the phenomena of ending as a feel good movie however the craft is at another level altogether. Yes it suffers from some typical caricatures and is not Danny boyle's best work , yet the movie is brilliant disregarding some of these flaws. This is cinema working on the platform of magical reality much like Pan's Labyrinth and should be appreciated for that. Viewing 'Slumdog Millionare' is a visual treat and is food for an appreciative intelligent viewer,as for the Amitabh's and Aamir's of bollywood , let them bask in their message theme glory. Bollywood's actions and its actors have never basked in subtle colours.
I had heard a lot about this movie before I finally got a chance to see it , agreed there were a couple of scenes which were disturbing however, the essence of the movie did not diminish. I also failed to understand critics of the movie for their consistent nitpicking on its alleged catering to western stereotypes. One of its celebrated critics who later withdrew from his comments,being India's new favourite blogger who uses his blog to shed light on his day to day activities and has found a new pastime in celebrating certain movies and downgrading others, however i do not intend to delve into that area as of now , this movie is good and their are reasons which should have been obvious for any cinema lover.
First of all Slumdog Millionaire is a superb story of a downtrodden youth and his journey through the first half of his life. There is a touch of Magic Realism in the movie which many Indian Filmakers , actors and critics failed to pick up due to their fixation with the message theme. Danny Boyle is a filmaker and it is his right to show the movie as he wants without carrying any burden of moral education. Jamaal wallowing in shit for an autograph is not depiction of a slum dwellers hard life as a Metaphor of a child's fascination with his childhood hero. Similarly the depiction of violence and shifts from one situation to the other is a journey of a protagnist struggling for his identity . This treatment of the extraordinary circumstances of an ordinary child is a beautiful mix of cinematic and literary traditions of magical realism. Danny Boyle's 'Trainspotting' was again a brilliant film and for people to understand Slumdog Millionaire , one has to look into his earlier work to understand this filmmakers craft.
This movie does not bother with explanation centric cinema of bollywood. It allows us to use our own intelligence to interpret its happenings.It does not go into a long paen where Irfan Khan has a guilt of conscience and he releases Jamaal to take part in the show , It does not go into overt messages on right and wrong , it is a mystical journey of a weather beaten , callow but hardened youth and needs to be looked at in the same fashion. I was actually not surprised when 'Aamir Khan' said that the film did not work for him . For all Aamir's sincerity and hardwork , subtlety has never been a part of the actor's cinema and acting. He is not a natural actor and potrays emotions in the typical bollywood syle of grimacing and lighting up for sad and happy scenes. His movies tend to be message heavy including the revered 'Taare Zameen Par' I always wondered on why could that movie not be more subtle. Ishaan's dilemma had to be explained time and again , the explanation part should have stopped after the discovery of the Kid being a Dyslexic. Unfortunately the fimmaker kept on piling us with tears and more tears to bring home his point and ultimately had to make the child a winner in the end for popularity.
Slumdog too has the phenomena of ending as a feel good movie however the craft is at another level altogether. Yes it suffers from some typical caricatures and is not Danny boyle's best work , yet the movie is brilliant disregarding some of these flaws. This is cinema working on the platform of magical reality much like Pan's Labyrinth and should be appreciated for that. Viewing 'Slumdog Millionare' is a visual treat and is food for an appreciative intelligent viewer,as for the Amitabh's and Aamir's of bollywood , let them bask in their message theme glory. Bollywood's actions and its actors have never basked in subtle colours.
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