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Book Review: The Bankster

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Author: Ravi Subramanian

Publisher: Rupa Publications

Pages: 358

Price: Rs 250

Genre: Thriller

Rating: * * * * ½

By: Keyur Seta

A not-so-perfect romantic novel can manage to get some appreciation from the target audience if it has enough heart-touching or mushy moments. The same leeway is enjoyed by comic fiction books if there are a good number of rib-tickling incidents. However, whodunit thrillers don’t have this advantage for the simple reason that after building up a thrilling scenario, the killer moment at the end has to be up to the mark. In other words, the presence of some well written thrilling or intriguing moments won’t hold much value if the main suspense at the end turns out to be predictable or unconvincing.

Ravi Subramanian need not worry about this as he has used all the necessary elements needed in a thriller intelligently in The Bankster and presented a page-turner which is an absolute must-read. Good books satisfy the target audience while great books go beyond the target audience. The Bankster surely falls in the second category since it has the capacity to impress those who aren’t much into thriller novels.

The book presents three unconnected stories taking place in three different cities of the world: –

  • Angola: A covert CIA agent travels to the dangerous interiors of Africa to exchange weapons of mass destruction for priceless diamonds. The deal goes through smoothly and the agent is now ready to go ahead with another such mission.
  • Kerala: Krishna Menon has been protesting against the Trikakulam Nuclear Power Plant since a decade as he is deeply concerned about the safety of the people in his vicinity. The reason why Krishna is more emotionally involved in the protest is because of a promise he made to his dying son.
  • Mumbai: It is a daily routine for the top level employees of the Greater Boston Global Bank (aka GB2) to indulge in cheap politics and manipulations to achieve selfish gains. All hell breaks loose when their employees are found dead one after the other under mysterious circumstances.

How these three utterly different incidents cross paths, forms the rest of the story.

Like every tantalizing thriller, The Bankster has a watertight story which is told in a manner that makes the reader very curious to read further. What makes it more intriguing is how Subramanian has managed to keep the stories unconnected till more than 80% of the book. And once they are connected, you get a satisfying kick as all pieces fall into place. He has delayed the turning points as much as possible which is a mark of excellence. The only kind of predictable part is that whenever a character goes into a discussion or does something which looks immaterial to the story, it ensures a thrilling twist. But that generates more excitement for you anxiously anticipate something once you figure out his writing style.

The politics in a banking organization and the day-to-day conversation between the characters, which forms the main part, appear truly real! The language used is rich but at the same time very simple which makes even the common man understand the proceedings easily. This is very unlike some writers who leave the readers confused on few occasions while flaunting their cool language skills.

One also can’t help but laud Subramanian’s remarkable knowledge on various aspects like police investigation, forensic (CCD bill incident), the area specific knowledge of different cities, modern technology (an almost technologically illiterate person thanks you for the iCloud explanation), politics and lastly, the banking process. The last one, along with the working of the corporate world, is made understandable to someone like me who has almost zero knowledge of both.

The story has a number of important characters and each is defined clearly and developed properly. It would have been better if their physical appearance and features were explained slightly which would have helped more in visualizing. Apart from this, the other possible negative factors are the length and an act committed by a main character in the end. However, these are just minor issues that won’t affect your overall satisfaction while savoring this unmissable book.

This review is a part of the Book Reviews Program at BlogAdda.com . Participate now to get free books!

Jab Tak Hai Jaan Box Office Prediction

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Direction: Yash Chopra

Producers: Yash Raj Films

Writers: Aditya Chopra and Devika Bhagat

Cast: Shah Rukh Khan, Katrina Kaif, Anushka Sharma, Rishi Kapoor, Neetu Singh, Anupam Kher

Music: A R Rahman

Genre: Romance

Release Date: November 13, 2012

Analysis:

Star Value: Needless to say, when a film has Shah Rukh Khan, Katrina Kaif and Anushka Sharma as main leads, the star value of the film is supremely high. And since Yash Chopra has directed it coupled by the fact that it is his last film, it adds more star value to Jab Tak Hai Jaan.

