Alien



He looked at the reflection in the mirror...

The eyes were red. He couldn't remember whether they ever were white. The face looked haggard. The mirror, as per it's habit, returned the truth back to him. The water droplets were slipping down his face to the lower parts. The shower hadn't helped. He could still feel the fatigue hovering around him like the silence he was used to. For a moment or two, he thought of turning the shower back but then decided against it.

He pulled the towel and wiped his face clean. He looked at the scars on his body and remembered the days he used to feel ashamed of the disfigurements. A smirk came on his face. Now to look back, he thought, those were the normal days.
He dreaded the last step. He always had. To open, enter and face the outside world.

He gave the last look at the tired reflection and sighed. The face looked similar but it wasn't his own.
They had won... They had finally converted him.

image courtesy : Pradyumna Sarkar 

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Quests and Careers


... around two and a half months back... I met these wonderful people.
I described the idea to mentor the Java Freshers batch to Bhairav...

foolishly, It seems we have taken up the idea to "correct" everything which is going wrong...
Listed all the things which usually go wrong in the learning programs and how the IT organizations have become "large-scale" factories for programmers. No new ideas crop up... and even they do... they are silenced by "we-know-it-all" jerks...

anyway... we did try...
All of them have graduated with excellent scores. Within a day or two they will be lost in this rat-race of deliveries-appraisal-salary : the life.... and there awaits a cruel world outside.

a lot of them would be sucked into the crazy circus... but if a few... if just a few can question the rules... wouldn't it be all worth?...  because we have taught them to ask questions... Haven't we?

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Hindi Cinema : 10 Years... 10 Films



Before I start another of my countdown, Let me clarify, this certainly is not the list of 10 best films of the decade. I would rather tag it as "10 Hindi Films of the decade I would like my grandchildren to watch". The list is of 10 films which attracted me the most from 2000 to 2009. I wish I had also seen films like Amu, 15th Park Avenue, Firaaq, Paanch, The Namesake and many others before writing this blog... (disclaimer : loooong post)











10 : Pinjar (2003) : Blame me for being extremely nostalgic, but I am a sucker for period dramas especially on partition. May be it's my Sindhi blood and may be I worship Gulzar too much. Pinjar is a heart-wrenching tale of a girl who gets entagled in the worst disaster of our history, the partition.


When you compare it with M S Sathyu's Garm Hawa, Pinjar might not stand anywhere, still every time, I watch this movie, it gives me goosebumps. It's a fantastic movie with brilliant performances from Urmila Matondkar, Manoj Bajpai & Priyanshu Chatterjee. After Maachis, this was one movie with a lot of brilliant scenes. Take the scene where Rashid(Manoj Bahpai) tells Puro(Urmila) how his heart has somehow found solace by the loss of his burnt down farms by her brother. However, my favorite remains the last one in which Puro runs to find Rashid, Initially her tormentor and then her soul-mate.


Expectedly, the film didn't do well and Chandra Prakash Dwivedi hasn't made any films since. But I hope he does, as I know just like me, many others have adored Pinjar.








9 : The Blue Umbrella (2005) : Back in my school days, we used to have a week of celebration as Children's week every year. A cinema hall in the city used to show-case children's films for all 7 days in the morning show, and we, as children, used to get free passes for these films. Strangely, many of the films that we saw were not "children's" films, rather they were movies with child actors. I am not sure whether I need to put The Blue Umbrella as children's film. My problem is with the new films. We either come up with animation movies or movies with tons of special effects. To be sell-able the movie must have something extra-ordinary. I don't sincerely have a problem with these things. However, it doesn't leave any space for a simple story. 


I am glad Vishal did come up with one. The Blue Umbrella  is a story of a small village in Himachal where Binya is the apple of the eyes for the villagers because of a marvelous umbrella she possesses. The film revolves around a shopkeeper, the richest person in the town, and his scheming ways to have the umbrella.


