Saturday 24 September 2011

Mausam - Old World Romance





Let's start with the story first. Aayat, played by Sonam Kapoor, has to leave her native Kashmir because of the insurgency there in 1992, and lands up in the beautiful Mallukot in Punjab, where she meets the hero Harvinder Singh aka Harry, played by Shahid Kapur. Their love story unfolds across the backdrop of the various tragic events, that have gripped our country over the years. The Babri Masjid demolition,  the Mumbai bomb blasts, the Kargil War, the 9/11 World Trade Center attack and the Gujarat riots, which occurred over a period of 10 years, form the background of this movie, which was shot across different countries and continents.

The movie's promos looked very appealing and the movie does not disappoint the viewers in that section. The cinematographer has successfully brought out the wonderful farmlands of Punjab on the screen. The lush greenery, the narrow lanes, and the Punjabi camaraderie are a treat to watch. The lead actors start liking each other, and their stolen glances, old romance, and the untold love are stunningly captured on the camera, and transform us into a world of slow, pure love.

The movie then moves to Scotland, and Switzerland, and America, and our very own Ahmedabad, and the director unleashes a flurry of striking visuals of these magnificent locales, but these places are unable to recreate the magic of the vast Punjab farms. A Mozart concert is unable to replace the Punjabi bhangra. And just as the storyline moves out of Punjab, the director loses the grip on the movie.

The movie has an ensemble cast comprising of veterans such as Anupam Kher and Supriya Pathak. Sonam's shy avtaar is way better than the style diva that she tries to look later on in the film. She is improving as an actress, though the credit goes to Pankaj Kapur, who makes his debut as a director, to make Sonam act. Shahid, on the other hand, is growing as an actor, and really quick. He is a treat to watch, and looks amazing in the Indian Air Force uniform. He convincingly carries off the role of a young, enjoyable Punjabi boy to a sophisticated and disciplined officer.

Starting with an entertaining appeal and breathtaking views, the movie fails to impress the audiences post the intermission. Even the war scenes and the climax aren't able to totally hold the viewers' attention. Pritam's music flows smoothly with the movie's setting and will make you feel happy. Though the movie starts with an earnest effort, it doesn't completely deliver what it promises. A lot of predictability, but the film also provides some genuinely affectionate moments.

My opinion - if you like the traditional way of romance, and the superb visuals of Punjab and Scotland, and if slow movies don't deter you, Mausam is definitely worth a watch. An anticlimax, but watchable!!

'The Tiger' Gone

It was extremely painful to hear about the demise of one of India's greatest captains, Nawab Mansur Ali Khan Pataudi, fondly referred to as 'Tiger'. I have never seen him playing, but have read a lot about him and heard on the news channels, especially after this tragic incident, about how he was not just an excellent batsman, but also about how he was an astute leader of men; turning a team of cricketers, for whom a mere Test draw result was enough, into a bunch of victory seekers. This was inspiration enough for me to write an article about this endearing Tiger, who retained his aura and charisma even after his retirement.

His Test career spread over 15 years, playing 46 Tests and scoring six centuries, also captaining the side for a good eight years - all this while playing with one normal eye. A car accident, just six months before his Test debut, put his dreams for playing for the country in jeopardy. The dazzling young right-hander was left with a severely impaired right eye. But, as Pataudi himself said once in an interview to the 'Times of India', "I lost my eye. But I didn't lose sight of my ambition.". These words can be uttered only by a true champion, a confident sportsman.

He was a very fine middle order batsman, never afraid to come out of the crease and play lofted shots against the spinners. Not only this, he was a superb fielder too. Fielding, in India, was not given much importance. But Pataudi showed us how saving a few runs here and there was also an essential part of the game. But more than all of these, he was a wise captain. Pataudi was thrust into captaincy, when he was just three tests old, after the then Indian skipper Nari Contractor, got injured by a West Indian bowler delivery, that almost killed him. Pataudi, thus became the youngest ever captain in world cricket. Under him, India won their first away series ever, against New Zealand, defeating them 3-1 in 1967-68. That was a proud moment in his career, and a proud moment in India's long cricketing history.

