Wow. What a Wednesday! The India-Pakistan faceoff lived up to the hype and showed the world the enormous talent that lives in the sub-continent. I'm sure the rest of the (cricket-playing)world must be thanking Jinnah for being instrumental in the partition of India and Pakistan. I mean, Imagine.. IMAGINE the super-team that would have resulted from the unified India. But then again, we all love an Ind-Pak encounter, so I guess everything happens for the best. Yeah, ok. So that's that.

So there's this often used, cliched line - History repeats itself. It has, does and will. I presume that the title of this post used in the same breath as 'History repeats itself' will lead you (Yes, YOU dear reader *plastic smile*) to the notion that I am referring to an encore of 1983. Yes, of course I am, right? What other history could I be talking about? At this point ,dear reader, I'd like you to stretch your history a leetle more. A leetle more historious(is it even a word?) than 1983.



In short, I'd request you to just go back a few hundred thousand years.

Ok. Now that we've gone way back in time, look around you. What's happening?
Yes.
YOU guessed it right!
(or did you? smartass)

Its the Ramayana happening all around you!

Not that I am a pundit at mythological stuff, but I expect you to know, ATLEAST, about the Ramayan/Ramayana. So the idea for this post struck me in class. I came in late, as usual, to class and sat next to a booming-voiced deep-baritoned friend who told me in that very deep-baritone 'Bhai, Saturday ko Lanka jalegi!' (Brother, Lanka will burn on Saturday). I'm sure you're thinking the translation wasn't required, but for the kind of friends I have, I always take the 'Just In Case' route. Coming back, as the File Structures class sluggishly moved on, my mind was set racing at nearly double the speed (which made it normal thinking actually). I couldn't help but draw parallels between the two events, the two countries, the two circumstances and the two sides of people. It struck me with the force of 10-ton truck that the entire situation HAS repeated itself after waiting for a couple thousand years. The Ramayana IS happening around you people, so you can come back here to the present. Well settled with the idea? Great! So now I can change the cliched 'History repeats itself' to a more 'Ancient History repeats itself' or a 'Mythological History repeats itself'. I hope my English teacher isn't reading this.

So lets start drawing parallels. I'm typing this down at around 11:00 am today and I'm sure after having introduced you to this idea, you could come up with more, better parallels than I will. But I'll take it off here. So the World Cup is Sita, for what else are both the teams fighting for? The coveted Golden beauty everyone wants. And I'd like to think of Sachin Tendulkar as Ram, because I think he, more than anyone else in the team, deserves Sita. And Ram is Bhagwan Ram and Sachin is Sachin 'God' Tendulkar. So that's justified. I'm sure some of you must want M S Dhoni to be Ram, but for me he's more like Sugriva, leading the army of monkeys like Nehra and Munaf. Mind you, the monkeys played their part, so I am in NO way putting down Munaf or Nehra (though I'd have loved to a week back). So that brings us to Hanuman. I'm sure pressed for this, but I think I'd go with Yuvraj as Hanuman, for he's got us the Sanjeevani at more occasions than one in this World Cup. Sehwag is, of course, Laxman. The maverick power that they both were, faltered with aggression at times.

Now we come to the bad side. Ravan would best be Sangakkara, for among all captains, he's certainely showed more will at winning the World Cup. Murali is Kumbhkaran, for as contrasting as their personas are, Murali is the trump card that Sangakkara is hoping will work. They both are expected to awaken from their slumber and deliver at this great finale. Again, as with Kumbhkaran, I think Hanuman will humble the spin beast and will once again bring the Sanjeevani for Team India. Malinga on the other hand is a clear cut hangover of Indrajit. Both have strong personalities that have the all important controlled aggression. In the Ramayana, Indrajit turned out to be lethal for Laxman. Lets just hope that isn't the case with tomorrow.

Oh, and Sreesanth is Jatayu. Keeps flying into the ground when required, while Yousuf Pathan and R Ashwin make up the brothers left back at Ayodhya. Please be free-willed to continue with your own interpretations.