The film excels due to a simple and endearing story (by Ruskin Bond) and brilliant performances by Pankaj Kapoor & Shreya Sharma. There is a scene in the film where Nandu  is dealing with his injuries and the dilapidated shop after being outcast from the village. The girl visits him to buy some toffees. It brings an expression on his face which nobody else but Pankaj Kapoor could have produced. It's a shame nobody else (but Vishal) has used his skills to this extent lately. It's a gem, not to be missed.





8 : Sehar (2005) : Directed by Kabeer Kaushik, Sehar is a film about the police force and the way it tackles organized crime. The movie, instead of following a usual action-thriller-emotion genre, deals with it's subject purely on the technicalities. This was one of the reasons, the film failed and to my utter disgust didn't even have a show in some of the big cities. The distributers/theatre owners just refused the film before even we could decide it's fate. None-the-less, this has been one of the bravest films ever to be produced. My sincere salute to the producer/director of the movie for coming up with such an honest film. 


Sehar follows SSP Ajay Kumar(played by Arshad Warsi)'s Special Task Force which has been assigned to deal with Gajraj Singh and in general the organized crime in UP. The film is set in the 90's when mobile phones were new and the entire force was unaware of the technicalities. Ajay Kumar enlists the help of a Physics lecturer, Prof. Tiwari (played brilliantly by Pankaj Kapoor). The entire story has been told as a flashback from the professor's perspective. It would be wrong for me to compare Sehar with Ardh Satya, but I can not help myself, and believe me, this movie does justify the comparison. To this date, It has been the best performance by Arshad Warsi, in my opinion. Sadly, Kabeer Kaushik hasn't repeated the spark that he showed in his first film.





7 : Black Friday (2004) : Before I even start writing about this one, let me lament again(as in my earlier blogs) that this movie could certainly have brought an Oscar nomination, if not the award itself.
Every time, I dream about making a film, Anurag Kashyap's struggles pull me back. His fault, he came up with two wonderful movies which didn't go well with our government. Yes, in the name of religion & region our leaders are supposed to kill innocents, but in the name of Cinema, you can not portray the same on celluloid. 
So, even before my capabilities as a movie-freak are considered, I concede the defeat. I simply do not have guts to struggle. Better be a blogger.
Black Friday depicts the real-life events of the Mumbai Bomb Blast of 1993 which claimed over a thousand lives. The film is based on the book by Hussain Zaidi. The script is tightly bound with the book (and yes, it is strange in Hindi Film Industry). The movie has endearing performances by almost everybody (& it does have a lot of actors) topped by Aditya Shrivastava. It's a miracle, Anurag pulled it off in the industry. A lot of cinephiles actually started understanding all the aspects of Cinema after knowing about Kashyap's plight. 



6 : Munnabhai MBBS (2003) : If filmmakers like Anurag Kashyap & Dibakar Banerjee introduced us to new genres & styles of film-making, Rajkumar Hirani did the other way round. He took us back to the golden old days of film-making when we had clean and endearing stories by Hrishida


Munnabhai series is, in true sense, a first of it's kind series of films in India similar to Shrek & Ice-age. Munna & Circuit are the stooges we had always missed in our cinema. Both the movies in the series are enjoyable to the hilt because of the endearing acts from Sanjay Dutt & Arshad Warsi. These movies are like Pani-Puris.... you are always ready for the next as soon as you finish the one in your hand. So keep serving...







5 : Gulaal (2009) : Well I know, one would not agree with my selection for Gulaal ahead of DevD and Black Friday. However, this being my list (for my grandchildren), I have the right of my own guilt-pleasure, and this being one of them.


Although questionable in a lot of selection criterias, this certainly is a movie which has remained my favorite of all Anurag Kashyap movies (I am yet to watch Paanch). Unlike the tightly bound script of Black Friday, Gulaal gave Kashyap a vast ground to play with and to build the characters. And boy-o-boy, he does have a knack to build them... I am sure, it is easier to do so when you are also a good scriptwriter and a wonderful casting director. 


