The Common Man Speaks

No One Killed Jessica Review

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Cast: Rani Mukherjee, Vidya Balan, Myra Karn, Mohammed Zeeshan Ayub, Neil Bhoopalam, Rajesh Sharma

Director: Rajkumar Gupta

Music: Amit Trivedi

Producers: UTV Spotboy

Ratings: * * * 1/2


Not so very long ago, the infamous Jessica Lall murder case united the whole nation in the fight to nail the culprits. Almost everyone is aware of the incident and its consequences. So, if a filmmaker tries to portray the whole issue on celluloid right from scratch till the end when the culprits are convicted, it requires much more than dedication. Thankfully, such dedication is visible in Rajkumar Gupta’s No One Killed Jessica, a film that successfully blends the apathy of Jessica Lall’s family, protest and unity of the nation and more importantly the height of corruption in India.

The film focuses on how Sabrina Lall (Vidya Balan) struggles to get justice for her deceased sister Jessica Lall (Myra Karn), who was shot dead by Manu Sharma (Mohammed Zeeshan Ayub), (who is named in the film Manish Bhardwaj) and how she is helped by TV news reporter Meera Gaity (Rani Mukherjee).

Apart from directing the tale with sincerity, Gupta also achieves perfection in the very vital task of writing the screenplay and dialogues. Vital because in such real life cases the writer has the mammoth task of making sure that the proceedings don’t appear like a documentary or a docudrama and Gupta succeeds in that as he narrates the real-life story while keeping in mind the elements needed for a feature film. The filmmaker, who debuted with the critically acclaimed Aamir is here to stay.

The film doesn’t merely show how Sabrina struggled to get justice. It also gives a strong message of how the citizens should make sure that justice is done. Having said that, it might not be appreciated by those folks who are hungry for entertainment as in some portions it just lacks a strong punch.

Although there isn’t much scope for music, songs Dilli Dilli and Aitbaar manage to fit well in the plot and have a lasting impact. Music director Amit Trivedi once again does well.

Both Vidya Balan and Rani Mukherjee give one of their career best performances. Vidya portrays the helplessness of Sabrina Lall with utmost maturity. The way she struggles and moves from pillar to post is sure to move everyone.

On the other hand, Rani is impeccable in a never-seen-before avatar of a foul-mouthed bindaas journo. This performance of hers deserves thumbs up and will surely be talked about forever. Although Myra Karn doesn’t have a full fledged role, she impresses in her debut and shows a lot of confidence.

Debutant Mohammed Zeeshan Ayub does very well in the difficult role of the culprit. Neil Bhoopalam, another debutant, also impresses. The film also contains first rate performances from the supporting cast.

No One Killed Jessica has a strong chance of having a Rang De Basanti effect on the masses. It will rely strongly on word-of-mouth and would succeed if that happens.

Tees Maar Khan Review

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Tees Maar Khan Movie Review

Rating: * *

Cast: Akshay Kumar, Katrina Kaif, Akshaye Khanna, Raghu Ram, Rajiv Laxman, Ali Asgar

Director: Farah Khan

Music: Vishal-Shekhar, Shirish Kunder

Producers: Hari Om Productions, Three’s Company, UTV Motion Pictures

 

After Main Hoon Na and Om Shanti Om, director Farah Khan is back with another masala entertainer in the form of Tees Maar Khan and that too at a time when only such genre is clicking with the audience as well as the box-office. Plus, the promos promised lots of entertainment and dhamaal in Tees Maar Khan especially the track and video of Sheila Ki Jawani. But unfortunately the promise isn’t fulfilled because of a story and situations that are too unconvincing to digest.

Tabrez Mirza Khan aka Tees Maar Khan (Akshay Kumar) is an expert conman who always manages to free himself from the police authorities if he is caught. One day he gets to lay his hands on the biggest heist of his life by helping twin conmen Johri Brothers (Raghu Ram and Rajiv Laxman) recover their loot from the police. TMK hatches a plan by involving an Oscar-hungry superstar Aatish Kapoor (Akshaye Khanna) in their mission and by also fooling the whole of Dhulia village.

