I went to see Sarkar today with Aadesh and a couple of his friends. Unfortunately I had to go back to office and missed the beginning a bit but thankfully I could complete my work and enjoy the movie at ease. The movie is about a don called Subhash Nangre whose wish is the final command to his men. He rules over the city and even the chief minister is his puppet. “There is no right or wrong. Only Power” is what the posters say and that is the reality of today’s life. This was the first time I saw Amitabh and Abhishek together. I have yet to see Bunty Aur Babli. Both the father and son outdo each other in some sequences. If ever there was an actor who could play Sarkar it was only Amitabh.
Ram Gopal Varma undoubtedly has come to reign the Gangster movies genre. He’s now made Shiva, Drohi, Satya, Company, D and now Sarkar under his ‘Factory’ shed. I liked the cinematography - the sepia tones, which look pretty much real-to-life. His another style is his close ups of actors till you can see their pores on the skin :D There are no songs in the movie but only one track ‘Govinda Govinda’, which keeps playing in the background.
On the other hand, I have got, so much used to the multiplex seating arrangement, that it hurt while it lasted at Eros :-( But please go and watch Sarkar because it’s going down as one of the best performances by Amitabh in recent times :-)
July 9th, 2005
Barely 24 hours since I last posted the news of London winning the bid for the 2012 Olympics, it has been attacked by terrorists with calibrated bomb explosions on its underground trains and bus services. Till the last news came in there were 37 dead and still counting and over 700 people injured.
Since I travel by Mumbai’s crowded local, I get a closer look at the reactions of the general public. Surprisingly I saw more frustration and anger vented towards the western powers than sympathy towards the blast victims. “Ab unko pata chalega terrorism kya hota hai!!” (Now they would know what terrorism is all about) said one of the my co-passengers. A remark most definitely aimed at the Americans who have conveniently turned blind towards the everyday terrorist killings in Jammu & Kashmir and I personally didn’t think this was the right time to reflect upon domestic problems. My heart goes out to the victim’s families of the London blasts. This is a terrible thing to happen to any living being on this earth and it should be condemned strongly.
The incidence has once again proved that the terrorists still hold the initiative to strike at will. Geography or military might will hardly threaten their existence or resolve.
July 8th, 2005
London won the bid for hosting the Olympics & the Paralympic summer games in 2012. This is surely a moment of jubiliation for Sebastian Coe and the bidding team. On the other hand it was quite exciting to watch the bidding countries’ logos :-) I have always been fascinated by the colour and the theme related to the respective city. And just in case you are wondering about the headline, London will be hosting the games for a second time after 1948.
So this time at the 117th IOC Session at Singapore there were 5 teams (or rather cities) competing for the coveted invitation to host the Olympics in 2012. From all the official websites of the bidding team, New York’s was the most coolest. I think it’s got that vibrant feel to it - much the same way the city projects itself. If you see the ads on the website (you need either a QuickTIme or a Windows Media Player) you’d realise how much effort they have put in to win the bid. The navigation is simple and the design is uncluttered. And oh and did I mention that it’s made in Flash ? :)
Have a look at the Official Bidder’s websites in the order that I liked ;-)
New York - London - Moscow - Madrid - Paris
July 7th, 2005
One more attack on the heart of secularism, one more season of allegations and one more instance of innocent lives being lost. Akshardham Temple, Raghunath Temple, Char-e-Sharief - which eventually was burned down to ashes, are all a part of that drama which unfolds every now and then. 6 ‘men’ decided to go on an adventure and attacked the disputed Ayodhya temple yesterday, adding one more sacred site to the list. You will be surprised at the ease with which they penetrated the highly secured area at the disputed site.
Attacking temples & sacred structures has become a routine with terrorists who aim to create mistrust amongst us. They know how communally sensitive the majority of Indians are and their leaders will leave no stone unturned in fomenting hatred amongst the general public. We need to win this internal war first before we start preparing our armies to fight our neighbour. Anyways, tomorrow is a nationwide bandh called by the VHP & the BJP & as always I shudder to think about that fellow daily wage earner who will lose his money.
As for me, I am not moving out of my bedroom tomorrow :)
July 6th, 2005