Gulaal is the story of college politics in a fictional city of Rajasthan. Two gangs are at loggerheads to gain the control of the university. Both of which are being controlled by two warring scions. The story revolves around a commoner who gets involved in the mud and how he is used by each of the gangs. The movie is a class in itself. It is a must for every dreamer like me who adores cinema. It is amazing to see how Kashyap has come up with such wonderful cast & crew.  Characters like Prithvi Bana, played by Piyush Mishra who also happens to be the Music Director of the movie, and Bahrupiya are the actual masterstrokes which provide the dark undertone of the movie. The music is outstanding. 


The film is about politics. More so, It's about self-indulgence of a film-maker. And who am I to complain, as long as it gives my dose of cinema.... Kashyap... Take a Bow.





4 : Hazaaron Khwaishein Aisi (2005) : (excerpts taken from one of my earlier blogs). Hazaaron Khwaishein Aisi is a film about youth and what defines it: Ambition, Love & Dreams. The film is about three friends who study in the era of the beginning of the naxal movements. Siddharth - An energetic student who dreams of a marxist revolution & equality in India. Geeta- A girl for whom life is nothing but love, towards Siddhartha and his morals, and finally Vikram- an ambitious go-getter who lusts for power and money and loves Geeta. Their persona is a reflection of their upbringing. Siddharth being from an upper class hasn't ever worried about his own bread n butter so he does about others. Geeta, from a middle-class family, thinks about a peaceful life and a husband in Siddharth. Vikram, on the other hand has suffered because of his father's Gandhian philosophy and hence is always after money. They all go their separate ways after their dreams and how they turn out to be. Film has a wonderful cast of Kay Kay Menon, Chitrangada Singh & Shiney Ahuja.


This is a wonderful film by Sudhir Mishra and is mildly similar to his earlier film, Yeh Woh Manzil To Nahin, which is impossible to be found. 







3 : Khosla Ka Ghosla (2006) : Khosla Ka Ghosla did in Hindi Film Industry what Fargo did in Hollywood. This small budget film came and conquered the industry just the way Fargo did. Khosla Ka Ghosla is a brilliant example of how a film should be made. The first and foremost of it is the script. For this, I think both Jaideep Sahni & Dibakar should be commended. The film has a wonderful script, nice characters, actors that fit the characters(and not only SRKs, AKs, HRs & Akkis for every lead role) and the use of locales & sets that fit the entire story line. 


The film is about a middle class family in Delhi. KK Khosla, the patriarch of the family, has bought a piece of land in Delhi investing all his savings. However the land-sharks usurp the land. The film shows the family's struggle to get their own land back and their own individual struggles. Every scene from the movie is tragic but hilarious. Notice the performance of Boman Irani and you'll notice our own Al Pacino. Some time back, I had reviewed "It's a wonderful Life" and had written that the characters of Bert & Ernie actually gives a better understanding of George's character. The same way, It's the character of Munjal that is so brilliantly written, it makes you understand Khurana.


Dibakar, in one of his interviews, said that the film's heart is in the character of the land-shark Khurana. For me, it lies in the characterization of Kamal Kishor Khosla and his pal Mr. Sahni. Anyway, I think I'll go by Dibakar's view because as Mr. Sahni put it "Bhenchod, Yeh Zamana Hi Compromise Ka Hai" !





2 : Maqbool (2003) : I read somewhere Maqbool is Macbeth meets Godfather. In fact, Vishal Bhardwaj himself also acknowledged that the film is his adaption of Macbeth. It has taken the inspiration from the bard's play however it is the most "original" adapted screenplay that comes to my mind. 


The film starts with the mafia don Abbaji and his adopted muse Maqbool. The film shows Maqbool  & Nimmi's betrayal of Abbaji and it's final outcome. Vishal's script has converted the three witches in the corrupt police officers who play the comic officers cum astrologers. Again, Pankaj Kapoor stills the show by his powerful portrayal of Abbaji. Such a wonderful actor he is. He is present in around 10 scenes only but you will feel it during the entire movie. 


