Oranje - the colour of victory!

If this World Cup has taught us anything, it is that ‘impossible is nothing!’ To have beaten the invincible Brazilians, who had the best team composition in the tournament against overwhelming odds, the Dutch deserve all the praise in the world. A football nation which is always high on promise, but known to fail at the final hurdle, this might be the perfect time for L’Oranjes to shed their tag of ‘chokers’ and claim the biggest prize in football, which they deserve for their rich history. When Robinho opened the scoring for Brazil, many thought it was inevitable that the Samba Kings would romp home in style. The Dutch didn’t succumb to the pressure and stuck to their game plan and made the best use of the opportunities that came their way, with a bit of luck, and created an upset that ranks highly with some of the best seen this year like Barca-Inter and Manchester United-Bayern Munich.

The current side is a highly transformed team that is different from the ones that we’ve observed through history. Bert van Marwijk has got his basics right by fielding a side that is pragmatic in its approach. The dynamic coach has been intelligent to recognise that the philosophy of ‘Total Football’ is not applicable to the modern day game. This approach, which has attracted severe criticism from all circles is what made van Marwijk’s side the underdogs and took the pressure off them.

Yesterday’s man of the match Wesley Sneijder, as predicted by many before this tournament, has lived up to his reputation by his trademark creative play. Another player who was a key part of the major upset was Arjen Robben. The best way to describe him is that he is a phenomenon. After hunting down Manchester United during the last UCL with a stunning volley, he has come to haunt the Brazilians, with a mix of magic and unprofessional diving and provoking his opponents. Diving is a disgrace, but Felipe Melo dug his own grave by getting his emotions get the better of him. Being patient is a vital aspect of modern day football. The Brazilians got everything right except that. It’s amazing how thin the line is between winning and losing, considering that the men in green and yellow showed their Samba class.

L’Oranjes face Uruguay in the semis, an opponent whose strengths and weaknesses are similar to that of the Dutch. But without Luis Suarez and Diego Lugano, their firepower and defense will be weak. Will the Dutch go on to paint Africa orange? It’s up to them to ‘write their future’, and create history.

Mani strikes again with Raavanan!

In an age when Hindi and Tamil cinema are synonymous with shoddy entertainment churned out by Karan Johar, Farah Khan, Akshay Kumar, Kalanidhi Maran(of Sun Pictures fame) et al, Mani Ratnam is a lone phoenix along with Kamal Haassan, who keeps rising from the ashes every time the box office buries him. Mani is the flag-bearer of sensible art-house cinema which respects the intellectual that the movie-goer is. The director who has given us epics like Nayagan, Iruvar, Aayitha Ezhuthu, Mouna Ragam etc. returns after a 3 year hiatus with Raavan/Raavanan. That the bilingual is a modern day adaptation of the Hindu epic Ramayan seen through the eyes of the antagonist Raavan is a well known fact. In his artistic depiction of the story which has been told repeatedly through ages, Mani scores on several fronts.

Having watched both the versions, I wish to compare them. The Hindi version has received serious flak from viewers and critics alike and it is understandable. The culprit is AB Junior, and not the editing as AB Sr. said trying to justify his son’s maniacal performance. AB Jr. tries to do a Heath Ledger and churns out a disjointed performance that is enjoyable in pieces, as he falters in bringing to the film the much needed stability. On the other hand, Vikram is more grounded and phenomenal as Veeraiya, blending the madness of the tribal outlaw and the toughness of a man seeking vengeance for his wronged sister. Prithviraj, as Dev, is expressive in his love for his abducted wife, while Vikram’s Dev embodies the hard-hearted and cunning greyness in the good guy that Mani Ratnam aims to portray. Aishwarya’s beautiful eyes leave the viewers fixated. Govinda and Karthik are forgettable. Priya Mani is gang-raped yet again!

The brilliant locales, and outstanding cinematography which vivifies the ruthless jungle and dangerous waters deserve special mention. A.R.Rahman’s music is great but does not get justice through the poor lyrics in Tamil.
As in Aayitha Ezhuthu/Yuva, Mani doesn’t delve into the reason for the protagonist’s struggle with the authorities, and jumps straight into the action. Though many have condemned this style, it is testament to the legendary film maker’s respect for the film-goer’s intelligence.