Hype: Naturally, the hype for the movie was created ever since it was announced. As expected, the hype kept on increasing when the promos and the music of the movie were released. I feel sorry to say this but Chopra’s tragic death has made the film more popular. However, the film hasn’t created one of the highest excitements ever which was expected.

Music: The songs of Jab Tak Hai Jaan, mostly ‘Challa’, ‘Saans’, ‘Ishq Shava’, ’Jiya Re’ and the title song, have been appreciated by the audience as expected. But none of the song has become an anthem which is expected from such a romantic film.

Prediction:

Jab Tak Hai Jaan will surely get a very good opening at the box office. It has a chance of scoring in both single screen theaters as well as multiplexes. The six day Diwali holiday period will make sure it earns very well and even reaches the Rs 100 crore. Its business from Monday (November 19) onwards will be determined on whether it has succeeded in impressing the audience with its content. We also can’t rule out the fact that its collections will be affected by Son Of Sardar, which is releasing alongside.

Picture courtesy – Yashrajfilms.com

Bhandarkar launches Bhagwan dada biopic Albela

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A number of interesting, humorous incidents from the legendary actor’s movies and life were shared at the event

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Acclaimed filmmaker Madhur Bhandarkar recently said in an interview that he used to run a video library during his growing up days in Khar, Mumbai. But on Saturday he got further candid by revealing that his lot of 70-80 video cassettes always used to have few prints of Bhagwan dada’s popular movie Albela.

“There was a lot of demand for Albela. People watched it again and again. Sometimes I used to urge my customers to watch it again and they used to happily oblige. Even I have seen the movie many times. I also have fond memories of watching Bhagwan dada a number of times in a small restaurant in Khar where he used to shoot his films.” said Bhandarkar.

Madhur Bhandarkar during the launch of Albela (Pictures – Ashish Desai)

The Chandni Bar director went into the flashback mode during the launch of the Marathi movie Albela, which is based on the life of the late yesteryear superstar Bhagwan Abhaji Palav aka Bhagwan dada. Produced under the banner of Kimaya Motion Pictures, the film is directed by Niranjan Patwardhan. The event also marked the launch of Isak Mujavar’s Marathi book Ek Albela, which is also based on the dancing superstar.

Patwardhan, himself a big admirer of dada, said he is eager to spread his art. “I was highly surprised when I realized nobody has ever written even 30 pages on him. If people had known even fifty percent of his talent, he would have been considered the biggest showman,” he said. This is Patwardhan’s first film as a director. He has earlier worked with Bhandarkar in Corporate, Traffic Signal, Fashion and Jail.

Various other guests spoke about dada’s greatness which turned out to be very informative for youngsters who don’t know much about him. “While working with him in any film, we always felt as if we have come for a picnic. His dance was remarkable. In fact, dada’s dancing style is also visible in Amitabh Bachchan’s dance steps,” said senior actor Viju Khote. “It is not possible for the current actors to match his dancing skills,” stated filmmaker Kiran Shantaram, son of the late legendary V Shantaram.

Some funny incidents about the actor were also shared by Mujavar and the yesteryear Marathi and Hindi film actress Sulochana Devi, who launched Mujavar’s book. “He had an unusual habit of sleeping while standing. But when the shot was announced, he used to automatically wake up and start acting,” laughed Sulochana.

Mujavar added, “Once during our train journey out of city, he fell down from the upper berth. So I was told to occupy his berth while dada was given the lowest berth. But in the morning, we realized he had fallen from the lowest berth as well.” He also revealed that some of his movies had the same basic plot but despite that, each film succeeded in keeping the audience engrossed.

Attendees also included dada’s son Arun Palav, yesteryear actresses Jeevan Kala and Leela Gandhi, Uday Chipalkatti and others. The event surely generated a lot of curiosity for the biopic. But one has to wait till 2013 to see how the film turns out to be.

