Circa March 2020. The trailer of Rohit Shetty’s Sooryavanshi promised an out-and-out cop entertainer. The film was set to release later that month. In the following month, Kabir Khan’s keenly-awaited 83 was due for release. The makers were getting ready with its teaser and trailer. Hindi film fans felt they are in for a treat.
However, a villain in the form of COVID-19 attacked India and theatres were shut for an indefinite period. Both Sooryavanshi and 83 were forced to abandon their releases and wait for the menace to end in India.
Today, after one and a half years, there is still no clarity on the release of both films.
Theatres did re-open at the end of last year which saw the release of few new Hindi films like Suraj Pe Mangal Bhari, Indoo Ki Jawani, Madam Chief Minister, etc. Although only 50% occupancy was allowed, it was still good news to see cinemas back. There was hope for the occupancy to increase in the coming months.
In January and February this year, few other films released and it felt the occupancy would increase soon. However, the second COVID-19 wave hit the nation and it turned out to be deadlier than the first one. Needless to say, theatres were shut again from April onwards and there was lockdown once again in the country.
Just when it felt Sooryavanshi and 83 would finally see the light of day, things became worse again. For those not in the know, both the films are produced by Reliance Entertainment. The former stars Akshay Kumar in the lead while the latter has Ranveer Singh.
Theatres have been re-opened in various major states in India recently. But Maharashtra, the biggest hub of Hindi cinema, still has its cinemas shut. So, you can’t expect too many big films to release in such situation. Of course, mainstream movies like Bell Bottom and Chehre did release recently. But their business hasn’t been encouraging.
In fact, even if they had released in Maharashtra, it still wouldn’t have made any difference to their box office performance. Somehow, not many people from the Hindi film audience are turning up for these films. Right now, only 50% occupancy is allowed in theatres. But both new films have not attracted even that much audience per show.
It won’t be right to say that people are scared to visit theatres due to the COVID-19 due to various reasons. The biggest being that new Punjabi movies Puaada and Chal Mera Putt 2 have been doing impressive business. The same happened with the Tamil movie Master earlier this year, not just in south but also in places like Mumbai. Plus, people are happy to gather in large numbers at markets and devotional places.
Hence, going by the current Hindi film performance at the box office, it doesn’t look the producers of Sooryavanshi and 83 would be willing to release their films now, even if theatres open up in Mumbai.
One important point here is that both the films are big budgeted and would need to earn huge at the box office in order to become successful. And to achieve that, they would need shows to go full even at 100% capacity.
We should also realize that both films have been in the waiting since a year and a half. This also increases the film’s cost because it increases the interest rate they would need to repay the banks. Naturally, in one and a half years, the rates would have gone significantly high.
Unfortunately, the threat of the third COVID-19 wave is also looming large as various experts have predicted its arrival later this year. So this raises a question whether it would be right for both films to wait for few months from now on.
Before the start of any world tournament, be it the 50 over World Cup, T20 World Cup or ICC Champions trophy, discussions start making rounds on social media on whether South Africa will win its ‘first ever’ world title this time. The same is the case with the arrival of the upcoming T20 World Cup 2021.
There is nothing wrong in having this discussion, except to believe that South Africa has never won a world title. The Proteas have won not one but two world titles already. And a lot of us seem to have forgotten that. It is widely believed that the team has never even reached the final of any world tournament, which is so wrong.
The first ICC Champions Trophy started off in 1998 in Dhaka, Bangladesh. It was also called the ‘Mini World Cup’ or ‘ICC Knock Out’ back then. It followed the format of eight teams participating in quarterfinal stage at the start. The four winners would play the semi-final and the last two the finals.
Photos courtesy: Cricketcountry.com and Olympics.com
South Africa met the West Indies in the final, which was touted to be an exciting contest and this is exactly what it turned out to be. West Indian opener Philo Wallace, who was a star back then, scored 103 off just 102 balls. It looked like they would easily cross the 300 mark but Jacques Kallis’s 5 for 30 ensured that they got all out for just 245 in the last over.
In reply, South African openers Daryll Cullinan and Mike Rindel started well and put on 54 runs. But they kept losing wickets and were reduced to 137 for 5 at one stage. But their late captain Hansie Cronje was going strong. He scored 61 off 77 balls under pressure and had two useful partnerships with Dale Benkenstein (27 off 40) and Derek Crooks (24* off 21) to see his side home by four wickets.