So this is the basic idea of what transpired in my mind in the FS class yesterday. I'm sure most of you would brand me crazy(or worse!) and curse me for wasting your time, not to mention tag this blog entry as 'tasteless and hysterical'. But when it comes to cricket.. and that too a World Cup Final, I'm all ready to bear the 'Crazy' tag. Thank You!

We all know what happened at the end in the Ramayana. Ram will, WILL take Sita back home. Its a happy ending in ancient history that I hope will repeat itself. It will :-)

At the end of it all, irrespective of how tomorrow's match turns out, I'd like to thank the Indian Cricket Team for providing us with a roller-coster of a month. Thank you Misbah and Umar Gul, for making sure we made it to the finals. Thank you Kris Srikanth, for selecting this wonderful team. Thank you Sreesanth, for not playing. Thank you Raina, for sealing your ODI berth in the team. Thank you Sachin, for we are what we are today because of you.

And thank YOU dear reader, if you, like me, stood by our Indian team till the end.

Lets all go India... INDI-YEAH!!

Director : Danny Boyle

So.. 127 Hours. I trust everyone knows the story. Atleast I did, long before I saw the movie. For the select few who don't, it is the story of a man who gets his hand stuck in between a canyon's hard wall and a large boulder at a desolate place and how he solves the situation. That's it. That's pretty much it. That's the story of 127 Hours for you. And yes, it IS a full 100 minutes movie. Yes, its been nominated for a Best Picture Oscar. And no, it is NOT a dull movie.

127 Hours is one of those rare experiences where you almost know or forsee everything that happens or will happen and yet you expect it, with unending impatience. To make a movie like 127 Hours, you need a director like Danny Boyle. So while Slumdog Millionaire had a grand canvas on which Boyle could paint with a hundred colors, 127 Hours is more like giving him a paper and a pencil, and seeing the result. And the result is a masterpiece, a sheer cinematic experience that is bound to be remembered for a long, long time. And all this is with the same one-line story i started this review with.



To greatly elaborate on the plot, the film tells the story of adventure enthusiast Aron Ralston (James Franco), who goes to the Grand Canyon for a trek. He does not inform his family and constantly maintains a video log of his trip. He meets two pretty girls on the desolate trek, and after spending some 'brief' time with them, he leaves on his path, promising to meet them later that night at a party at the end of his trek. While on his path, he falls into a small crevice with a boulder crushing his arm to the sides of the canyon wall. He soon realizes that the boulder is immovable and so is his hand. With no one around to help for miles, he remains stuck there for the remainder of the film. Except, of course, for a small exhilirating sequence in the middle of the film.

Based on the true life story of Aron Ralston and adapted from his book 'Between a rock and a Hard Place', 127 Hours is a true chronicle of the human spirit and its power. An awe-inspiring survival story, it shows how the will to live can make you overcome any adversity whatsoever. The tremendous will power that is exhibited in the film is infectious and stays with you much after you've left the cinema hall. At many critical points, the film forces you to think what YOU would have done in that situation. In that way again, the film scores full points in being an engaging watch, complete with beautifully done hallucinations. Some people may find the film a little slow-paced, but Boyle shows how little he cares about that. For he infuses the film with a realism, an authenticity that is unbeatable and lends the film its true spirit, setting it apart from other similar-theme films. And Danny Boyle is hardly the best thing in the film.