Sulochana Devi launching Isak Mujavar’s book Ek Albela

Green Building Congress 2012: Promoting Sustainability & Eco-Friendliness

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With global warming creating havoc and natural resources getting depleted, going eco-friendly through sustainable development seems to be the only option for us. Such eco friendly measures are encouraged and helped by the Indian Green Building Council (IGBC). The main aim of IGBC is to promote the use of Green Buildings in order to build homes, offices and other such building through eco-friendly measures.

A green building is the one which uses less water, optimizes energy efficiency, conserves natural resources, generates less waste and provides healthier spaces for occupants, as compared to a conventional building. Through Green Buildings, they are trying to revisit traditional Indian architecture based on five basic elements of nature – Agni, Jal, Vayu, Prithvi and Aakash – known as Pancha Butaas.

Some examples of traditional Green Buildings:-

  • Hawa Mahal in Jaipur: Its articulated windows provide cool breeze in a desert area.
  • Golconda Fort in Hyderabad: Ventilation is designed to let in fresh cool breeze, in spite of summer.

IGBC was formed in 2001 to try and achieve the goal of sustainable environment for all by 2015 through its ratings & events. Green Building Congress is one such event that they have organized to spread the message of going eco-friendly. It will be held from October 30, 2012 to November 1, 2012 in Hyderabad.  Complete Address: – Hyderabad International Convention Centre (HICC), Novotel & HICC Complex, Near Hitec City, PO Bag 1101, Cyberabad Post Office, Hyderabad – 5000081, India. Phone No: 91-40-6616 3000, 91-40-6682 4422.

If you are in Hyderabad, you should grab this opportunity as the event will help you easily understand on how to save water, power, have healthy spaces and use renewable energy. And if you are not in Hyderabad, you can at least spread the message. After all, the type of environment our future generation will get to live in depends on our present actions!

Event Brochure (Click to ENLARGE)

Rush Box Office Prediction

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Direction: Shamin Desai

Production: Percept Pictures Company and Showman International

Writers: Shamin Desai and Sanjay Masoom

Cast: Emraan Hashmi, Sagarika Ghatge, Neha Dhupia, Aditya Pancholi

Music: Pritam

Genre: Thriller

Release Date: October 24, 2012

Analysis:

Star Value: Emraan Hashmi has become a kind of a crowd puller after gaining an image of a quality performer instead of just a serial kisser. This factor alone states that the star value for Rush is decent. The film also has some known names like Neha Dhupia, Sagarika Ghatge (of Chak De! India fame) and Aditya Pancholi.

Hype: There is hardly any hype for the movie. This comes as a big surprise considering it has Emraan in the lead. The promos have failed to create much excitement among the audience. But the biggest culprit for this is the very low key promotions. This has been the case with almost every Percept movie. Over the years, the banner has suffered heavily due to poor promotions or marketing but they don’t seem to be learning from their many mistakes.

Music: ‘Fukraa’ is the only song that is somewhat popular. The rest of the songs aren’t known to the audience.

Prediction:

Rush won’t get a good opening at the box office. At the most, it will only garner an average response. The film will struggle to make a mark at the ticket window if it doesn’t receive very positive initial reports. Although there isn’t much excitement for Prakash Jha’s Chakravyuh, which is releasing alongside, it will surely act as a tough opposition for Rush along with Karan Johar’s Student Of The Year, which will not even be a week older when the Emraan starrer releases.

Chakravyuh Box Office Prediction

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Direction: Prakash Jha

Producers: Prakash Jha Productions and Eros International

Cast: Arjun Rampal, Abhay Deol, Manoj Bajpayee, Om Puri, Esha Gupta, Anjali Patil

Writers: Prakash Jha, Anjum Rajabali and Sagar Pandya

Music: Salim-Sulaiman, Vijay Verma, Sanjay Shandilya, Shantanu Moitra and Aadesh Shrivastav

Genre: Drama

Release Date: October 24, 2012

Analysis:

Star Value: Although Chakravyuh has a well known, ensemble cast of Arjun Rampal, Abhay Deol, Manoj Bajpayee and Om Puri, none of them are crowd pullers. Hence, the star value for the movie is decent. But it won’t be an overstatement to say that director Prakash Jha’s name also adds to the star value.