Highlights of the 1998 ICC Knockout Final
This was the first time South Africa lifted a world title. But this achievement is still somewhat remembered by the cricketing world but the other one isn’t.
Cricket was introduced for the first time in the 1998 Commonwealth Games (CWG). It saw the participation of 16 countries, which is much more than what we see in any World Cup. It had West Indian islands Jamaica, Antigua-Barbuda and Barbados participate separately. It also saw the participating of non-regular teams like Canada and Northern Ireland.
Of all the test-playing countries, only South Africa, Australia, New Zealand and Zimbabwe fielded their strongest teams. During the same time, India also had to participate in the Sahara Cup, the bilateral series against Pakistan that used to take place Toronto, Canada. Hence, they split their main team into two and sent two teams each for the Commonwealth Games and Sahara Cup. Pakistan sent a second string team.
Shaun Pollock’s spell in the final against Australia in the CWG 1998. There is no video of the highlights of the game. This one was posted just two months back
The two best teams of the CWG, South Africa and Australia, reached the finals. The Aussies batted first and were bundled out for just 183. Shaun Pollock was the star as he picked up 4 for 19. While chasing, Andrew Hudson (36 off 39), Rindel (67 off 106) and Kallis (44 off 96) helped South Africa win the final in a comprehensive way by four wickets. They were without the services of Cronje in this series.
CWC matches didn’t have the stamp of the ICC (International Cricket Council). But it was still a world tournament nevertheless and the matches were played in all seriousness.
Interestingly, South Africa won two world titles not just in the same year but also in a span of less than a month and a half (CWC final: September 19, ICC KO final: November 1).
Those were the days when South Africa was the best team in the world, at least in ODIs. At the end of the previous year (1997), they had also won the quadrangular tournament in Pakistan. Once again, they won the final while chasing.
Kisan Baburao Hazare aka Anna Hazare started his non-violent fight for the implementation of the Jan Lokpal Bill in April 2011. But his movement gained tremendous momentum only on 15 August 2011 when he sat meditating at the Gandhi Smarak at Delhi. He announced fast unto death from the next day onwards if the bill isn’t passed with the points included by him and his NGO India Against Corruption.
People got attracted to the sight of Anna meditating and started joining him. It had a similar effect on me as I was watching it on TV. I vividly remember a young man telling a news channel reporter, “This is the first time in my life that I am feeling patriotic.” These scenes instantly had an effect on me.
Anna Hazare at Raj Ghat on 15 August 2011
From the next day onwards, rallies and agitations started taking place in Mumbai through IAC’s city wing. I didn’t even feel the need to think before becoming a part of it. All these years, I was eager to do something for the country but didn’t know how. This movement finally became an answer.
We were determined to bring the Jan Lokpal Bill in practice. I had gone through it and I was convinced it would help eradicate corruption. Deep inside, I was wondering how, when and whether it would be implemented. But I repressed these thoughts back then and was pretty successful at that.
Arvind Kejriwal, Anna Hazare, Kiran Bedi and Swami Agnivesh during the 2011 andolan [Photo source: Annahazare.blogspot.com]
Similarly, I found thousands of youngsters with a similar patriotic zeal. They too always wanted to do something for India but never had the means. They finally got one. This was visible from the loud slogans hailing Mother India and Anna during the rallies. We walked and walked without any pain in various rallies.
The most memorable moment was the mega rally planned from Bandra station to Juhu Circle. The distance was long but I, like others, never felt that. On top of that, there were heavy rains but we kept marching on without umbrella or any cover.
The mega rally from Bandra to Juhu
People around me and on social media claimed that we are lucky to have got a chance to take part in something similar to India’s freedom movement and I believed them instantly. I always felt I should have been born before India got independence so that I could have taken part in the freedom movement. This dream was getting fulfilled in 2011.
Another memorable incident was the protest outside MP Priya Dutt’s house at Pali Hill, Bandra. Even four police vans and a large number of cops called in for a small group of non-violent protesters didn’t scare me even a bit. Under normal circumstances, I would have been frightened.
Outside Priya Dutt’s residence in August 2011
In the meanwhile, we were also keeping an eye on the happenings in Delhi where Anna was on hunger strike. Apart from having grave concern for Anna’s health, we were rejoicing at popular celebrities like Aamir Khan, Rajkumar Hirani and Sonu Nigam showing open support for Anna.