I mentioned in the beginning how if Slumdog Millionaire was Boyle's lush, full colored painting, then 127 Hours is his pen and paper masterpiece. The paper here is the Grand Canyon, which has never looked so grand before, thanks to Oscar winning Cinematographer and regular Boyle collaborater, Simon Beaufoy. The look of the film is absolutely stunning and in the beginning threatens to take over the plot. But then comes in the pen that Boyle wields, and THIS is the best thing that happens to 127 Hours - James Franco. Shedding all inhibitions and giving his career-best performance, James Franco steals the film with his amazing and extraordinary portrayal of a desperate man. There's nothing much that an actor can do being stuck at one place throughout the film apart from scream and squeam. But Franco does more than scream and squeam, for it is his silence that speaks volumes. He will be a strong Oscar contender to Colin Firth for the Best Actor category, and if none of them win, i will loose all faith in the Oscars. The film and Franco's performance is complimented by a splendid background score done by A R Rahman, which forms the pulse of 127 Hours. Deservingly, he's earned himself two Oscar nominations and a personal appreciative note from Aaron Ralstien.

Have patience, and you will be rewarded. A film like 127 Hours is not just to be seen, but earned, for the entire experience it has to offer. I give it a 4/5. A must-see on the big screen.

Director : Tom Hooper

I've wanted to see this movie for sometime now, much before the Oscar hype started. Simply because stuttering was a personal problem for me and I was curious with how it was dealt with in the movie. Now I could go round and round and arrive at the point, but simply put, 'The King's Speech' is one of the most compelling drama I've ever seen. It is a brilliant film, no less.



The story revolves around the Duke of York, Albert (Colin Firth) who is the second son of King George V(Michael Gambon) and has a devastating stuttering problem. His disability is laid bare in the opening scenes of the film, where he finds himself incapable of going beyond a 'the' during a grand public address. His wife, Elizabeth (Helena Bonham Carter) helps arrange meetings with speech therapists, but none seem to work for Albert. In a seemingly last ditch effort, Elizabeth hires the services of Lionel(Geoffrey Rush) who's known for his unorthodox methods in curing stammer. While Albert and Lionel work out a cure, King George V dies and his elder son, David, becomes King Edward VIII. It is not long before David chooses his love life over royalty and eventually resigns in favor of Albert becoming the King. Albert becomes King George VI and soon finds himself at the helm of the World War II. Hitler is advancing and as the British Parliament declares war, the onus of motivating the troops falls on Albert. With his still prevalent stutter, he is to give a long war-time speech that's supposed to instill troops with bravado and courage. Does Lionel manage to bring out the best in Albert? Or does King George VI fail his country?

Generally, films about speech impediments are fashioned as comedies and rarely has a film taken up stuttering seriously. The film, set in the 1930's, manages to transport you to that era, but the setting is never too over-the-top and manages to keep the story as its main focus. The dialogues have an edgy-wit in them and bring out an authentic flavour of the movie. Tom Hooper's direction is precise and he is greatly helped by a tight script and a wonderful background score. Those with an ear for music cannot miss Alexandre Desplat's sometimes subtle and solemn score for which he has been awarded with an Academy nomination in the Best Music category.


The story of 'The King's Speech' may border on the average, but it is the performances that elevate the film to no end, at the crux of which is the unusual pairing of Colin Firth and Geoffrey Rush. The chemistry between these two actors is brilliant, with each complementing the other. Rush under-plays Lionel with utmost subtlety, which allows Colin to come out in full splendour as the stuttering King George V. The pauses, the stutter and the temper is so accurately portrayed, that its hard to take your eyes off Firth. It is never once over-done and yet the performance is consistently spectacular. Helena tags along beautifully as the understanding and compassionate wife, but the film truly belongs to Colin Firth. He is the core, the life and the soul of the film and in my two-paisa worth opinion, I think he's already won himself an Oscar.

A moving and historical masterpiece, it is a gem of a film. An emphatic Oscar favorite for me, I'd give it a strong 4/5. Must MUST watch!

Director : Kiran Rao

'Dhobi Ghat' is, no doubt, a rare film. From the very beginning, it never misleads you and wears its 'art-house documentary-ish' tag proudly. It knows its audience and delivers perfectly what it promises. There are no item songs, no songs at all in fact, no crude or contrived humor and no heavy philosophy dialogues. In fact, the best lines in the film are the ones that go unsaid, and all this is what makes 'Dhobi Ghat' a gem of New-age Indian Cinema.