Hype: The promos of the movie have managed to create some excitement for the movie. The makers have also promoted the film well. It has also had its share of controversies due to the song ‘Mehangai’. But despite this, there isn’t much hype or excitement for the movie.

Music: The ‘Mehangai’ song has managed to make heads turn due to trouble it faced from the Censor Board. No other song from the movie is known much. One should also mention that music doesn’t have much scope in such movies.

Prediction:

Due to the low hype and excitement, Chakravyuh will at the most only get a decent opening at the box opening, which is surely disappointing considering it’s a hardcore issue based film by Prakash Jha. Due to this, it is very vital for the movie to super impress at the onset. Its advantage is that it has a long weekend to exploit coupled with an appeal for both masses and classes. The bad thing – it will face tough opposition from Rush, which is releasing alongside, and Karan Johar’s Student Of The Year, which will not even be a week old when Chakravyuh releases.

Picture Courtesy – Chakravyuh Facebook page

His message of love shall live forever…

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There comes a time in everyone’s life when he or she is unable to react at something. I am facing that situation ever since I heard the news of the passing away of Shri Yash Chopra, one of the greatest filmmakers and pillars of Indian film industry. The feeling is more profound because deep inside everybody knows there can be no replacement for such a legend! Even those who aren’t much into films are influenced by his films at some point in their lives since the feeling of love is present in all of us.

But I will never label him as ‘King Of Romance’ like most of us. That title doesn’t do justice to his achievement. Looking at his overall career, most of his successful films haven’t been love stories. Examples – Dhool Ka Phool, Dharmputra, Waqt, Daag, Deewar, Trishul, Kala Patthar, Darr, etc.

When I associate him with love, it purely means the love of human association (instead of just the love between the hero and heroine) which he brought alive on screen so successfully. The love between a son and a mother in Deewar and Trishul, the love among a family in Waqt and most importantly, the love that defines humanity to be the only religion in Dhool Ka Phool and Dharmputra.

With his death, the world has not only lost a great filmmaker but also someone who had pulled up his socks to spread love and humanity, something which is the need of the hour.

May his soul Rest In Peace and may his family, friends and we, the well-wishers, garner the strength to overcome this tragedy and be able to continue his mission of spreading love.

Have a look at Yashji’s last interview with Shah Rukh Khan: –

This is the above mentioned scene from Dharmputra: –

Picture Courtesy – Rediff

Making of a Bhojpuri movie

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Even a layman (someone who is not exposed to filmmaking) would know the basic process of making a movie – writing the script, shooting and lastly, post production. But recently when I got a firsthand report on the making of a Bhojpuri movie, I was stunned to say the least. I am eager to share this as I am sure most of you would react in a similar way.

Father of my friend’s friend is a Bhojpuri movie producer. Last year, he co-produced a Bhojpuri film along with Bollywood’s one-time star, who also played the central character in it. Since the son of the producer is a close friend of my friend, the latter got to know about the making of that film. Stunned and bewildered, my friend excitedly narrated their movie-making process to me. It is as follows: –

  • First and foremost, they signed the leading lady and few other actors. Since one of the producers was playing the main lead, there was no need to hunt for a ‘hero’. I also came to know that the actor handled most of the scenes as a ghost director.
  • As strange as it may sound, they started off by shooting more than 10 songs for the film! It was then that I was enlightened that it is a must for every Bhojpuri movie to have more than 10 songs. In most films, songs are a mixture of romance, dance, tragedy and lastly, item numbers.
  • Here comes the most shocking part. It was after finishing off the songs that they started writing the proper script for the movie! Yes, you read it right. Earlier, they just had a rough idea of the subject. While writing the film, they just fitted those songs wherever possible!