Finally, after days of extreme protests, the central government agreed to the demands (at least, this is what was told to us) of Anna and IAC. He was finally going to end his fast.
The moment when Anna did that by having lemon juice through the hands of two little girls was a moment of triumph. The IAC organizers literally spelt out the names of the communities the two girls belonged to – Dalit and Muslim – but I was too naive to understand the politics behind it.
Anna Hazare breaking fast
After we were told that the government has accepted the demands of the IAC for the Jan Lokpal Bill, we returned to our normal lives. But later on, it was said that the government has taken a U-turn and Anna will be sitting on fast yet again in December. The location chosen was Mumbai and my joy new no bounds.
The agitation that started on 27 December 2011 couldn’t achieve much. Not many people turned up at the venue at BKC, Bandra. Finally, Arvind Kejriwal, one of the main members from Anna’s core team, decided to enter active politics and the agitation was called off. Anna stayed far away from this plan as he didn’t believe in becoming a politician.
This was probably the end of the struggle for the implementation of the Jan Lokpal Bill. After doing some protest against the arrest of cartoonist Aseem Trivedi in 2012, Kejriwal went onto start Aam Aadmi Party (AAP). His party has fought three elections in Delhi out of which they won two with miraculous numbers.
Kejriwal might be a better CM than few others in India. But he or anyone from his party are not even uttering the term ‘Jan Lokpal Bill’, leave alone doing anything to implement it. He became the CM for the first time in 2013 by targeting the then CM Sheila Dixit. He had vowed to initiate action against her in corruption cases in 2013 but that too didn’t happen [she passed away in 2019].
Of all the people from Anna’s core committee, Kejriwal has benefitted the most. Their other core member and ex celebrated cop Kiran Bedi too benefitted in some way. She tried her hand in politics by contesting for BJP in 2015 Delhi elections but lost by a large margin. But she was later made the Lieutenant Governor of Puducherry.
Kiran Bedi, Arvind Kejriwal and Anna Hazare during the 2012 andolan
Looking at the larger picture, it seems that the aim of the whole movement was to bring BJP in power in India. I also realized that a lot of people had taken part in the movement just because they wanted BJP in power. And it worked out so well for them!
I also found news reports about Right Wing groups being in charge at Delhi’s Ramlila Maidan when Anna was on fast. This was also a major indication.
The scenario in India is completely different after a decade. Earlier, corruption was the villain. Now there is an addition of rampant hatred for anyone who doesn’t believe in the problematic ideologies of supporters of one political party. They want us to believe that things have become so much better and if you don’t agree with them, you become an anti-national.
Around 10 years ago, our motto was to make India great. Today, after 10 years, we are just hoping and praying that things shouldn’t, at least, become worse than what they are right now.
Takeaways:
I have no hesitation in accepting that the whole Anna Hazare movement has yielded nothing good and has, in fact, made things worse. Like me, I know others who feel that they have been played with.
During the 2011 agitation at Azad Maidan, Mumbai
But at the same time, I can’t deny that I gained interest in politics or in the current affairs of the country only because of this movement. Before that, I didn’t know the difference between MP and MLA. So, at the most, it has helped me at a personal level; not that this is a major achievement though.
Like many others, I too feel bad to see Anna not even speaking up [I really don’t want him to fast or do something like that] against the wrongdoings of the current government or people who are a part of it. It’s clear that he was concerned for the country only pre-2014.
Anna has always been a practitioner of Gandhi’s non-violent ideology but he doesn’t find it necessary to at least speak up against the violent events and speeches that have taken place in recent years against innocents.
There have been few instances in recent years where Anna has announced to go onto a hunger strike against the current government, mostly for the welfare of farmers. But it always ended soon or didn’t begin at all after he got some assurance from someone from the ruling party.
Today, I am not a supporter of Anna. But maybe because of his achievements at Ralegan Siddhi and his various other contributions to the society, it’s difficult for me to hate him.
Sanjay Manjrekar was known as an effective middle-order batsman for Mumbai and India during his playing days. He continued the legacy of his father Vijay Manjrekar, a popular batsman of his era. After retirement S Manjrekar is known for his work behind the microphone as a commentator.
But in between these two roles, somewhere lies Manjrekar the singer. This might come as a surprise to people who started watching cricket after the cricketer retired but he is a pretty good singer.