Farah Khan tries very hard to make TMK a non-stop entertainer but the screenplay handicaps her. The first half appears interesting though when TMK is introduced and his con acts displayed. This portion also produces some good funny moments. However, the build up to the robbery (second half), the actual robbery and its consequences just fail to impress or amuse. In fact, the goings appears quite idiotic at times courtesy of too much mindlessness and some non-funny humour. And on top of that, a weak and forced ‘happy ending’ make matters worse.

Vishal-Shekhar and Shirish Kunder’s music relies heavily on Sheila Ki Jawani as the rest of the songs fall just in the average territory. Cinematography is good while the background score plays too much of the title song.

TMK rests on Akshay Kumar’s shoulders and he carries the responsibility with an aura. However, too much of self-boasting and loudness hampers his performance a bit. Akshaye Khanna on the other hand plays a crazy character superbly. He is truly likeable in a never-seen-before avatar. Apart from shaking her leg on Sheila Ki Jawani, Katrina Kaif purely irritates!

Ali Asgar and Akshay’s other two comrades suit perfectly in their roles. Murli Sharma and Aman Verma display good comical acts and so do Sachin Khedekar and Vijay Patkar. Raghu Ram and Rajiv Laxman are average while rest of the characters including Apara Mehta and Arya Babbar give good support.

All in all, Tees Maar Khan is far away from Farah Khan’s earlier two attempts. Because of the huge hype and publicity, the film will surely earn profit at the box-office in the first week. But the collections will be doubtful after that.

Khelein Hum Jee Jaan Sey Review

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Rating: * * *

Cast: Abhishek Bachchan, Deepika Padukone, Sikander Kher, Vishakha Singh

Director: Ashutosh Gowariker

Music: Sohail Sen

Producers: Ashutosh Gowariker Productions, PVR Pictures

Films based on the freedom movement have been a regular feature in Bollywood.  Right from the black and white era (Shaheed, Anand Math, Haqeeqat) to the current decade (23rd March 1931 Shaheed, Legend Of Bhagat Singh, Mangal Pandey-The Rising) a number of films on the freedom struggle have hit the screen. Because of this very reason, Ashutosh Gowariker’s Khelein Hum Jee Jaan Sey becomes just a one-time-watch affair as it lacks the true patriotic fever like the number of patriotic films of the past.

The biggest achievement of KHJJS is that it tells the tale which is never told before in Indian cinema – the Chittagong (Chattogram) Uprising, a chapter lost in history. Surjya Sen aka Surjyo Da aka Master Da (Abhishek Bachchan) leads a group of revolutionaries to attack various British establishments in Chittagong. Kalpana Dutta (Deepika Padukone), Pritilata (Vishakha Singh) and a group of teenagers join hands with Surjya in his mission.

Gowariker once again shows that he is one of the masters of period dramas in Bollywood as he takes care of every minute detail while presenting Manini Chatterjee’s novel Do And Die on celluloid. He succeeds in creating the intenseness and at the same time getting top notch performances from every actor. However, he is hampered by a lengthy screenplay.

Art director Nitin Desai deserves plenty of applause for recreating the 1930s era with utmost perfection. He is aptly supported by Kiran Deohans’ artistic cinematography.

Although not one of his best performances, Abhishek Bachchan excels in the role of an unruffled and serious revolutionary Surjya Sen. He suits very well as the leader of the revolutionaries. Deepika Padukone plays the challenging role of Kalpana Dutta with maturity. She shows she can do well in serious de-glam roles as well. Sikander Kher leaves an impact mostly in the second half.

Samrat, Maninder and Firoz Wahid Khan make their presence felt with heroic and heart-warming performances. However, it’s the group of teenagers that move you by their determining and courageous efforts. In their acts, they don’t appear like teenagers at all.