Set in the city of Mumbai, the story of 'Dhobi Ghat' revolves around the lives of four normal people, who belong to different sections of society and yet are never once stereotyped, which sets a fresh tone from the start. Arun(Aamir Khan), a painter meets Shai(Monica Dogra ) at his art exhibition and alcohol and sex follow. While Shai is smitten by Arun, the latter is not for commitment and he brushes her off after the one-night stand. While cleaning the house he just shifted into, Arun finds some old tapes in which Yasmin (Kriti Malhotra ) chronicles her own life and experiences in Mumbai. The tapes catch his fascination and he uses them as an inspiration for his paintings. Munna(Prateik) is a wannabe actor who doubles up as a dhobi in daytime and a rat killer by night. The story revolves around how the lives of these characters get entwined and how each one of them seek out their paths and move on.



Unlike other Mumbai-centric films, 'Dhobi Ghat' never once passes any judgement on the city. It never brands the city as good or bad, but just shows it as it is. Mumbai is captured in a number of gloriously beautiful shots and it explores the city like none other. Whether its the rain, the beach, the streets or just the plain old dhobi ghat, Mumbai's never looked more beautiful. Its more than a city, its a character in the film. And just as with the other characters, Mumbai gets its equal share of time. The film does lag at times and comes very close to being self-indulgent. But its poetic over-hues manage to keep the film afloat till some event occurs. The soothing background score also adds onto the whole experience that 'Dhobi Ghat' offers.

But the very elemental reason for this experience is the cast. Aamir Khan as Arun carries a pensive look throughout the film, which we learn later is due to his past. He doesn't have much room to maneuver, but he does well nonetheless. The ladies in the film are a surprise find. It may take time to get used to Monica, but with a little more fine-tuning, she'll do just fine. Though she never actually appears in the film, Kriti Malhotra leaves a strong impression as Yasmin through the video tapes in Arun's house. She may have the least screen time among the 4 main characters, but she owns every moment that she's on screen. However, the real star of the cast is Prateik, who very subtly manages to give a powerhouse performance and easily manages to become the best achievement of the film. It may just be his second film, but he's here to stay.

Lastly, the film belongs to Kiran Rao. She brings out the beauty of Mumbai just as she does out of each of her characters and manages to make a film that is not only fresh, but daring. Yes, it requires daring to make a simple movie such as 'Dhobi Ghat'. The film finely walks on a tight rope, and it may have needed only one goof-up to turn into a disaster. The film required tremendous confidence in her own ability and by skillfully handling it, Kiran Rao may just have paved the way for a new era of Indian Cinema, where the lines between commercial and art-house cinema have truly started to vanish.

I'd give it a 3.5/5. Its simplicity is its beauty. Watch it.

Cinema. For a movie-loving nation such as India, Cinema is extremely important to the average Indian. And Hindi cinema more so, with all its melodrama and over acting, forms the very crux of the entire concept of films in India. Ardeshir Irani, a parsee gentleman, set the ball rolling in 1933 when he made the first Indian movie called Alam Ara, containing no less than 50 songs. General knowledge will tell you this. But irony will tell you that it had a majority of Muslim characters. So you see, the minorities were among the first to stake their claim on Indian cinema - especially the Muslims.

The above point is very crucial when we mention Fundamentalism and Indian Cinema in the same sentence (such as the title here). I believe that Indian Cinema is a true record of the various social landscapes that our country has adorned through various decades. Of course, there are sections of the society or self-proclaimed intellectual circles who are totally indifferent to the concept of Indian Cinema. The attitude here revolves around - "Oh! Hindi films? Yeah, my wife/son/daughter are fond of it.. Time pass hai, aur kya". This is WRONG. If one is really sensitive and has the right mindset, then we could construct the entire framework of society and learn more about it, just by looking at films.