I came to know about Manjrekar’s fondness and talent for music when he brought out a music album called Rest Day way back in 1996, the year I started following cricket.
Sanjay Manjrekar and Rahul Dravid [Photos courtesy: Newsbyminute.com and Asianlite.com]
The album contained favourite Hindi songs of Manjrekar’s teammates sung in his own voice.
Here’s what he sang for which cricketer:
Mohammad Azharuddin – Oh Re Taal Mile Nadi Ke Jal Mein from Anokhi Raat (1968)
Sachin Tendulkar – Main Zindagi Ka Saath Nibhta Chala Gaya from Hum Dono (1961)
Anil Kumble – Chalte Chalte Mere Yeh Geet Yaad Rakhna from Chalte Chalte (1976)
Javaga Srinath – Ruk Jana Nahin Tu Kabhi Haar Ke from Imtihan (1974)
Manjrekar also went onto sing ‘Raat Kali Ek Khwab Mein Aai’ [Buddha Mil Gaya 1971], ‘Pal Pal Dil Ke Paas’ [Blackmail, 1973] and ‘Barson Hue hain Dil Mein’ [ghazal].
Listen to the album above
But there was a surprise package too. Vinod Kambli, who was known for his aggressive batting, also showed the singer inside him and sang ‘Tumse Achha Kaun Hai’ [title song, 1969] and an original track ‘Hum Kasam Khayenge’ along with Manjrekar and Arvinder Singh.
As I kid, I was ecstatic to see our cricketers trying their hand [rather, throat] at singing. The trailer of this album used to appear on TV almost daily and I used to watch it with wonder and excitement.
I still remember Manjrekar had impressed me with his singing. Mind you, it was an era where auto-tuning a person’s voice was hardly or never practiced.
Manjrekar showed his singing talent again later on in the same year [I guess]. It was the cricketers’ special of Zee TV’s musical game show Antakshari. He was paired with Rahul Dravid; Sourav Ganguly with Nayan Mongia; Sunil Joshi with Salil Ankola and Eknath Solkar with Madan Lal.
Manjrekar ruled the show with his singing and overshadowed Dravid. And it seemed like Dravid didn’t have any problem with that.
And as I am writing this, I realized a good soul has uploaded the entire cricketer’s special Antakshari video on YouTube just less than a year ago. See below:
Over the past several days, torrential rains have created havoc in various parts of Maharashtra. There have been floods in a number of regions in Ratnagiri and Raigad districts of Konkan being the worst affected.
The floods have killed over 200 people as of now, left several others missing and rendered lakhs of people homeless; struggling even for the basic necessities of life.
In such a situation, it is extremely necessary for the people of India to come forward and share a helping hand to our fellow citizens who have been punished for no fault of theirs.
It won’t take much effort on our part to make some donation for the people severely struggling to survive. The donation can be made in terms of money as well as necessary items of daily living in the form of packaged good, good clothes, items of hygiene [Dettol, phynoil, soaps, oil, etc].
An Indian Army personnel rescuing a woman from a flood-affected area [Photo source: DD News on Twitter]
Khana Chahiye is a genuine NGO through which you can make donations. I can personally vouch for them as I have been observing their work. I also personally know the person, Advocate Rakesh Singh, who started the NGO in last March to provide meals to the hungry and homeless during the first COVID-19 lockdown.
Till now, they have provided close to 65 lakh free meals and over 61 thousand grocery kits to the needy. It started off by providing meals to people of a certain area in north Mumbai but it started growing in no time with more and more volunteers joining them.
Khana Chahiye has now extended its services for the flood-affected regions of Maharashtra.
To donate, please send an email on contact@khaanachahiye.com or a What’s App text on 7669800470.
Similarly, Khushiyaan Foundation, another NGO, is also collecting donations in the form of money and other essential items mentioned above. You can call or message them on 8828494926 and 7666657964.
Taking a hattrick is one of the most jubilant days for any bowler in any format against any team at any level. It also brings the bowler instant fame. That’s what happened recently with South Africa’s Keshav Maharaj taking a hattrick against the West Indies in a test match.
But there are some very few exceptions. A case in question is that of Australia’s Anthony Stuart. He just vanished from the scene after taking a hattrick.