I wish Omkara would have been of the same class. Ajay Devgan messed up the character of Othello. Every time he needed to show emotion, he looked constipated. But I believe, one can't help it. I myself mess it up every time I try to cook Poha at home.



Coming back to Maqbool, this is truly a marvel to be cherished by connoisseurs.


1 : Mithya (2008) : Again an act of pure self-indulgence from my end. However, if I have to choose one movie from the entire decade (2000 - 2009), It would certainly be Mithya. 


Directed by Rajat Kapoor, Mithya is a story of a struggling actor VK, played by Ranvir Shorey, who has the same face as of a mafia don. All VK wants to do is to act and fails. So what if an actor loses his memory and is told that he is a Don. Just like the characters of Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind where the perennial lovers end up finding each other in their lost memories, an actor in VK does play the role of a Don which he is not. 
The film is a masterpiece with a wonderful cast & extremely haunting background music. 


This is one film, I am not sure how to categorize it. However, just like Raghu Romeo, it is another of Rajat Kapoor's mystery which I might find an answer to in coming years...
... as for Ranvir, this has been his best performance till date... same for Neha & Brijendra Kala.





... There are other movies too which I just loved in the past decade like Waisa Bhi Hota Hai Part II, Raghu Romeo... but I think If I have to give 10 to my children and then theirs, It would certainly be the ones I mentioned above...


(Courtesy : All the photographs are taken from Google and digitally modified by me. Kindly let me know for any violation I may be doing)

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Diaries.

First you write them...
... few years later, you laugh at the silly things you wrote
... some more years pass, you realize, all the things you laughed at, does make sense now...

Caution : This diary is infected with ... LIFE. - The first line from my wife's diary.

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of Asses, Idiots, movies .... and Mr. Masand

Ever heard the famous line from Sholay ???

गब्बर तुम एक मारोगे तो हम चार मारेंगे 

Well... If not... Mr. Masand... has an even better line....

 गधे, तुम एक लाओगे तो मैं दो लाऊंगा 
.... well, obviously the reference as an ASS here is me.... So what if (as per Mr. Masand) there are only a handful of people who haven't liked Kites... while most of the "movie-geek"s are ravishing the gem which is not only brave but also ambitious...


The entire twittersation....


so being an ass... an idiot... I will follow Mr. Masand's advice.... I will suit myself in an Armani suit... 
but wait....who the hell will lend an Armani to a Thavrani.... Hey... Mr. Johar... Are you listening? I will write something good about your soon-to-be-released original "stepmom" :)

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It's a Wonderful Life : Review

I know... I am 64 years late in reviewing the film. After being pestered by Amrita for almost 6 months, I did watch it finally. I am glad, I did.  And I am glad I can't stop myself writing about it... after all, it's not every day that you watch such a simple gem.

Directed by Frank Capra, It's a wonderul life is the story of George Bailey (played by James Stewart), a do-gooder on the verge of committing suicide. After hearing the prayers of his family and friends, the god sends an angel to save him. 




Now we all know, how the story will end. But believe me, it's not about the simple story or the simpleton protagonist. The movie is about us, about our struggles, about our frustrations, about the hard life and about everything the wonderful life brings. It's about the most basic principle of the life, humanity.





The film starts with an Angel Second Class who is waiting since last 200 years to get his wings. The only way to get his wings is to stop George from committing suicide. Before sending him to the earth, we are shown the glimpses of George's earlier life in which he saves his kid brother from drowning, saves the local chemist from prescribing poison to a kid. George's father runs the Bailey Building and Loan association which is vital to the residents of Bedford Falls, a small town. The reasons for running Building and Loan are not financial ones but to save the town from going in the hands of Mr. Potter, a shrewd and scheming businessman who aims to control and own every visible property of Bedford Falls. 