Because of the minus points mentioned above, Khelein Hum Jee Jaan Sey falls short of becoming an extra-ordinary effort although it deserves a watch because of the efforts taken to tell a story which is lost in history. At the box office, the film will struggle to succeed.

Rakht Charita-II (Part 2) Review

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Rakht Charitra-II Review

Rating: * * * ½

Cast: Vivek Oberoi, Suriya, Shatrughan Sinha, Priyamani, Madhura Apte

Director: Ram Gopal Varma

Music: Dharam Sandeep, Kohinoor Mukherji, Imran, Vikram, Sukhwinder Singh, Amar Desai

Producers: Vistaar Religare Film Fund, Cinergy

Rakht Charitra-I, the first part of the biopic on the life of the late Andhra leader Paritala Ravi, ended in way that built excitement and eagerness for its second part. And after watching the second part, one can conclude that the wait and eagerness for it was worth enough. In fact, Rakht Charitra –II is more dramatic and interesting than the first part and even the level of violence is a bit less.

In the end of the first part, Pratap Ravi (Vivek Oberoi) becomes a successful politician and ends gundagardi (hooliganism) in the state. The part 2 begins when Surya (Suryanarayan Reddy aka Suriya) tries to kill Pratap as he believes Pratap is responsible for the death of his family. From here on, an explosive game of cat and mouse erupts between Pratap and Suriya which also takes a huge political angle leading on to an earth shattering climax.

The first 30 minutes of the movie show an edited version of the first part. This will certainly help those who haven’t seen part one but it gets tedious and boring for those who have seen. Hence, that recap portion should have been shortened.

Director Ram Gopal Varma presents the story in the same interesting manner as in the first part. His passion for this subject can be felt throughout. Unusual and creative camera angles, use of explosive background score and songs and a fast, unpredictable and dramatic narrative (screenplay) make the proceedings enjoyable and interesting. The witty dialogues are another plus point. The movie ends promoting a message of non-violence.

Vivek Oberoi continues from where he left in the first part. He shows the same maturity and maintains a high standard throughout. But, it is the southern superstar Suriya who takes the movie by a storm by an astonishing performance in his Bollywood debut. He literally sets the screen afire while showing vengeance. At the same time, he excels in the scenes where he needs to underplay his character. He surely deserves more films in Bollywood.

Priyamani and Madhura Apte play their part very well. Shatrughan Sinha doesn’t get much footage in the second part although he continues his good act from the first part. The rest of the supporting cast and side actors provide excellent support.

Because of the nature of the subject, the film will find it tough to succeed at the box-office. It relies largely on word-of-mouth. However, it should do well in single screens.

Guzaarish Movie Review

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Director: Sanjay Leela Bhansali

Screenplay: Sanjay Leela Bhansali and Bhavani Iyer

Cast: Hrithik Roshan, Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, Aditya Roy Kapur, Shernaz Patel

Music: Sanjay Leela Bhansali

Producer: SLB Films and UTV Motion Pictures

Rating: * * ½

 

Guzaarish For More Impact?

The debate about euthanasia or mercy-killing in India is not a new one. Sanjay Leela Bhansali takes a bold stand by highlighting the importance of mercy-killing (euthanasia) in his latest venture Guzaarish. However, because of the slow pace and the overuse of artistic methods in narrating a simple tale, the film caters only for the classes and not for average moviegoers. Plus, the script leaves few questions unanswered.

Ethan Masceranhas (Hrithik Roshan) was once a world famous magician who became paraplegic after suffering a near-fatal accident. Today, since fourteen years, Ethan is living in a miserable paraplegic condition. Although he is a cheerful lad who motivates others, through his radio show, to live life to the fullest, he files a petition for his own mercy-killing as he feels he has had enough of this paralytic life. But will he succeed in challenging the law which doesn’t allow a thing like euthanasia?

Bhansali executes some creatively touchy moments surrounding the central character but his and Bhavani Iyer’s screenplay strives too much to make a visual treat out of the subject. Although the art looks brilliant, it gives rise to a number of scenes that stretch the movie. Hence, the going becomes unfocussed and tedious which tests audiences’ patience.