Born in 1970 Newcastle, New South Wales, Stuart made his ODI debut against the West Indies in the ending stages of the Carlton & United triangular series on 5 January 1997. It was a high-scoring match that Australia lost but Stuart took 2 wickets on debut, including the one of the great Brian Lara.
His third match, which was against Pakistan at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG), turned out to be a dream-come-true. With Australia bowling first, Stuart picked up Aamer Sohail and Zahoor Elahi at the start. But the best was yet to come.
Anthony Stuart [Photo courtesy: Twitter]
In the same spell, he got Ijaz Ahmed caught behind by wicket-keeper Ian Healy for 1. On the very next ball, he got Mohammad Wasim out in the same fashion. He bowled a classic outswinger that got rid of the courageous Moin Khan caught at first slip.
Stuart took a hattrick in just a third ODI of his career. As you can see from the video below, the young man was jubilant and unable to believe what just happened.
It was just the 12th hattrick in ODIs. Interestingly, less than 15 days prior to that, Zimbabwe’s Eddo Brandes had taken a hattrick against England. [See the list of all ODI hattricks by clicking HERE]
On a side note, although Pakistan finished at a low score of just 181 for 9, it turned out to be a close encounter with some fine bowling from Wasim Akram (4 for 25). Australia were reduced to 148 for 7 at one stage but Michael Bevan (79*), as per his old habit, got them home in the last over.
Click on ‘WATCH ON YOUTUBE’ to see the hattrick video
This was the last league match and Australia’s last in the tri series. They were already knocked out of the tournament with Pakistan and West Indies reaching the finals.
This meant that Australia played next in the test series on their tour to South Africa in March that year. However, Stuart got a blow as he wasn’t even included in the squad of 14 players.
One can understand his exclusion from the test side since he hadn’t played any tests. But he wasn’t even considered for the ODIs. On the other hand, Andy Bichel, who debuted with Stuart and played all the three matches he played, was taken in the squad.
Unfortunately for Stuart, he was never again selected even in the Australian squad, leave alone being part of the playing 11.
The hattrick match where he had glorious figures of 5 for 26 turned out to be the last match of his international career. His 12-day career saw him take a hattrick and a 5-wicket haul.
As per some articles online, Stuart went through a loss of form in the period after the triangular series. After not being called back again to play for the Aussies, he also lost a place in the domestic New South Wales team as well.
Over the last couple of years, shows on OTT platforms have become a rage in India. The shutting down of theatres from March 2020 onwards due to the COVID-19 pandemic is a major reason for that.
A large number of these OTT shows are crime thrillers or mystery dramas that have something related to crime. But even in such a scenario, Basu Chatterji’s crime detective show Byomkesh Bakshi continues to wow the audience on YouTube. The high number of views it keeps garnering is a proof of it.
For those not in the know, Byomkesh Bakshi was first aired in 1993 on Doordarshan. The show is based on the written works of author Sharadindu Bandyopadhyay. The stories revolve around the character of Byomkesh Bakshi, played by Rajit Kapur.
Bakshi is a detective but prefers to be called truth seeker [satya ki khoj karne wala]. His best friend-cum-assistant Ajit is played by KK Raina while Sukanya Kulkarni plays is wife Satyavati. Each episode starts with a crime and ends with Bakshi solving it. Few stories are divided in two episodes.
Rajit Kapur and KK Raina as Byomkesh Bakshi and Ajit respectively
There are various reasons why the show continues to be popular on the internet amidst thousands of new crime stories on OTT platforms from India and abroad.
Nostalgia: For those who have grown up in the 1990s, the very mention of Byomkesh Bakshi is enough to make them nostalgic and go back to the bygone era. The show reminds us of the times when we used to watch Doordarshan with the whole family. We have hundreds of TV channels today but they are no match to the national television of that era.
Simplicity: The stories explored in the show are based in the eras from 1930s to 60s. Hence, we get a glimpse of the simple times in Kolkata, all thanks to the production designer Jadab Bhattacharya. But apart from the setting, there was ample simplicity in the making of the show as well.
Despite dealing with an issue like crime, Chatterji stayed miles away from adding any sort of melodrama or forceful thrill through the background score. It was a show where the crime used to be introduced in a simple manner and the mystery used to be solved in the same way. This ensures that you don’t lose interest even if you predict the mystery at the start itself.
