Games They Play.

It has happened before, it has happened now and it will happen always - the great Indian tamasha of hate politics engulfing the true essence of our nation. Time and again the great politicians of our country have let the country and its people to unbelievable lows. The happenings in the last few weeks in Mumbai ( can i say BOMBAY ? or will i be beaten up ? ) and the last few months of mindless violence in Andhra Pradesh ( especially Hyderabad) are fresh evidences of the shamelessness of our so-called-leaders. It is such a pity that the greatest democracy in the world is having to fight battles with its neighbors and within itself. A nation that was the baton wielder of Peace and love is reeling under extremely stupid politics of hate and vandalism.

My city ( Hyderabad) has been subjected to some rather disgusting last few months. The extremely lively city is virtually under extreme stress. A city that was rated as the biggest emerging city in all areas is now facing sever loss of revenue, property and some lives too. And all this at the cost of the "demand" for a separate state. The last few months have been ridiculous - The city and state at large has been extremely volatile and sensitive. Bandhs have been the norm of the day and violence has reached its peak. The so-called-students have done away with books, diminished the sanctity of a respected university in India and ripped away the dignity associated with being a Student. All this has been done on the "call" from a certain political party which is demanding a separate state for telangana. The pearl city of India is now at the peril of becoming the most troubled city. Buses being burnt, people being beaten up, schools and colleges being closed, mindless display of hooliganism have replaced the calm and lively atmosphere of the city. The most ironic part of all this hoopla is that the areas being subjected to these extremism are the areas that are branded as less "developed". I wonder if these acts of violence will incite any new investments and lead to any development. I am not commenting on the pros and cons of forming a separate state for it should be decided by the people who are entrusted with the duties to do so - after a careful consideration. What i am irked about is the manner in which these agitations are carried out. For a state to form and function, the most important thing to have is "people" , the aam aadmi. This aam aadmi is being subjected to every day ambiguity about that day's position, the common man is forced to stop going to work or is being beaten up by goons each day. What scares me the most is the fanaticism in the youth today. I wonder if these students would be rescued by the political parties who patronize them, if they fail in the examinations and if the formation of new state would benefit them even an iota if they do not have the mandatory knowledge to take up any job? Would the so called well wishers of the students come to their rescue if the university debars them from attending the exams? worser still, would these politicians ever come to see these students once they win the election? There have been cases of students committing suicides for separate state. Has any one thought about the poor parents of these kids who killed themselves while their parents were living lesser lives to give every opportunity to their progeny? Would a separate state or anything else get back these parents their lost child? What in the world can alleviate the angst of a father who saw his son being burnt to death? What has the average bus driver done to bear the brunt of some mindless people. Who has given these thoughtless weeds a right to cripple the normalcy of the state - there by pushing the state into irrecoverable loss in already inflated times? What satisfaction would they get in seeing a city of four crore living in distress?

If i am worried about my place, my friends in neighboring state are not less disturbed. The senseless sena has spilled its venom yet again. This time again on a soft target - a rather extremely famous one at that. I would not go into detail for its already a cover page story now. What amazes me is the utter shamelessness of these self proclaimed protectors of marathi manoos. There was a show on NDTV last sunday that had who's who of cinema world and the shiv sena spokesman -Rahul something ( never cared to remember his last name. I remembered the first name because there was rahul "bose" the actor in the same show). The moment this representative of uddhav"ji" thackerey said that the sena reacted on behalf of the "nations" and "mumbaikar's" sentiments, there was a huge roar by the audience. A proof that sena is not a mouthpiece of the junta but only for the vote bank politics of Mumbai. There has been numerous such instances, but as usual our netas are born shameless - and have learnt to live in denial. I am surprised why do they not raise their concern over the bad infrastructure in Mumbai, the farmer suicides in Maharashtra or the acute water scarcity. What happens to voracious sena leadership when the need to stand up and act comes? It is such a shame that we are still fighting amongst ourselves when we need to fight bigger wars outside.

So who is it that is to blame ? The politicians? No obviously not. Infact they are the most deserving people to be appreciated. They are the only one's doing their job just fine. They are politicians - not leaders. And the only thing they have to do is to take sides, cash votes and create turmoil. Looking at the current report, it is only they who come out with flying colours. They have successfully created divide amongst two sections of society, two regions of a state and the people at large. These politicians sell their ideas and silly reasons to people who call themselves "educated" with such aplomb that could put the best of salesperson to shame! they could sell dreams to the most staunch pessimist ( If they ever want to make a career switch, advertising and sales are the best choices). The stupid junta who are supposed to go to work each day, study hard each day by into all that gibberish and participate in all this circus. Those who are jailed and lathi charged are these activists and not those "powerful" netas. While those activists are beaten to pulp by the police, i am sure the leaders are having premium drinks and happy sleep. It is the innocent people going to work suffering and the misguided youth's lives being ruined. The gullible young India today is lured into the crooked games they play!

