ran!! rgv in his element:)

theres few things about ran that i acn safely say without bein a plot spoiler..

first is welcome back RGV. typical political movie with intense scree play, unconventional camera angles and convincin characters.. so much that you wonder who deserves the credit, the director or the casting team! but knowing that this director can make even morons can act.. methinks its the director. too many times you wonder if this is ambani and this is modi etc. but its rgv style anyhow, that his films are so close to whats happenin in real life.. and his characters always resemble someone.

movie is loosley based on modern day journalism n politics, the story movies at an even pace.. neither too fast nor too slow. but what i really got here to say is

1. the irony of casting is purab, the guy who plays the role of the crusader in reality is the son of th ex CM! hehe verma, hope people get the joke. i mean ritesh deshmukh sure has done full justice to the role, but the irony of casting him cant escape you.

2. i wish the last scene was a voice on the phone..

elder brother of saldhaniya, the industrialist speakin " congrats mate, your finally what you wanted to be. i have transferred the money in your swiss bank account. enjoy". n ritesh deshmukh, on the other side, smiles n keeps the phone down.

ALL IS WELL!

another gem of a feel good movie by rajkumar hirani, 3 idiots is loosely based on 5.someone.

starring amir khan in the lead role of a 20 year old guy, the movie revovles around what bright guys do once they get in a professional college. theme is fairly simple, but plot as well as script are finely crafted, makin it a true entertainer with lots of laughs and emotional showdowns. i had read indian express review which said amir looks a tad senile for a collegeite.. and the movie is only a cut above average.

but i found amir lookin youthful, not a day above 20. he has absolutely gotten under the skin of his role.. a 20 year old lively guy whose whacky, yet focussed deep within.. who is comic yet sensitive.. who know where he wants to go in life but yet has his feet firmly planted on the ground. just like taare zameen par, amir khans unique ability to understand the character of his role makes this silver screen adventure seem very real and believable.

the director and writer have done a great job. movie is well paced, filled with infinite momments and wisecracks.. casting is impeccable. each character in the movie carries his role well, and there are no loose ends in the plot. while the writer does borrow bits of inspiration from 5 point someone throughout the plot, he has added lots of twists and jokes makin it a different story altogether. sharman joshi, madhavan, kareena and boman irani are perfect for their roles.. needless to say.. i believe THREE IDIOTS is a must see!

shambhuraje the play.

as you might know i am not a huge follower of the drama scene. but i happened to get my hands on a pass for drama fest, first of which was shambhu raje.

i skipped dinner and rushed to the venue, feelin a lil selfconscious that i might be the only person going to a play ALONE. i am not really punctual guy except on rare occaissions. and as i did manage to reach on time, a standard one hour delay was a huge turn off.

anyhow, the play starred dr amol kolhe as the protagonist, the prince sambhaji bhosale, narrating his side of the story, or rather,the history.

in the first half, the director attempts to potray how sambhaji was made a scapegoat of raj-niti...politics of the kings court,his agony about having to live up to the legend that his dad was and his sense of being deprived a father son relationship.

well it was agonising no doubt, but because it felt like mr kolhe was not doing justice to the role. the dialogue delivery failed to build up intensity, and the characters all seemed badly casted.i had to constantly fight the urge to get up and leave.

and this was the state for first 30-45 minutes. then gradually th story picked up pace. still at interval i coudlnt help but wonder whether the play was worth my time, effort and money.

at interval, shivaji's wife n courtiers have made sambhajis life hell. sambhaji is caught up in two controversial rape sentences. after being denied the chance to campaign for karnataka with his glorious warrior-statesman father, he's banished to govern a less prestigious konkan territory. sambhaji is crestfallen. he decides to break free and join enemy forces.. with the motive that he shall meet his father eye to eye only after proving himself. all through out, sambhaji never disrespects his dad but he is in despair that his father wont treat him like a son or crown prince, but a pervert criminal.

and then its interval.

post interval sambhaji is now the crown prince of swaraj. his brother rajaram with his stepmom have not succeeded in their evil plans to usurp his kingdom. he has placed em both under house arrest.shivaji is dead. and its celebration time cuz hes the king.

from this point onwards, the play took a giant leap from a rather drab story to a fantastic combination of script, direction and terrific acting.