Bhansali makes his debut as a music director with this film but apart from the song Udi, there isn’t much in the music department to talk about. Visually stunning cinematography and an apt background score act as big saving graces.

Hrithik Roshan deserves applause for agreeing to play a paraplegic character and essaying it in a manner that will move the audience. Easily one of his finest works till date. Aishwarya Rai Bachchan too displays her talents in a delightful manner by playing Hrithik’s nurse. But in spite of Hrithik and Aishwarya’s presence, Aditya Roy Kapur impresses with a lovable act. He is surely a lookout for the future. The rest of the cast also chips in with good performances.

Despite a big starcast, a well-known director and a number of heart-touching moments, the film will have a moderate run at the box-office because of the reasons already mentioned. Will only attract urban multiplex audience.

Rakht Charitra (Part 1) Review

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Bloody Affair!

Ratings – * * * ½

A man is murdered in the most gruesome of manners right in front of Mahatma Gandhi’s statue. This first scene from Ram Gopal Varma’s Rakht Charitra (Part 1) makes it clear as to what to expect in the biopic on the late Andhra Pradesh leader Paritala Ravi. In fact, as the film progresses one will have no doubt that this is the most violent film ever made in the history of Indian cinema.

In spite of that, Varma’s biopic is a powerful and hard hitting saga of revenge and power which, if you are able to excuse the violence, is also highly enjoyable because of the style of narration and top notch performances right from the lead actor to the support cast to the extras.

Pratap Ravi (Vivek Oberoi) returns to his village in Andhra Pradesh after his father (Rajendra Gupta) and brother (Sushant Singh) are killed by their own political party member after a conspiracy by the left hand of a party leader Nagamani Reddy (Srinivasa Rao Kota). Hence, a soft-hearted and non-violent person like Pratap is forced into the gruesome world of revenge.

From here on, it was no turning back for Pratap as he becomes the most feared person in the state by everyone but Reddy’s son Bhukka (Abhimanyu Singh), a devilish creature who is hell bent in settling scores with Pratap. During this time, Pratap gets an offer to enter politics from a filmstar turned political leader N T Rama Rao (Shatrughan Sinha).

Rakht Charitra is easily Varma’s better made films till date. He executes some out-of-the-box scenes, makes his actors deliver brilliant performances and most importantly makes sure that the focus and thrill doesn’t diminish even for a second.

Varma is highly blessed with a watertight screenplay, which not only keeps the audience hooked to the screen but also narrates the tale while giving enough importance to the numerous characters. In addition, some powerful and impactful dialogues and unusual camera angles (so typical of RGV) create further impact. However, the background score deserves special mention which creatively gels with different types of scenes making the viewing more interesting.

Contrary to the subject, the film is rich in terms of music as well. Songs Khaul Khaul Ke and Sar Jo Uthega (both title songs) suit the mood of the film perfectly because of the lyrics and the powerful sound. The songs definitely have a repeat value.

The only drawback is the overuse or abuse of violence which could have been limited. People are killed in a manner never seen before on the Indian screen. In fact, some scenes (in the first half) might well twitch your belly muscles. This will clearly limit the film’s reach to a wider audience.

With Rakht Charitra, Vivek Oberoi proves he is one of the most talented young actors around. His portrayal of the central character forces one to applaud a magnificent effort that will surely increase his fan following. Easily one his best performances (if not the best).

If Vivek delights, Abhimanyu Singh shocks with a stellar act. In my personal opinion, I have never loved to hate a bad guy this much before. It is just unbelievable how a human can play a monster so effectively. As stated earlier, the rest of the supporting cast (Sushant Singh, Shatrughan Sinha, Srinivasa Rao Kota, Zarina Wahab, Ashwini Kalsekar, Radhika Apte, etc) aren’t behind either.

Despite a large number of plus points, the film will have a limited success at the box-office because of the subject and the overuse of violence. However, the way the film ends, it surely builds up excitement for its next part.

