The Common Man Speaks

Archives for September 2011

Anna Hazare starts blog, also joins Facebook, Twitter

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Social Worker Anna Hazare’s movement for the amendment of the Jan Lokpal Bill gave rise to a revolution which was never seen after India’s Independence. The unprecedented response of the movement also became an iconic example in countries other than India.

But as Anna says, we are yet to achieve the ultimate which can be done only if the movement is kept alive. In order to do that, Anna has started a blog. In order to make it more accessible, each blog post will appear in  three languages – Hindi, Marathi and English.

But that’s not all, the anti-corruption crusader has also joined Facebook and Twitter.

Anna’s blog URL – http://www.annahazaresays.indiaagainstcorruption.org (This is his new blog.)

Link to his Facebook page – https://www.facebook.com/pages/Anna-Hazare-Says/268687513149703

Link to his Twitter page – http://twitter.com/#!/annahazaresays

Let us follow his blog and social media pages and help the movement grow further.

Vande Mataram!

Won’t let the movement fizzle out, say enthusiastic Punekars

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Although Anna Hazare’s anti-corruption stint has succeeded in giving rise to a historic movement in India, it is up to us to make sure the flame is kept alive. This was ensured by India Against Corruption’s (IAC) Pune wing members as they carried out a massive bike and car rally from Pune to Ralegaon Siddhi. Around 200 enthusiastic youngsters were a part of the rally, all excited to meet the man himself – Anna.

Take a look at the pictures from the event which tries to give a firm message that the movement will never fizzle out.

Arjun (Marathi Movie) Review

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Director : F M Illyas

Producers: Majit Burondkar, F M Illyas

Cast: Sachit Patil, Vidyadhar Joshi, Arun Tikekar, Amruta Khanvilkar, Varsha Usgaonkar, Vinay Apte

Music: Lalit Sen

Rating: * ½

Unlike the one in Mahabharat, this Arjun lacks focus!

Plot: Arjun Pawar (Sachit Patil), fresh after completing MBA, is eager to be a businessman unlike other Maharashtrian youngsters who opt for a job. His girlfriend Anushka (Amruta Khanvilkar) urges her father Mahajan (Arun Tikekar) to help him produce capital. Mahajan takes Arjun to the multi-millionaire businessman Ratan Shah (Vidyadhar Joshi) to gain finance. However, Mahajan and Shah use Arjun as a pawn to settle scores with their rival Jay Thackeray (Vinay Apte).

F M Illyas’ Arjun was supposed to be an encouragement tool for the Marathi manoos to excel in the field of business. But what we get is an over-desperate attempt to prove the point courtesy an immature script and over-the-top direction. Plus, the attitude shown by the protagonist can pose a threat to the unity of Mumbai.

The proceedings suffer right from the start as two songs are thrown in just when you feel the film is trying to gain momentum. What follows later is a series of tragedies thrown on Arjun. It is just not explained why he is the prime suspect in the murder of a businessman. It is mentioned twice or thrice that there are proofs against him but no attempt is made to enlighten the audience on the so-called proofs.

Later on, Arjun’s sudden emergence and success in the field of business due to a favor by Thackeray’s wife (Varsha Usgaonkar) is laughable. Once Arjun starts shining he starts hurling a chain of pro-Marathi lines which have no effect and fall flat!

If this wasn’t enough, the climax turns out to be the poorest and the most unintentionally hilarious scene of the film! The second most hilarious point is when Arjun builds a huge public toilet at the entrance of Shah’s business site in order to decrease its popularity! Phew!

Composer Lalit Sen doesn’t do a bad job but the songs only act as obstacles in the narration. The dialogues are too over-ambitious, amateur and loud although few are meaningful.

Thankfully, the performance area is respectable. Sachit Patil plays his part perfectly and displays helplessness and cruelty needed by his character with ease. Arun Tikekar, Vinay Apte and Amruta Khanvilkar too chip in with decent acts. The rest of the cast is nothing much to speak about.

Overall, Arjun fails miserably in its effort to be an eye-opener for the Marathi people which will affect its box-office collections.

Are we really shocked by the Delhi Blast?

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These blasts have become such a regular feature that we have accepted it as a natural calamity. If this isn’t the case, how many of us were really shocked or shattered at the news of the September 7 Delhi blast apart from those living near the Delhi High Court? The most worrying thing for India is that the citizens have adapted themselves to such blasts.

But you can’t blame the citizens for it when the government itself is showing apathy towards such incidents. Fake condolences by politicians and their appearance at blast spots and hospitals (like Rahul Gandhi’s irrelevant act today), lethargic court procedures after the guilty are nabbed, have over the years become equivalent to rubbing salt on wounds of the victims of the blast.

The most shocking example of this is that we have still not punished Ajmal Kasab who was seen indulging in terrorist activity by the whole of India! I say this again – this is and will give confidence to other terrorists as they know they won’t face any problem even if they are caught after indulging in a terrorist activity. So does it really matter who was behind the blast?

Today Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has given an assurance that the culprits will be nabbed. But what’s the use of it if they will be kept as India’s special guests by showering crores of rupees on them just like Kasab?

Pic courtesy: Pravasitoday.com

Bodyguard rules box-office. What about audience’s hearts?

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I have been making a note of people’s reactions on Salman Khan’s movie Bodyguard. From all the responses, apart from one person, almost all others have thrashed the movie. Even on the net, I have seen terribly unsatisfactory comments on the film with some even terming it as unbearable and difficult to sit through.

However, despite this, the film has created history at the box-office by earning over Rs 20 crore on the opening day itself. Just imagine – on one hand, the audience is left unsatisfactory and on the other, the film has gained the biggest box-office opening ever in the history of Bollywood! If there is one thing which is unfair, it’s this!

Like I said in one of my previous posts here, it has become an easy recipe to cook a box-office hit. Just sign a big star like Salman, make an interesting promo, include songs at regular intervals and you get your box-office hit! You have created enough hype and booked almost ever theatre in the country. Naturally audience will flock the halls to see the movie once. Hence, you earn mammoth profit. But can you call this real success if the film fails to impress the audience?

But Bodyguard isn’t the only instance. There have been numerous movies in the past which have rocked the box-office but failed to satisfy majority of viewers. As veteran filmmaker Sudhir Mishra rightly pointed out, producers are only thinking about the profit in the first weekend.

In this race to earn big monies in the initial weekend, we have stopped making movies which have superlative content, movies which bring a smile on your face even years after its release!

This is where I consider Marathi cinema much ahead than today’s Hindi films. A super-hit Marathi film will surely satisfy a large majority of its viewers. Their biggest advantage is that the story or the script is considered way bigger than the cast. If a Marathi film is rich in story, it will surely draw crowds irrespective whether it has a known face. Sadly, this hardly happens in Bollywood.

These big and rich Bollywood producers should ask themselves whether their aim is only to earn big bucks or make quality cinema. Their answer will determine the future of Bollywood!