the plot remained rather simple, but it unfolded beautifully. mr kolhe must have put his soul in his performance.. cuz the result was nothin short of a masterpiece. sambhaji himself, his loyal mama and his poet make a terrific punch of gaiety, friendship and heroism to the story. the characters come alive, dialogues set the audiences hearts afire and you remained glued to your seats empathising what'd happen to sambhaji next. even the charaters and motives of villains are weaved into the story, so that the play stays real and mental debates about whose right or wrong keep getting fuelled.

the director sparked it up so well that i was worried another riot may break out in miraj.

anyhow, the play ends with the tragic capture of sambhaji, and how he chose valour over cowardice, endured torture n died a martyr's death. the director absolutely succeeds in telling his story cuz he converts this tragic tale of death and despair into a exciting tale that inspires courage, endurance and honour in everyone who sees it.

overall, a very good play.. but thats after you manage to sustain through the first 45 minutes.

and technically, theres some flaws.

cynical as i always am, i see the real story as.. sambhaji might have been a talented scholar and a good warrior, but he was a pervert who raped two women and then pleaded that he was being framed. conveniently both his victims commited suicide so there was no scope for cross examination. he lusted for power like any other prince. when denied, he joined the enemy. having had his fill of conquests and a welcome banner from back home.. he switched sides again when the time was right. this leaves one last question unanswered.. why did he choose gettin his eyes gouged and a death from torture, when he had the option of switching sides again to ensure survival.

to do one right thing in life?

dr g s kulkarni

nischyayacha mahameru

bahut janansi aadharu

akhand stithi cha nirdharu

surgeon yogi!

for those who dont understand marathi.. it means
the strong steadfast and great pinnacle of a decision maker
the caretaker, the helper, the support to the lives of many people.
the person who understands the situation in its entirety, and blazes a trail through it.
a surgeon. a saint.
this poem was composed by a great marathi literateur for the great king shivaji. i just played with words to describe what a surgeon should be. to describe the surgeon ive been fortunate to observe.

the story of a riot.

'll try n not take sides here.

day one. hindu ganpati celebrations make a decoration of shivaji killing afzalkhan. miraj muslims take offence. the whole ganpati mandap was destroyed. the idol of ganpati vandalised.

day two. hindus wreck menace. one masjid was attacked.

day two. muslims strike back. pieces of meat found thrown in ganpati mandir.

day three. hindus piss in a masjid. they destroyed the masjid furniture. curfew imposed.

day four. hindus destroy muslim property includin a orthopedic hospital and a popular non vegrestaurant frequented everyday by both sects. theres few more gross crimes by either sides, but i rather not gossip about em.

day two, three, four - innocent people are lathi charged and badly beaten by the cops, regardless of whether people are travelling to work, or school

everytime the curfew was lifted for an hour, people made a rush for daily commodities.

the bright side of this was, our OPD, which is perennially filled with backaches and knee joint pains was empty for a change, and my daily activities were almost falling in the humane working scale.

a medical professor dies of heart attack, which was provoked when he was beaten up by the cops. patients discharged from our hospital were also abused.

curiously, votebank politics has played a major part, minorities being protected more.

finally, now the situation has come under control. things are cooling down.

around 40% of people around me have a hand to mouth existence, daily wage basis.

i wonder how many of them slept hungry for the last one week.

and i wonder what parts per million people actually feel there is something to be learnt from this.

god and religion

sometimes i feel, your idea of god, and your worship, is an utterly private affair.its not somethin to socialise about, or publicise about.

thats why, when most people ask me, i just say 'm an atheist. so that they dont bug me no more by invites of poojas and artis. i mean prayers.

but whats worse, even bein an atheist becomes a tag. a label.

in india, religion and even caste is a medium of bonding. i had a friend who'd end up bein buddies with everyone who was remotely a maroo. still member him strikin conversations with absolut strangers on basis of places of origin of his ancestors, who died before his father was even concieved.

we all know how this has its pros and cons. but shouldnt a man worship passionately.. sacred is where no one and nothin impure can venture. so why pollute the sacred. isnt worship but a form of love life? a self realisation? somethin personal?

maybe others dont see it this way.

this deserves to be heard

http://epaper.timesofindia.com/Default/Scripting/ArticleWin.asp?From=Archive&Source=Page&Skin=TOINEW&BaseHref=TOIM/2009/08/09&EntityId=Ar00701&GZ=T&AppName=1&ViewMode=HTML&GZ=T