Like any other art form, Hindi cinema has its own drama. Stark, on-your-face realism is not something that cinema is made for, but in the guise of drama, realism re-presents itself. Art imitates life. I think Hindi Cinema is more of a dream. Dreams don't offer you realism, they have a different reality. When we sleep, all our organs - the heart, lungs, liver, brain etc continue functioning. But then how do we sleep if the brain is working? Nature's answer is dreams. Instead of thinking sharply about things around you, the brain starts dreaming - it takes reality and softens it and turns it into symbols. It is for a psychoanalyst to analyze what the dream means. Similarly, Hindi Cinema is not reporting the exact reality around you. But if you are smart enough to decode what is happening in the films you see, you will deduce the collective thinking of society, understand it and better understand what fundamentalism means.

I am a Hindu Fundamentalist, for I believe in the fundamentals of Hinduism. Sadly, the media's use of the term 'Fundamentalism' has changed over decades and now represents a very negative vibe. The same goes for communism. These are terms that only point to a healthier lifestyle, but over the years they have come to be associated with people who are, in true sense, radicals and religious extremists who take the holy word literally without galvanizing its true meaning. If we continue to observe this negative interpretation of Communism, we realize that it is a monolith. All the communities will be communal, or all will tone down their fervor. And this reflects on cinema.

In the same tone as above, we could broadly use Indian Cinema as a yardstick to gauge the forms of Communism, and the social culture, that India has traversed. Our villains can tell us more about India's social transformation than most history text books can. In the 40's the villain was the zameendar or jageerdar, reflecting on the broad social-economic divide prevalent then. In the 50's, the villain was the rich man, factory owner or the seth, which is evidence to the fact that we were thinking of a more socialist pattern of society. In the 60's, just as India started embracing urbanization from the west, the villain was the underworld boss of the big, bad city. By the 70's, we had the very same gangster turn into the hero in films and in the 80's, when the ugly head of corruption first raised its head, the politician or the policeman was the villain. When the partition happened in 1947, the trauma was such that Indian Cinema refused to accept that it happened, because it was something that was out of its idiom. Indian cinema refused to touch this topic and for several years, no Muslim characters were written and actors like Yusuf Khan had to adopt Hindu names like Dileep Kumar to remain in films. In the 90's, Pakistan made a comeback and became a major villain, albeit with much stronger sentiments.
Now, thankfully, we have no villains because villains have a frightening resemblance to us. We see ourselves in them and thus the situation that makes us do the evils of everyday life has become the villain in Hindi Cinema today.

We very often confuse Fundamentalism and communism with issues that cause inter-community riots. But films have taught us otherwise. Films have taught us that it doesn't require two communities to create ruckus. One misguided community, fraught with an erroneous understanding of fundamentalism, is enough to do the trick. A classic example of this is Deepa Mehta's Water. And though it meant to depict the very point I mentioned, it did that without even making the film. Here was a Hindu lady, who was using Hindu actors to make an Indian film about the pre-independence cruelties that widows were subjected to. Set in the 1930's, Water aimed to highlight the brutal treatment of widows, who were forced into a life of poverty. It told the story of how a Gandhi-follower helps a widow to escape these unfair restrictions. The film was violently opposed, with 'fundamentalist' thugs destroying the film's sets and the then BJP government in the state (UP) and centre, encouraging the provocations. The stink reached all the way to PM Vajpayee's office, while senior leaders Uma Bharati and L K Advani openly propagated violent protests. Several prominent social figures supported Mehta, but the film only ran into more trouble. After several talks, re-casts and crucial cuts to the film, Water was allowed to complete. It wanted to showcase the existence of Hindu radicals in a by-gone era, but ended up showcasing their existence even today.