There is more surprise in store. This is not the only Bhojpuri movie that was made in such a weird manner. I was then told most of the Bhojpuri films are made likewise! If the film has the same masala elements of action, songs and dance and most importantly, those heroic dialogues, it is liked by all. Needless to say, the film which I am referring to also became a superhit!

Student Of The Year Box Office Prediction

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Direction: Karan Johar

Production: Dharma Productions

Writers: Rensil D’Silva and Niranjan Iyengar

Cast: Siddharth Malhotra, Alia Bhatt, Varun Dhavan, Rishi Kapoor, Manasi Rach

Music: Vishal-Shekhar

Genre: Romance

Release Date: October 19, 2012

Analysis:

Star Value: There is no star value in Student Of The Year as all three of the main characters are played by debutants. But due to a good marketing strategy, Siddharth Malhotra, Alia Bhatt and Varun Dhavan are slowly becoming known among the youth.

Hype: The promos of the movie are well received by the youngsters. The makers have succeeded in creating some excitement among the college students, its target audience.

Music: Vishal-Shekhar’s music has helped a lot in promoting the film. ‘Velle’ became a known track instantly. ‘Ishq Wala Love’ and ‘Radha On The Dance Floor’ are not far behind either in terms of popularity.

Prediction:

Student Of The Year will get a decent opening at the box office. If it manages to impress initially, it will fetch good numbers even after the first weekend, since college students like visiting multiplexes on weekdays. However, due to the urban, modern genre, it will appeal more to the urban youth. Hence, it has better chances at the multiplexes of metros. It won’t fetch good collections at the single screens, mostly the ones in the smaller cities and towns.

Picture Courtesy – Indiatoday.in

Law Minister endorses lawlessness: Kejriwal hits at Gadkari

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If there is anyone who is expected to safeguard law and order in India the most, it is obviously the Law Minister of the country. However, the whole of India was in for a shock today when the Law Minister Salman Khurshid himself openly endorsed lawlessness by threatening to physically harm anti-corruption activist Arvind Kejriwal.

Trying to hit back at allegations made by Kejriwal, Khurshid openly told a news channel, “Let Kejriwal come to Farrukhabad. Let’s see whether he succeeds in returning back.” Through this statement, Khurshid clearly indicates physical assault on Kejriwal, which definitely amounts to breaking law.

Picture Courtesy – Deccanchronicle.com

The statements give rise to a number of serious questions. – How can a Law Minister openly endorse breaking of law? Do you have a right to punish a criminal when the Law Minister himself encourages crime? The ruling party has to answer these questions and the only option they have is to remove this person who calls himself the Law Minister. But after a huge number of anti-national actions and statements by the ruling party itself, I wonder whether it has any right to continue to stay in office. The feeling that the British have started ruling India again is produced by the UPA government time and again.

Khurshid’s open dhamki however didn’t deter Kejriwal to name BJP President Nitin Gadkari in a scam where he grabbed land allotted to poor farmers of Vidarbha. Of course as expected, the party has rubbished off all allegations. I don’t know whether the allegations are 100% true but like numerous other instances, BJP or the government won’t even order any kind of probe in the issue. After Anjali Damania’s experience with Gadkari, it is clear all parties are unofficially united when it comes to corruption.

It appears weird to many including me that Kejriwal isn’t going to court against Kejriwal or Vadra. But after he highlighted today how these court cases and probes account to nothing, I am slowly starting to agree with him. If you look back at history, you realize these big shots always get away even after committing the most heinous of crimes. Forget politicians, even a hardcore terrorist like Ajmal Kasab is enjoying his stay in India even four years after he openly killed innocents in Mumbai!

So it is up to the people of India to realize how all parties are together involved in money grabbing and then punish them with the power of their vote. Of course, it would be great and ideal if law punishes them but I hardly have any hope for it considering India’s current scenario.