It is such a disgrace when the world is talking green earth, development and world without boundaries - and we are drawing lines amongst us and killing ourselves. In times where slowing down is breaking down, we are stalling our progress for some unimportant reasons. If at all we dream to be the super power in the years to come, it is this attitude we need to change. If not, forget 2020, its not going to happen even in 202020 !!

Mumbai has woken up from slumber.. I pray Hyderabad does. I wish INDIA does !! May better sense prevail.

P.S : Few hours back there was a bombing in Pune. Two years after mumbai its Pune now. It can be any city tommorow. How will we stop them if we fight ourselves. May the souls of people who lost their lives in that incident rest in peace. I hope they dont make this another political game.

Peace

rammy

A failed script

There are some movies that are bad. They do not put you off for you would already know what to expect when you go into watch. Some others turn out to be marvelous when you do not expect anything out of them. There is a third category of films - Those that have a marvelous potential but falter right from the start. "Striker" is one such film. The promos of the film raised enormous curiosity and the trailer was extremely appealing but the end product was far from anything expected.

Set in the ghettos of erstwhile Bombay, the movie talks about the life of a kid Surya who dreams of a good life. The dream of happy life makes him reach out to seemingly greener pastures (Dubai) which culminates abruptly due to the "agents" scam. Left with little choice and redeeming the lost money the young man uses his extraordinary carrom skills to make a high living. All is well until he loses gold ornaments ranging into lakhs which is to be delivered to a merchant. his friend Zaid introduces him to a local goon who is into gambling and betting business. Though unwilling at the outset, Surya realizes the Game life is playing with him and decides to take it on with a striker in hand - In the process getting Surya to be involved with gangs, goons and police. The result of which Surya departs from his family.

Striker impresses in its set up, feel and originality. First timer Chandan Arora captures the ghettos in most believable way, making the city a character itself. The camera work and the dialogues have authenticity and are believable. The director has done an commendable job in sketching characters that are appealing and create an instant connect with the audience. The free spirited Zaid (Ankur Vikal ) lights up the screen with his infectious enthusiasm. Ankur delivers a superb performance as a man full of hopes. The friendship between Surya and Zaid is also sketched perfectly. The rest of the cast is also aptly chosen. Surya's sister played by Vidya Malvade, the scar faced goon played by Aditya Pancholi or even the elder brother played by Anoop Soni deliver believeable performance . Siddharth gives blood and flesh to the character Surya with his splendid performance. He is good with his choclate boy charm and fantastic during the emotional scenes as well. He makes us believe in Surya's desire for success.

What's really disappointing is the uncooked script of the movie. The side track of communal riots in mumbai is under developed. Both the love tracks of the protagonist are either unwanted or badly developed. Nicolette Bird looks pretty in the short role but is wasted. The south indian actress Padmapriya is refreshingly beautiful - but she could have chosen a better role to make a debut in bollywood. Singularly taken by each character, the movie might make a statement, but film fails to make to create any impression as a whole product. The film never has a moment that hits you. With a theme of gambling, underworld and a character such as Surya, you would expect an intriguing tale. But you would be utterly disappointed with the tame screenplay. There is hardly any scene that you would cling to your seats and marvel at it. The movie though two and a half hours, feels like a soap opera. The soundtrack of the movie ( being created by six music directors ) is better heard alone. The song "Bombay Bombay" is not even there in the movie. The song " Cham Cham" sung by sonu nigam is wonderful when you hear it alone, but it does not feel the same when you watch it on the screen.

It might be unfair for a first timer to be measured on a tough yardstick, but it is disappointing to see a movie with a great potential being robbed of its charm due to an undernourished script. A movie that could have been a Vishal Bharadwaj material falls flat on the face midway (or probably even before it) just because fails to captivate the audience.

If there is anything that you'd ever take away from the movie, it would have to be Ankur Vikal's exceptional portrayal as Zaid. Siddharth creates an impression too. Otherwise "Striker" fails to strike a chord.

Cheers

rammy