It is not un-common for films to run into trouble with 'fundamentalists'. Films by other Indian-based directors have also come into conflict with Hindu fundamentalists and the authorities, including Black Friday, Mani Ratnam's Bombay, Gulzar's Maachis and other films like Fire, Aaja Nachle, Ek Choti Si Love Story etc. But Water faced the heat of these misguided vandals like none other and forced us to introspect on the society that we inhabit. Films like the Oscar-winner Slumdog Millionaire barely skimmed the surface of India's concept of Communism, while others like Rakyesh Mehra's Rang De Basanti fought with Communism issues and exposed the true rot that corrupts India.

But the worst is behind us. Communism is no longer a saleable commodity and the future looks promising. The generation of today can safely go forward without any pretensions or biases and will hopefully restore Fundamentalism to its rightful place, guided and constructive. In a few decades, there will come a time when films like Water will be shot without any undue obstructions. The current generation are a smart folk with healthy thoughts.

And, of course, it has started reflecting in cinema.

Director : Farah Khan (Seriously?!)


In the beginning of the film, we realize that Katrina's character is called Sheila Kijawani and the item song that's been ruling the charts suddenly seems so smartly contrived. It almost makes you expect better things, even as 'Shiela ki Jawani' gets done mere minutes into the film. But as the film proceeds, the naming of the character seems the smartest trick in the film. For TMK goes from bad to worse to worse to worse.

Tees Maar Khan is simply so bad that its hard to believe it comes from the same team that gave us 'Main Hoon Na' and 'Om Shanti Om'. The biggest loophole in TMK is its amateurish writing with dialogues that get absolutely dull. Akshay hammers on with the trailer dialogue that goes 'Tawaif ki loot ti izzat ko bachana, aur TMK ko pakadna namumkin hai'. The dialogues get so amazingly dull that you are forced to repeat the dialogue once more to say to yourself 'Tawaif ki loot ti izzat ko bachana, aur TMK ko doobne se bachana namumkin hai'.




Surprisingly, the premise for the story is pretty interesting. Inspired from 'After the Fox', a Hollywood comedy from the 60's, it involves a talented thief, Tabrez Mirza Khan(talented because his mum watched crime films when he was still in her womb) who's hired to rob an antiques-filled train. And yes, Tabrez Mirza Khan IS Tees Maar Khan, as he so painfully reminds us with those torturous, repetitive monologues. He carries out the heist on the pretext of making a Hollywood film with his wannabe actress girlfriend(Katrina Kaif)and an Oscar-desperate actor(Akshay Khanna) in the lead. Through the film, Tees Maar Khan uses an entire village to be his unknowing partners in crime. The rest of the movie is about the making of this phony film.

As this film-within-a-film concept unravels, you wonder which is the phony one - the one being made in the film or the one being shown on screen.


It is to be noted that Farah Khan passed on the writing baton to hubby Shirish Kunder and his brother and stuck to direction and choreography. And it is these two things that save the film from being an absolute disaster, because Farah manages to bring leeetle(and that's 3 e's) life to the movie with her trademark style and brilliant choreography. The two item songs and a funny Akshay Khanna sequence makes the film bearable pre-intermission. The 2nd half is amazingly stupid and remains so. The Kunder brothers have been claiming TMK to be their pet project for a long time, and now there is no doubt that it was. Shirish's previous 'masterpiece' - 'Jaan-e-man' could win a National Award in comparison to TMK.
Yes, its that bad.


If you manage to stay till then, the end credits are way more entertaining than the film, with the crew accepting Oscar awards. Talk about sarcasm. As far as acting is concerned, Akshay Kumar as Tees Maar Khan does nothing that he hasn't done in his previous shit-pieces. There is screaming, noise, confusion and Akshay prancing around in a self-made humor tutu. Absolutely nothing new. Katrina, however, fits in perfectly as the silly girlfriend/item girl/wannabe actress. There is nothing more that you expect from her anyway. Apart from the first two item numbers, Vishal-Shekhar's music is un-impressive. It almost seems like they got bored after catching the dull drift well within the film. The only thing that saves this film is its flashy, sharp direction which remains the only reminder that its a Farah Khan film.
An absolute waste of money.