George dreams of conquering the world, becoming an adventurer, building skyscrapers and long bridges. He discusses his plans with Mary Hatch, the girl who secretly loves him since he was a boy. However, he has to wait till his brother is ready to take his place at Building and Loans. On the graduation night of his brother, his father dies of a stroke. Mr. potter, who is now a shareholder in the company convinces the board to stop providing the home loans to poor people. George fights to save the company but the board agrees to him only on one condition, George running the company. This shatters all his dreams. He sends his brother to the college while continuing with his father's dream. From here, starts his long struggle to save the town from going in potter's hands. Every time, he has a chance to leave the town, a tragedy takes place and he is forced to stay back. He becomes the prisoner of his father's dreams and his goodwill. When his brother returns from the college with a bride and doesn't show interest in staying in town, George accepts that he will never be able to leave the town. Every dream that he saw of himself is being lived by his younger brother Harry. Harry goes on to get the congressional medal while George struggles to stay afloat during the depression and world war. Finally, the loss of eight thousand dollars (which was to save the company from bankruptcy) by an uncle snaps him. He breaks down. 


Clerance, the angel, stops him and shows him the life that would have been in Bedford without George. He sees the town(now Pottersville) and is shocked to see what life could have been without him. He then understands that although the life is not as beautiful and adventurous as he had dreamt, it still is wonderful. And the best part is, although he could not do what he had always wanted, he still had made a difference to the lives of hundreds in the town. 





The film's beauty lies in it's simplistic and wonderful message which was also seen in Capra's other movies It happened one night, Mr Deeds goes to town and Mr. smith goes to Washington. You can relate him to Hrishikesh Mukherjee (although Capra came a lot earlier than Hrishida) and now when I think of the Hrishida films, I sense they might have been influenced by Capra's films.


It was a shame that this movie didn't do well when it was released.... and it's still a shame that the movie has been typecast as a Christmas movie... 

... and as I said... what makes the film great is it's simplicity. The town of Bedford Falls is so believable, it almost becomes a character of the movie. It is difficult to create a character like George.... but it is the even more difficult to create affable characters like Bert and Ernie (who play George's friends in the movie) which Capra does with ease.


... there are a lot of scenes in the movie which will leave a lasting impression on you and for days you will talk about it... like the one in which George goes to Mary's house to talk to her ... and ends up fighting with her... and finally kissing her... it shows everything his life is.... George's attraction towards Mary... his frustration of not becoming what he dreamt of... his desire of leaving the town.... and his love towards Mary, town, his family and everybody he has ever known.... watch this movie for this scene... watch it for the scene when George and Mary hit the old house with stones... and yes watch it for scene that involves their daughter Zuzu's petals.


and just like Zuzu's petals.... life, really, is wonderful !!!


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The project gets over

... a project that I was working on is getting over... I don't write about my professional life (as it is just not what I am)... but this project was something very close to me...
Firstly... I started it in 2008 and was associated with it since last 2 years... It came as a month long pilot and went on to become almost a 2-year venture.



Financially, it didn't give me anything... while I got a salary cut of 1 lac the organization went on to make more than $1M...
Ironically... the best of the compliments came from the people who I managed... more than half the team, who worked day and night for me giving much more than what a person should give to a project, told me it was a pleasure to work for me and they would like to join the project which I take up.... a team member in-fact kept on asking for starting my own venture (which I kept on refusing) which he would love to join...
The client showered praises and told me with every ups and downs in the project.. one thing made him sure all the time... and that was my commitment...

.... after a bad hike/appraisal.... these 2 things still made my day !!!

... looking forward to the lousy steps ahead.... telling unworthy people what I am worth... preparing resume and looking for a new project in the same organization.... Life is a bitch !!!

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Oye Hari... Hari Oye


This story is again from the chawl of Junagadh. I have tried to recreate it by various discussions that I had with my sister remembering the chawl which has made us what we are today... !!!