Also, under his tutelage, the famous Indian spin quartet of Erapalli Prasanna,  Srinivas Venkataraghavan, Bhagwat Chandrashekar and Bishen Singh Bedi, honed their craft, and paved the way for future Indian successes. Fellow Test cricketer and a dear friend of Pataudi, Abbas Ali Baig says, "He was a bowler's captain. And he was always cool under pressure.". This might come as a surprise to many, since he himself was a batsman, but then, that is why he is considered as one the greatest skippers. Mihir Bose, the author of 'A History of Indian Cricket' writes, "He brought the prospect of victory, often unexpected victories, and his captaincy had an element of daring, at times maddeningly unpredictable.".

Pataudi was a rare combination of dashing looks and substance. He exuded style off the pitch too. His romance and subsequent marriage to Hindi movies' actress Sharmila Tagore, still remains one of the greatest union of glamour and sports. The last Nawab of the erstwhile Royal family of Bhopal, he had done his schooling in England and had played cricket for the Oxford, and this, made him look like an 'outsider' in the Indian scheme of things. But he ensured that this characteristic of his would never come in between his love for the game, and more importantly, love for his country.

For a short while, Pataudi also dabbled in politics, but lost heavily there. He, though, had a successful innings with the 'Sportsworld' magazine. He played his part in the Indian cricket administration, as a commitee member of IPL. He also appeared in advertisements, with his son, Saif Ali Khan, who played cricket in his early days, but followed his mother's footsteps and acted in Hindi movies. Just have a look at those ads and decide for yourself- who is the better looking star, the father or the son?

Everyone always wondered and will keep wondering, how much this great sportsperson would have attained if he had never had that accident. We are never going to get that answer, but Pataudi is always going to remain an enduring icon, an amazing inspiration for all those people, who want to make a mark in the society, without getting bogged down by life's unpredictabilities and handicaps.

We all hope for The Tiger's soul to Rest in Peace.

Wednesday 21 September 2011

Our Social Life called Facebook

The social networking scene has started to grow by leaps and bounds everywhere, and India has not remained behind in embracing it. It all started with Orkut and took the attention of the masses with Facebook, followed by Twitter. What has attracted millions of people to jump onto this networking bandwagon?

Just the other night, one of my friends had wished her father a very happy birthday on her Facebook Wall. So? The point was that her father does not have an account on Facebook. Then what is the point in wishing him there. I tried to think of the many possible reasons, but was afraid to ask her directly, lest she might get annoyed. Was it that she wanted to tell the entire world that she loves her dad? Possible. But we all love  our parents, and don't need to put it online to assert it. Right?

I had recently come across a status of one of my friends saying that he got his first salary. Why do you need to put that on Facebook? I was disappointed that he did not put the figure too. I started wondering whether he would be willing to share his salary with the entire world, just like he shared the news with everyone. Am I getting too harsh on that fellow? Maybe, he was just sharing his happiness with his friends.

I am not against using Facebook. Infact, I myself have a Facebook account with over 400 friends. But what is funny is there are a few 'friends' whom I don't even know or with whom, I have not even stopped and said "Hello" when we've met. The question then arises is why do I add him as a friend in the first place, which has flummoxed me too, time and again. Maybe, because the fact that we know each other is enough to click a button and add him as your friend.

Facebook is a great way to keep in touch with your old friends, acquaintances, and cousins. Undoubtedly, the social networking idea is a revolutionary one. But you can't argue the fact that it is no replacement for the personal face-to-face meetings, coffee table conversations, and spending time with your friends at your favourite 'adda'. Then why is this phenomena catching up so quickly? Our lives have become too fast-paced today. Taking time out for your dear friends and your family is a task in itself. And talking to your long-lost friends is a task better kept for future, always. In such times, Facebook comes as a savior for all of us. You can chat with your friends, poke them, comment on other's posts and photos, sitting in the comforts of your house. We all have a deep instinct to know what is going on in others' lives. And Facebook offers us that facility too. A few people oblige us by putting their personal lives on their walls, literally.