Aakrosh Movie Review

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Hard Hitting Tit-For-Tat Saga

Ratings – * * * 1/2

Director Priyadarshan is considered a specialist in rib-tickling comedies or light entertainers as the filmmaker has churned out a large number of such genre of movies successfully in the past decade viz; Hera Pheri, Hungama, Garam Masala, Malamaal Weekly, Chup Chup Ke, Bhagam Bhaag and De Dana Dan to name a few.

However, he opens an altogether new chapter with Aakrosh. Although the director has provided some hard-hitting sagas in the past both in Bollywood, but this is the first time he has tried his hand in serious issue-based drama and has made an action thriller out of it. So does he succeed in the new venture? The answer (according to me) is positive as the film succeeds in generating thrill, throwing light on the issue of caste differences and caste politics and in giving a message of equality.

The intenseness develops right from the start when three Delhi University students go missing in the village of Jhanjhar. An ex-army officer Pratap Kumar (Ajay Devgan) and CBI officer Siddhant Chaturvedi (Akshaye Khanna) are handed over the task to investigate the case of the missing students after it becomes a national issue. Soon, Pratap and Siddhant realize their helplessness in a lawless land governed by the hooligan inspector Ajatshatru Singh, his comrades and local politicians. How Pratap and Siddhant, both diagonally different from each other, handle the investigation amidst a hopeless situation forms the rest of the story.

The biggest plus point for Aakrosh is Robin Bhatt’s screenplay, which keeps the audience glued to the screen throughout. The action sequences add thrill and gel well with the goings. Even Bipasha Basu and Ajay’s love story fits well without disturbing the continuity or dislodging the hard-hitting nature of the film. Overall, it’s the screenplay and the dialogues (Aditya Dhar) that make Aakrosh what it is.

Despite a number of plus-points, the film appears dry (especially to the entertainment hungry audience) in some portions. Some heroic deeds in between and some more punch dialogues by the two male leads would have added more mazaa for the audience.

The subject of the movie makes Pritam’s music go unnoticed. Sameera Reddy’s item number Tere Ishak Se Meetha is noticeable but because of the situation.

Ajay Devgan once again proves why he is a master in portraying serious and intense roles. It’s a pleasure to keep your eyes on him whenever he appears although he doesn’t mouth too many dialogues and speaks more via expressions and eyes. A real treat for Ajay’s fans. Akshaye Khanna was required to underplay his character and he does that exceedingly well. Although he plays second fiddle to Ajay, he shows his class in a number of sequences.

After playing a comic guy in a number of Priyadarshan’s flicks, Paresh Rawal this time plays a hardcore, ruthless and corrupt police officer and does that with utmost perfection. One just loves to hate him in this role where he also keeps his comic avatar intact. Bipasha Basu and Reema Sen also do well in supporting roles. Amita Pathak acts well in a cameo.

This hard-hitting saga by Priyadarshan surely deserves a watch. However, the film’s box-office collections do not look healthy as is the case with almost all serious films these days (when will the audience come out of the hangover of mindless comedies and romantic films?). Hence, this well made effort relies on word-of-mouth to succeed at the box-office, which looks unlikely looking at the box-office records of films released in last year or two.

Peepli [Live] Movie Review

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Internationally Speaking…

Ratings: * * * *

Farmers’ suicide is a grave and disturbing issue that India is facing since past few years. Debutant director Anusha Rizvi’s Peepli [Live] takes the daredevil risk of presenting the subject in a dark-humorous or satirical manner without hurting the sensibility of the issue. But more importantly, Peepli [Live] highlights the fact that all it requires to make an appealing film is a simple yet powerful script instead of the big stars and the so-called commercial factors.

In the village of Peepli in the state of Mukhya Pradesh, brothers (farmers) Budhia (Raghuvir Yadav) and Natha (Omkar Das Manikpuri) are in danger of losing their land because of debt. When they plead an insensitive local politician for help, he suggests one of them should commit suicide in order to receive Rs 1 lakh as compensation from the government.