Part 1 : PROLOGUE : Bhavna remembers Harikant Masa
 "You know Kalpesh?, the best thing that happened to us was the chawl. Even after 18 years, the place that still controls my dreams is the chawl."
"Yes, I know. In a way, it was good that we didn't have money and ended up being there, in the chawl"
"and you know... I still dream of the chawl... All of them... our landlord lakhifai, Naynaji, Usha Masi and Harikant Masa"
"Ohhh.. Harikant Masa?  How is he? Must be very old now... "
"Yes... He has crossed 70... and can barely see now... can not even get up from the bed... ...   You know this person was our neighbor. Since the partition between the two houses(rooms) was just a thin wooden ply. Both the families could hear what was happening in the other family. I remember, theirs was the first house in the chawl to get a TV set. You might not remember... but they used to pamper us a lot. Every now and then, they would treat us with Dosa parties, Paun Bhajis, Samosa, Pani Puri and what not... he was like a father... You know since we could not afford a lot of items during Sushila's marriage... they gifted us a lot which helped in Sushila's dowry."
"But... as far as I can remember... Harikant Masa was a pauper... and didn't even have a steady job"
"Well... that's just another story"

Part 2 : Mr. Mehta speaks
I have known Hari since he was a boy. I still remember the day he got his job in the Electricity Board. I think, he was the first engineer from this city. I am not sure you know... I am getting too old. 
Every day, people would queue to see him home. So that they could meet him and ask for a favor.
What kind of favor? The usual ones. The members from his community would want him to place some of their people in petty jobs in the department. His neighbors would ask him ways to avoid their electricity bills. His friends would take him out and have parties on his money. They would make him do a lot of bad things. He didn't refuse anyone. Possibly... he didn't see anything wrong in it. For him, honesty was not as big a thing as making his dear ones happy. .. and you know... everybody wants to be a dear one to a successful person.. rite? You know during his prime time, he would use his jeep to even go to a Paanwala.
I always had a feeling, Hari would find himself in a lot of trouble. His friends were not good. They would always make plans to earn money thru Hari's position. I met him one morning. He was not his jovial self. So I asked him if everything was alright. He laughed it off as usual and said... nothing Mr. Mehta, just planning for a small vacation with friends... that's all what he said. Just after a day, I saw police inquiring about him. He was wanted in a scam of 35 lacs. Can you imagine, 35 lacs in those days? It was never heard of.
No... he didn't run away with the money. He never did after any of his crime. He was always there. How could he? The last thing he would do was to harm his family and friends. He surrendered himself immediately. But that's not what surprised me. You know... he took the entire blame on himself. 
Yes, you got it right. His friends had planned it. He was just a pawn. But when it came to accepting the blame. Nobody came forward. Everybody had families to look after. So what if he too had a wife and two daughters. Well.. his friends promised him to look after his family. He was sentenced for 7 years. Due to his good behavior he was let off just after 4 years


He always had troubles after that. Could not afford the earlier luxuries and ended up with his family in the chawl. Luckily, he got a job in the Hospital as a clerk. But there also he could not mend his ways... again forged the signatures and siphoned off around 2 lacs. So I believe... you have the answer now... The Dosas, Samosas and Ice Creams didn't come by his own money.  You know Kalpesh... after everything that has happened. I still think he was an honest person.


Part 3 : The End : Bhavna's visit to Masa.



Dedicated to Harikant Masa who was part of our little chawl and Bhavna who still keeps the old memories alive and visits all the people who formed the chawl... though I know both of them will never read this post.
PS : Blog Name is taken from the film Oye Lucky...Lucky Oye

"So , did you meet Harikant Masa? "

"Yes... I did and I cried like a child. You know he could barely recognize me. Usha Masi had to yell my name twice. But he was so overwhelmed to see me."


"How is he? What did he say?"