Characters: In a lot of shows and movies detectives being shown as heroes or someone with an unusual way of living. But the characters of Bakshi, Ajit, Satyavati and whole lot of others in this show were simple, common and everyday people. Hence, it was extremely easy to relate with them. Even after Bakshi solves a truly complicated case, he is never portrayed as a hero.
Performances: Rajit Kapur’s performance as Bakshi was the backbone of the show, apart from Chatterji’s handling. There are various moments where he cracks humour out of nowhere. Similarly, there is also an undercurrent of humour in his performance which is a hallmark of a great actor. Raina too gave perfect support to him and added the right amount of curiosity for the audience.
Title Music: As soon as you hear the title tune of Byomkesh Bakshi, your mind is sucked back into the era of the 1990s. Composer Ananda Shankar has added thrill in the score but not gone overboard by retaining the simplicity of the show.
Peace-inducing content: I am sure this point will come across as either surprising or weird. But this is my personal observation. There is something about this show that induces peace. Watching an episode of Byomkesh Bakshi fills me with calmness, though it’s a crime show.
When the show was re-run on Doorsharshan in 2013, my grandmother used to feel the same. She said on numerous occasions how shaant she felt after watching the show. She said she never felt this way while watching other crime shows like CID.
Watch Byomkesh Bakshi on YouTube by clicking HERE.
Two days back it looked like just another Saturday during the second COVID-19 wave until Aamir Khan shared the news of his divorce with Kiran Rao. It just suddenly triggered reactions on social media and What’s App as if lava erupted from a mountain. And it continues to be so ever after more than 48 hours of the announcement.
While Khan’s divorce even with his second wife [he had earlier divorced Reena Dutta from his first marriage] does come as a surprise, it is, after all, his personal matter and has no effect on the lives of the aam junta.
But as expected from the herd mentality of the Indian social media in today’s times, the toxic posts and memes are continuing to flow.
The following are the ways in which people have been reacting on the news of Aamir Khan’s second divorce:
Slander: Aamir has been criticized left, right and centre for the second divorce and his character has been questioned. These people don’t know Aamir personally at all and are completely unware about the reason why he took that decision. But he has been projected as a criminal.
You are not only interfering a person’s private life but also judging him without knowing an iota of detail. Certain things should be kept personal is something our country never understands.
Aamir Khan and Kiran Rao [Source: Twitter]
Record-breaker of sorts: People are expressing shock at the actor’s decision to divorce his second wife, as if they have never heard such a thing before and are looking at it like some sort of a record. Not knowing that in the entertainment industry itself people like Kabir Bedi and Karan Singh Grover have married thrice.
Love Jihad: Over the last few years, the reactions of the herd depend on the surname of a person and it’s not different this time around. One of the most toxic and dangerous term coined by the Right Wingers is ‘Love Jihad.’ They cry ‘Love Jihad’ whenever a Muslim man marries a Hindu woman.
Aamir has been accused of doing that twice because both his ex-wives are Hindus. No, he didn’t face any such slander when he married Kiran in 2005. That was a different era where people didn’t indulge in such mudslinging in personal matters.
The sexism in the ideas about ‘Love Jihad’ is for everyone to see. They get offended and infuriated only if the man is a Muslim and the girl is a Hindu. They have no problems if it’s reversed.
So, a Hindu Hrithik Roshan marrying a Muslim Sussanne Khan and later divorcing her is absolutely fine for them. But they are up in arms against Saif Ali Khan for marrying a Hindu Kareena Kapoor. However, they conveniently forget Saif’s own sister Soha Ali Khan marrying a Hindu Kunal Kemmu.
Similarly, there are various such examples – Dia Mirza marrying Sahil Sangha and Vaibhav Rekhi, Farah Khan marrying Shirish Kunder, Sanjay Dutt marrying Dilnawaz Sheikh [real name of Manyata Dutt], Aditya Pancholi marrying Zarina Wahab, etc.
Call for boycott: Announcing boycotts for films and products has become a norm for Right Wingers for anyone who offends them. Not surprisingly, there have been several comments asking people to boycott Aamir’s forthcoming films. All because he did something in his personal life that has no effect on them. On a lighter note, the last time they decided to boycott his film was during Dangal (2016) and it became the highest grossing Hindi film and continues to remain so.
If people were so concerned about the spread of COVID-19 as much as they are for something an actor did in his personal life, the curve would have been flattened by now. I wish instead of calling out an actor for doing something in his personal life, they called out people who wore masks in a faulty way.