After some debate with Budhia, Natha suggests he would commit suicide. Unfortunately for Natha, he is overheard by a journalist. This was enough for the whole national media to throng into Peepli to cover Natha’s suicide, which becomes a burning national issue. The political parties too jump in to garner personal gains out of Natha’s suicide. But will Natha really end his life?

This is one of those very few films which make you think about the director while the proceedings are going on, on the celluloid. Anusha Rizvi has achieved mastery for handling such a subject and a large bunch of different and unusual characters in her very first movie. Producer Aamir Khan’s view before the release of the film that Rizvi can give most of the well-known directors a run for their money wasn’t an overstatement at all.

That’s not all for Rizvi. As the writer, she has succeeded in writing a moving tale which is also funny and has created some out-of-the-box artistic scenes while keeping the entertainment quotient in mind. There are plenty of rib-tickling moments out of which some are also thought-provoking. And a particular scene where the viewer is taken on a journey from a village to the city sums up the quality of this piece of cinema.

The film is also blessed with an apt background score and artistic cinematography. Songs Desh Mera and Mehangayi Daayan suit the mood of the film as well as provide the fun element.

It is very vital for such a film to be high on performance value and thankfully that is absolutely the case with Peepli [Live]. Debutant Omkar Das Manikpuri (a folk theatre artist) plays the role of the protagonist with utmost ease as he speaks more through eyes and expressions instead of words and does it with remarkable maturity. Truly a wonderful find! Raghuvir Yadav once again proves why he is one of the most accomplished actors the country has ever seen.

The nagging saas-bahu duo played by Farrukh Jaffer and Shalini Vatsa is enjoyable. However, the surprise element comes from top-notch performances of Malaika Shenoy (senior journalist) and Nawazuddin Siddiqui (journalist). These two deserve many more opportunities. The rest of the cast (lots of them) play their part perfectly.

It is films like Peepli [Live] that can take Bollywood or Hindi films to the international level and improve the quality of cinema, which has started to degrade in recent times. Box-office wise, the film will enjoy great returns largely because of the name Aamir Khan attached with it and the strong word-of-mouth it is receiving.

Review of Once Upon A Time In Mumbaai

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Company Remade?

Ratings: * * *

Films on underworld have been a regular feature in Bollywood right from the time of Shiva, then moving on to Satya, Vaastav and Company till the recent ones like Gangster and Shootout At Lokhandwala to name a few. Because of the success and popularity of these films, Milan Luthria’s Once Upon A Time In Mumbaai turns out to be one of those ‘been-there-seen-that’ sagas despite some intelligent direction and sleek presentation.

To make matters worse, the culmination of the story is fearfully similar to Ram Gopal Varma’s Company. Plus, as the word has spread that the film is based on Haji Mastan and Dawood Ibrahim’s friendship and rivalry, the story becomes predictable for most of us.

Perhaps the only novel thing offered here is the exploration of the underworld in Mumbai during the 70s, an area which is hardly explored in Bollywood. It is during this era that Sultan Mirza (Ajay Devgan or Devgn) ruled over Mumbai. Although a smuggler by profession, Sultan is a messiah for the poor and underprivileged. As his ruthlessness never hurts an innocent, he enjoys a Godly status in Bombay (then called). Then there’s Shoaib (Emraan Hashmi) who has been a notorious goon since early childhood. Fate brings Shoaib and Sultan together. What happens next forms the rest of the story and the history of Mumbai.

Luthria’s presentation of Mumbai in the yesteryears is the biggest plus point. The director also makes his mark felt in a number of praiseworthy and stylized scenes especially during the climax, which is wonderfully shot.

Things would have looked better if Luthria was blessed with a powerfully punched story and screenplay (Rajat Arora). There aren’t many punches or kicks during the first half while the film gains momentum only during the pre-climax portions. Although the dialogues are witty and intelligent, they tend to become a bit too philosophical particularly the lines given to Randeep Hooda.