"He was so happy and said 

"Arre... Bhavna Beta... It's so good to see you...You know me and your Masi miss you so much. As we don't have anything to do now. We keep remembering the good old days of the chawl. You remember, how did we enjoy our little parties. The chawl is not as it used to be... everybody is new now. Our days were different. Mr. Mehta died some months back. I have not visited the chawl after that. But let me not tell you the sad news. You know... I have been so happy in my life. But sometimes, it makes me sad that I can't see you as well as my daughters. You know... they are also happy but they hardly visit us. Me and your Masi, are just waiting for our last moments. The only way to pass the time is to remember the good old days. You know, I am so glad that you came... nobody visits us these days"
... and then he started crying... I couldn't stay there... I ran away with tears in my eyes"

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Hindi Films : The Top 10... who brought the change

Change is inevitable... and it has taken place in Hindi Film Industry... at a slow rate... still the last decade has been amazing... with new directors coming in... struggling to make films.... and struggling to get them released...
... so here is my Top 10... people who did bring the change.... 
(PS : This is not a list of Top 10 ... but the top 10 who changed the way the films were made)






10 : Ram Gopal Varma : The man who started it all
Well... take it or not... he was the one who started making "different" films... starting with Satya in the late 90s... he continued making anti-love-thy-family films thru out the 00s. The only sad thing : he could have been much higher in the rankings... 10th rank justifies his factory that has given us at least 10 directors which in fact changed the way films are made these days... His life though seems as if we are seeing a fast-forward a la- Dev Anand






 

9 : Imtiaz Ali / Raj Kumar Hirani : Makers of Clean & Lovely Cinema
Well... there is a reason for having them both in the 9th place... because they make adorable films... films that are fun to watch... films that are clean... they don't make different films... and to an extent they haven't changed the industry greatly..
 
However they have proved comedy need not be vulgar... and love stories can also feature people who may normal people like us...
Raj Kumar is rightly compared with Hrishida.... Every time I see somebody watching Munnabhai (1 or 2)... I see a smile which goes on and on.... 3 idiots was a bit of a "clean" disappointment though... !!!
I remember watching Socha Na Tha on a CD... by the time the movie ended.... I knew I liked it... I didn't know why... 
... I talked to a friend of mine... and he said... "I didn't like it... what's the point in making a love story where the hero/heroine just act as if they are commoners".... well... I had got my answer....







8 : Rajat Kapoor : Independent film maker
This one's my favorite... and all he wants to do is to make films... A film-maker since 16 years but came to prominence after the affable Raghu Romeo which did rounds to a lot of film festivals... it won some awards too...  I was stunned to see the movie... after Mixed Doubles... he came again with Mithya.... which in my opinion is among the top 5 films of the last decade.... Another reason for having him in this list is his ability to bring talent to films.... Ranvir Shourey... Vinay Pathak... Saagar Bellary .... all of them made their mark because of Rajat.
PS : I have a dream to meet this person... Rajat... are you listening?











7 : Farhan Akhtar : Filmy... very filmy...
I know a lot of my friends would want to kill me for this one... well... I am not a great fan of his... but I have to say... he did to the Indian Cinema what Tarantino did with Hollywood... Dil Chahta Hai was not only a good film but a film which spawned an entirely new genre of movies... It's been 9 years since DCH... the amazing part is you still see movies in which the storyline is a deviation of DCH.... He doesn't make great films.... but all is films are fun.... Don too was a mediocre film.... but when did he brag it being a "Do Bigha Zameen"... make no mistake... he is here for the commercial movies... and has been good at it...
... I surely would have put Zoya Akhtar in this... however she is just one film old...









 
6 : Jaideep Sahni : The script-writer....
Jaideep reintroduced a lot of directors with the most basic part of the film... the Script. When most of out film-jokers kept relying on on-the-set-scene-writers... he came up with a water-tight script. Jaideep has been a blessing to the Industry. I can't understand how RGV lost him... I am waiting for him to direct a movie in the coming years... and I hope he does... unless Yashraj are keen on using him for more "Aaja Nachley"s












5 : Ranvir Shourey / Vinay Pathak / Kay Kay Menon / Boman Irani / Abhay Deol / Konkona Sen Sharma : Actors par excellence
This place goes to the new breed of actors.... and I know I am missing a lot of them... what they have done is outstanding.... These people look like us.... they feel the way we do... and whenever you see them... it feels as if you are watching a part of yourself on the celluloid... 