A few days back, I had received a joke on my cell phone, saying Facebook is a refrigerator. Wondering why? Because every few minutes, you keep opening and closing it to see whether anything good is in it. Yeah, people constantly using Facebook, become addictive to it. Their social life is nothing more than the account that they have on Facebook. They are actually leading a virtual life, or as I read it somewhere, 'The Second Life'. It said you can pose on Facebook the way you want, the way you always wanted to be. You can appear macho if you want or you can appear as someone very smart, even if you are not as cool as that in real life. It gives you a sense of completeness, it gives you something that you lack in real life.

Who knows whether that is true or not! And I am going to get a lot of flak for writing something against Facebook, since many of my own friends are Facebook addicts. But they will vent out their anger on my Wall, and not me. So virtually, that is another advantage of this huge networking site.

And lastly, before signing off, I would like to share a particular habit of one of my friends. He keeps updating his status, every half an hour, with nonsensical things as to what he is eating for lunch, where he is going for dinner, what he is doing in the office, whether he is liking his work or not, whether his computer is working or not, etc. Dude, give us a break!!

Saturday 17 September 2011

Rahul Dravid - The Underrated Hero of Indian Cricket

From the past few days, Rahul Dravid has been in constant limelight. He was playing his last One Day Series in England, having already announced his retirement from the shorter format of the game, after he was surprisingly recalled for the ODIs. Many might think that Rahul still has a couple of years to give the Indian ODI team, but he knows that the selectors drafted him into the team because the team had a disastrous outing in the tests.

And he was supposed to, as usual, save the Indian team from sinking. Was he successful? Maybe, from the final scoreline of 3-0, his critics would be ready to answer in the negative. "Dravid couldn't do any wonders for the team, he was away from the one days for a very long time, etc.", his critics would argue. But look from the point of view of a cricket enthusiast, look through the eyes of a fan of Indian cricket and you would know what he brings to the team.

What Dravid brings with him is immense respect, the feeling of someone reliable in the lineup and an impeccable persona. He is a rock solid batsman. Very few can point out flaws in his batting technique, his stance, his beautiful cover drives. Yes, when he debuted in ODIs, he was immediately dropped after a few matches for playing slowly. He was not considered fit enough to be in the scheme of ODIs. Many players would be happy to be in the test team and forget about playing in the one days again. And here lies the difference between good players and great players. Dravid, not only made a re-entry into the one day side, but held the Indian innings steady with innumerable knocks, which were a delight to watch.

There was never any doubt about Dravid's batting technique. If there was ever a doubt, it was about his batting style. He was slow to score runs; he didn't have a personality that one day players were supposed to have. He had replaced Vinod Kambli in the ODI team, when he started, and he did not have Kambli's irresistable strokeplay. He seemed a misfit in the One Days. But he bounced back and how! He not only played for the team for more than 12 years, he even captained the One day side. Not many would have thought that Rahul had the capability to lead an ODI side.

And talk about his commitment to the team!!He has played for the team even at position no. 7, when batsmen don't have much to do other than blind hitting. He has left his customary No. 3 position and opened the innings for the country, when required. He was never afraid to play quality pace, and he is one of the few players today in world cricket, who can play quickers and spinners well equally. Not just this, what takes the cake is that he has even kept wickets for the team, allowing an extra batsman to be taken into the side, and he did it with remarkable success. He was an established cricketer by then, who could have easily said no to keep wickets. But he always had the team's motive in mind. He never played for himself. He never played for records. He played for the team. He played for the country. And people love him for that.

He got the nickname 'The Wall' because of his ability to play long innings. His concentration was impenetrable. His dedication was unquestionable. But has he got the recognition that he deserves? I don't know. But he surely is a role model to the budding youngsters who love the game and love the spirit of the game.

Time comes and goes. Whether Dravid should have been dropped from the one day side is an altogether another debate, but Dravid not playing again for India in the shorter game is an inexplicable loss to the team. But, guys don't lose hope because this underrated hero of Indian cricket is still going strong in the Test arena and hopefully, will continue to give his best in his cricketing journey, which has been par excellence.