Contrary to most of the gangster movies, OUATIM scores in the music department (Pritam) with tracks Pee Loon and Tum Jo Aaye standing out. Aseem Mishra’s cinematography jells well with the mood of the flick.

Ajay Devgan to Once Upon A Time In Mumbai is what petrol is to a car. The actor gives one of his most powerful performances while portraying anger, sympathy, joy, ruthlessness, sadness and power with utmost ease. A sheer delight! However, his act doesn’t overshadow Emraan Hashmi’s baddie act that he enacts perfectly. This actor is coming of age from a ‘serial kisser’ image.

Although there isn’t much to do for the ladies, Kangna Ranaut and Prachi Desai manage to fit well in their characters. Randeep Hooda in the role of the ACP is quite good.

One won’t be disappointed with if he/she isn’t expecting newness from Once Upon A Time In Mumbaai. Definitely worth a watch if you are looking for an interesting modernly crafted flick with lots of style and a powerful background score. The good opening, especially in the single screens, will make sure the film enjoys good returns in the first two weeks.

Traditional Blindness!

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The more views this post of mine gets, the more are the chances of me facing the wrath especially from the likes of Sooraj Barjatya, Ekta Kapoor and their followers. Contradictory to your thoughts, I am not thrashing the genre of movies and serials they produce (that will require me to write a book than a mere blog post). The thing which I am going to express has been going in my mind since years. Finally, I have found time to explode this thing onto my blog, without giving a damn to the criticisms and gaalis!

Before starting off, I would like to make myself clear that I have deep respect for Indian culture and traditions. However, there are some beliefs and practices which appear to me as plain stupid or illogical. I am not one of those huge majority of Indians, who unquestionably and blindly follow some beliefs despite being aware of its absurdity. So, here’s the list of those practices or beliefs which I find trashy: –

  • Husband-Worship: A husband and a wife are considered life partners. They are two people who have decided to stay together since they love each other (in most of the cases I suppose). If this is the case, then why the hell is the wife expected to give a Godly status to her husband? Why does the society make the husband look superior to his wife by promoting beliefs like Pati parmeshwar hota hai and Patni ki jagah pati ke charanon mein hoti hain? The man is not doing any ehsaan on the girl or her family by marrying her. After all, isn’t he in need of a wife just like the girl is in need of a husband?
  • Right-Hand Theory: Innumerable times during my childhood I was ordered not to use my left hand while accepting prashaad or money. Yes, I know the left hand is used for some ‘other’ thing but don’t we wash our hands or take a bath after that activity? So what’s the big deal in using that hand? It’s just a part of our body yaar! And if the hand is considered so inauspicious, don’t use it for any purpose and just keep it reserved for ‘that’ activity. If discrimination amongst people on the basis of religion, region or caste isn’t enough, we also have discrimination between our body parts!
  • Karvachauth Hangover: After following innumerable number of movies and serials, these wives keep Karvachauth Ka Vrat for the long life of their husbands. But the big question remains – why only the wife prays for her husband’s long life and why not vice versa? And by the way, how can anyone be a fool enough to believe that such a thing actually increases someone’s life span? What biological changes does the body experience that increases the life expectancy due to this bloody vrat?
  • A Curse in Disguise: It is annoying to see phrases like ‘Sada Suhagan Raho’ and ‘Akhand Saubhagyawati’ being considered as the most auspicious of blessings. It is indirectly telling the girl, “Bhagwan kare tere pati ke pehle tu mare!” How can you hope or wish for someone’s death? Or do these people still believe that a woman won’t be able to live alone even in today’s era? You talk of women’s liberation but at the same time keep promoting such curses. Why not a single pro-women group has ever raised its voice against such a ghastly gender bias?

Today, modernism is only limited to clothes, appearance and way of speaking while the thinking continues to remain backwards courtesy these beliefs. Our society will be truly modern only when logic and equality will rule every institution and phenomenon. Until that time – Andhera Kaayam Rahen!