4 : Dibakar Banerjee : The magician
If you want to watch a movie... and then forget about it... make sure it's not from Dibakar. The guy has made 3 movies... 3 totally different movies.... and all of them masterpieces.... His journey started with Khosla Ka Ghosla... and every time I saw Anupam Kher... he reminded me of my dad... and every time I saw Boman Irani... he reminded me of a relative of mine I can't write about in the blog... All his movies talk about people... who are like us... I have a suggestion for him though....
"Man... don't put.... "All the characters in the films are fictious" in your movies... they never look that way"









3 : Vishal Bhardwaj : The Shakespeare of the films
Like his mentor Gulzar, Vishal is a man with extreme talent.... a fantastic composer, a terrific writer, and in my opinion, the best director in the Hindi Film Industry today (and if he has his ways... he sings too). All of his movies have been absolute gems... 
Again... the best thing about him is that he doesn't limit himself to any genres in film-making... he made his directorial debut with Makdee.... a children's film.... Maqbool and Omkara were based on shakespearean plays with the mafioso background.... Blue Umbrella was again a fantastic film (although for me it was never a children film)... He proved in Kaminey that he too could make a commercial one... and that too better than the rest.





2 : Anurag Kashyap : Arrogant, Indulgent, Narcissist
What RGV started with.... Anurag has reached that height... I am one of those who people who have always believed that India lost out on an Oscar by not letting his Black Friday release... This man has fought a lone battle for years... and it has been our loss all the time... 
This man is the Stanley Kubrick of our industry.... if he makes a movie... it surely will have a lot of shit in that... If there is one person who knows about cinema more than anybody... it has to be Anurag. Probably one of the best script-writer in India. Has an amazing sense of music.... finally he is catching up on whatever he has lost out on. Will always be remembered as a man who changed Hindi Film Industry forever.... still the first place doesn't go to him....






1 : Ronnie Screwvala : The Sky where all of them can fly
All the 9 entries above are film-makers or actors... However, the top slot goes to this man... who doesn't direct, act or do anything within the film... but he makes sure... that anybody and everybody who knows films should be in films... He is the one who has introduced our audience to films that nobody wanted to produce... he not only produced them but also made sure they were commercially viable. He gave a platform where people like you and me can make films. and no He is not here to loose money... he is here to change the way Hindi Films were produced... it has taken time for UTV Motion Pictures and UTV Spotboy to be where they are... but the revolution has begun.... and now other major names have joined in... but he is the one who is at the top... and should remain so....





I could have gone on length mentioning much more about these great people... however... let me stop here....  and as I said... this list is about the people who did make a change... not about the greatest... hence names like Shekhar Kapoor, A R Rehman, Sudhir Mishra are missing.... since change mostly starts with filmmakers... most of the people mentioned here are directors....

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The Betrayal

The brother :
You know, I have never forgotten it. I still have dreams of what happened initially in Keshod and then in Junagadh. Whatever money I had, I invested in the shop thinking it would be safe with her and her husband. How could they betray me. But I was wrong and stupid too... they kept giving me two hundred rupees and one day I was no longer a partner. I was a servant in my own shop. On some days, they would not give me my salary of 3 rupees a day. For them, they could club two days salary and give me on the next day... but for me... I could not buy the oil, rice and roti that could feed my family. I did not know how to deal in business... and I did not know to question people who were my own

The sister :
I couldn't stop anything. People kept telling my husband to kick his wife's brother out and he did it. My daughters tell me the destiny has taken a revenge on them because of whatever we did. There are days when he wakes up and asks.... Is it Keshod ?.... I think this is Keshod.


They talk of a man betraying his country, his friends, his sweetheart. 
There must be a moral bond first. 
All a man can betray is his conscience. - Joseph Conrad

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