I give it a 1.5/5.

Watch it only if you have nothing, ABSOLUTELY nothing to do. And rent a DVD.

Corruption in India is a very strange issue. As we all know, everyone likes talking about it, but very few actually do something. Except of course talk. By talk, I mean to include every aspect of verbal criticism, speculation, gossip and of course, curses. The last one is a popular way of expressing the sentiments of the people towards corruption.

Now I doubt anyone would actually mind, or even notice, if I'd have replaced 'corruption' by 'politics' in the above paragraph. For in today's India, corruption is almost synonymous with politics. So synonymous in fact, that they can be used interchangeably which is the very point I wanted to highlight. Now I know 99%of you are here, even bothering to read this, because of the title. I will come to that in a short while.

The great thing about India is that each and every person is entitled to their two-paisa worth opinion and most of us make absolute use of this opportunity, like me(Brittania's music- tin tin tin tin). But the question really is how concerned are we towards corruption/politics? I'll tell you. We read/hear about all these scams - 2G spectrum, CommonWealth Games, the Yeddy land scam, the CVC appointment etc. and ogle at the big numbers that are involved and then realise in a moment that there is a 'crores' after that huge number. After cursing the politicians and wondering if so much money actually exists in India, you go about doing your work. Nothing wrong about it.

Except of course that there is nothing right either.

Now let me tell you about this recent encounter I had with a friend. As we met, I brought to his notice about how the Indian Government lost a staggering amount of Rs.1,70,000 Crores just because the ex-Union Minister for Telecom - Raja took the wrong approach in issuing spectrum licenses. And his response was, 'Abe, G*** maraye Raja, ye dekh!'

And with that, he swishes out his mobile like a sword and with supernatural speed (I bet it was on his home screen!) showed me a video of Katrina Kaif gyrating in a sexed up costume. As he increased the volume slowly, I could hear rhythmic dhol beats, and in no time indeed, it started..

"Sheela.. Sheela ki jawani..."

Yes, the song is awesome and so is Katrina in it. But at that time I happened to see the friend and his face which was moving as if controlled by Katrina's every hip-swing and bosom-thump. It seemed to have a life of its own. I mean it could've been the beats too, but I prefer to think (and am pretty sure) it was the former. Nonetheless, I was amazed to notice how very un-perturbed he was with the staggering amount I quoted and was instead mesmerised with Sheela's jawani.

Now before you tag me as a sad, boring geek, I'd like to confess that Sheila had my full attention too. I mean it IS.. I .. err.. I mean.. you know.. Nice. If you haven't seen it yet, don't judge me. If you have, they you probably have too *sigh. Let us come to the point, shall we?

Sheela Ki Jawani was all it took for the friend to forget the Rs.1,70,000 rupee loss. Why, had the song played during the CAG investigation that caught Raja, maybe he'd have gone scot-free. I wonder if he's even heard the song yet, or even knows the potential it had to divert attention from the muck of politics. HIS muck atleast. For it is impossible to attribute the entire muck to one person. For there is Yeddyurappa and many other appas of corruption lingering in every state. Yeddyurappa, for now, continues defying his party bosses with pressure politics and blackmail, thanks to the support of the 100 something MLA's and MP's he enjoys. And while he digs in his heels for the CM's position, its understandable for the BJP leaders to envy the Congress. For no matter how many scandals the Congress is accused of, no one, and I mean NO ONE defies what Sonia Gandhi says. Ashok Chavan, Suresh Kalmadi and now Raja were removed with an effortless 'Go' By Sonia. And for that reason alone, Congress is better poised at the centre than BJP will ever be.

Nevermind my political views. Our dear politicians are an arrogant lot, and Yeddyurappa is a standing example of that. Politics and corruption go way back, just like money and happiness. There are few people who believe otherwise in both cases.

So while the politicians go about doing their manmani, I suggest you go watch Sheela Ki Jawani. B-)


Yes my Friend, you too.