Over the last decade or so, we have seen politicians going to the extent of normalizing rapes, openly blaming females for rapes, justifying lyching and what not. But we didn’t see even half of the outrage we are seeing now.
The central government has proposed the draft Cinematograph Amendment Bill 2021 through which they get the power to recertify a film passed by the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) or Censor Board, as it’s popularly known.
If we take away the technical jargons, if the new bill comes into action, it would mean that even if a film is cleared by the CBFC for release, the Central Government will have the power to recertify it. In other words, it will also have the power to take away the certificate, which would mean that a particular film would be stopped from releasing.
In more simple terms, as filmmaker Pratik Kothari said in an interview with the publication Cinestaan.com, we know how students have a right to re-evaluate their paper if they are not happy with the marks. But the new bill would mean that the examiner himself would re-evaluate a student’s paper just because he thinks the student deserves these many marks.
The reason why such an amendment would be more dangerous is because it has come in the wake of different ‘religious’ or social groups demanding bans on certain films they feel hurt their sentiments.
So, in case a film is certified by the CBFC for release but some group believes it should be banned or refused certification, the central government would get the power to re-examine the film to determine if it should release. Hence, it would make the CBFC or Censor Board appear irrelevant because the government would have power to revoke their decision.
Proposing such an act brings to our mind the menace created by the Rajput Karni Sena during the release of Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s Padmaavat (2018). The group had demanded the forming of a ‘pre-censor board,’ that would examine a film before it reaches the censor board [or CBFC]. As per their demand, if the ‘pre-censor board’ believes the film has no right to release, it won’t even be sent for certification to the censor board.
This new proposed bill is similar to this, except that the ‘pre-censor board’ is asked to look at a film before it goes to the Censor Board.
To put it simply, FCAT was the committee to which a filmmaker went if he is not happy with the decision of the CBFC or the Censor Board. But now, the very option of FCAT for aggrieved filmmaker has been chopped off.
Of course, there is an option for filmmakers to approach the High Court if they are unhappy with the CBFC’s certification. But how can one expect independent filmmakers to file a case and pay for the lawyer when they have somehow managed to generate funds to make the film in the first place?
By dissolving the FCAT, the government took away the right of a filmmaker to get his film re-examined if he is unhappy with the verdict of the Censor Board. And now they are proposing an act through which the government itself has the right to withdraw certification of a film already certified for release.
What can we do?
The government has called for comments and opinions on the matter. One can share his or her views by writing an e-mail on – dhanpreet.kaur@ips.gov.in
The first two seasons of Amazon Prime Video’s Inside Edge turned out to be entertaining for the lovers of cricket. Recently, the makers officially announced the third season of the show and shared its first poster.
For those not in the know, Inside Edge revolves around India’s domestic T20 championship. It focusses on the team Mumbai Mavericks, which is owned by Richa Chadha’s character, and the ups and downs they go through. The show primarily features betting and match-fixing in the tournament and shows its consequences.
Despite Inside Edge being known for showing a T20 tournament, it seems the third season will not feature the shortest version of the game.
There are a couple of reasons that indicate that Inside Edge season 3 will feature the longest version of the game – test cricket. This might sound crazy to many of you but let’s have a look at those indications.
The first poster of the third season clearly includes a red ball in the title that is unmissable. It doesn’t make sense for a show about T20 matches displaying a clear image of a red ball. For those who are not aware, a red ball is used only in test cricket and never in a limited overs match. That’s the reason why limited overs matches are called white ball cricket.
But an even bigger indication was given by the makers more than a year and half ago. Amazon Prime Video had shared a promo of their 14 new original shows in January 2020. The footage had a fleeting image of Tarun Virwani, who plays the main lead in the show, sitting in white clothes with white pads on, waiting for his turn to bat [either in the match or in the nets].
Tanuj Virwani in Inside Edge season 3
It seems impossible that a player in the show will wear white clothes and pads, irrespective of whether he is sitting for his chance in a match or the nets. Wearing white automatically means playing with a red ball. And one would neither play nor practice with a red ball for a limited overs competition.
The announcement by Amazon Prime Video about 14 new shows
Of course, we will get a confirmation only in the teaser or the trailer. These are just assumptions based on two major hints, especially the second one.
The above indications were observed by my friend Aditya Kulkarni.