The film’s principal pillar is Mani’s artistry, as he takes on an epic story that is more than 10 centuries old. In ‘Hey Ram’, Kamal created waves by bucking the usual trend and dared to look at Mahatma Gandhi as a villain. In Raavan, Mani does the reverse as he humanises the evil Veera/Beera and brings out the cunning demon inside Dev, blurring the lines between black and white and leaving the viewer torn between the two principal characters, like Ragini is, throughout the film. This trademark style of Mani where he leaves the viewer thinking is what separates him from the rest of the pack. Raavan/Raavanan is not perfect, and definitely not the ace director’s best. But it is another feather in his cap.

Player to watch : Wesley Sneijder

The second article of mine which was published in DC B'lore on June 24, 2010...

A graduate of the legendary youth ranks of Ajax, a pivotal part of Internazionale’s treble winning season, Wesley Sneijder is a key trump card for the Dutch in South Africa.

Sneijder rose to fame as a teenager at Ajax, impressing pundits and fans with his skills, ability to play under pressure and precise passing. Later he joined Real Madrid as part of the dutch trio, wearing the shirt of David Beckham, later becoming Los Blancos’ number 10. Becoming one among the Real scrap heap during the arrival of Los Galacticos, Sneijder was Madrid’s gift to Inter Milan.

Sneijder’s rise to be billed as one of Europe’s top talent is indisputable after a glorious season with the Nerazzurri, where he pulled the strings in his favourite position as play maker, letting his Argentine teammate Diego Milito do the work of clinical finishing. Well known for his skill at set pieces, shooting powerful free kicks from long range, Sneijder is a similar player to Andrea Pirlo, man of the match of the 2006 WC final. Also capable of playing on the wings and sometimes in defensive midfield, a role he was assigned during the 2006 World Cup, Sneijder is a perfect footballer who deserves to be mentioned alongside super stars Robben, Messi and Rooney.

The current Dutch side has expert finishers in van Persie, Kuyt and Robben, who, if found at the end of the Dutch architect’s passes will rarely disappoint. With his ambidexterity combined with accurate shooting, which is almost always on target, Wesley Sneijder is a player to watch out for. He is L’Oranjes’ ace in the hole.

The New World Order in football

This might be the perfect moment to say that it's time to kiss attacking football goodbye. 'Defence is the best form of attack' is the new world order in football. Jose Mourinho achieved it with elan at Inter Milan and reached Europe's summit. Ottmar Hitzfeld, another UCL master, has done it against Spain. Considering that Spain comprises 6 Barca players, the Swiss match would have felt like rubbing salt into their wounds sustained against the Nerrazzuris.

Attacking football has long being touted as THE way football must be played. People have slammed the catenaccio system as an abomination to the sport. Even during this World Cup, commentators and panelists have been up in arms calling for goals and a break from the monotony of disciplined defence by teams. All that criticism has gone out the window now with the shock upset of the reigning European champions at the hands of Hitzfeld's men. They were disciplined, patient and did not succumb to the pressure piled on them by Spain, who rarely gave the ball away. Just like Inter did against Barca, Switzerland stuck to their shape and waited to pounce on an opportunity, which arrived in the form of a long ball down the field. And the rest is the biggest shock of this World Cup.

The success of defensive football achieves another objective. It cuts out the arm-chair football fans who are glory-hunters looking at the sport as mere entertainment. If a team with a disciplined defence goes on to win this WC, the fans that will remain true to the sport will be those who have acquired the taste of defensive football.

First Europe. Now the world? This might be the year of catenaccio! Helenio Herrera must be smiling down upon us.

The Dutch on course

Highlights from the Netherlands vs Denmark match at the Soccer city stadium, which the men in orange won 2-0:

* Denmark have not beaten the Netherlands since 1967. 43 years and the counting goes on.

* Typical Dutch game. After a slow first half, L’Oranjes lit up the second half with maximum possession and pressurised the Danish defenders, creating an own goal en route.

* Strong bench strength for the Dutch. Elijero Elia, who was instrumental in the Kuyt goal, and Ibrahim Afellay, who almost scored his first goal in the orange shirt came on as substitutes in the second half, and were brilliant. Plus Robben, Huntelaar, Babel didn’t come on.It shows the depth the Dutch squad has.

* Mark van Bommel and Nigel de Jong were stand out performers, anchoring the midfield. Teams will find it hard to get past them and breach into the Dutch defence.

* Wesley Sneijder delivered a man-of-the-match performance with his typical visionary passing, setting up the Kuyt goal.

* In the Nike WC ad, Cannavaro makes an acrobatic save off Drogba to save his country the blushes and becomes a national hero. Simon Paulsen produced a similar acrobatic save off Afellay. But his own goal was what really kicked off proceedings in the second half. There’s no redemption from that. Bottomline : Nike won the war of the brands over Adidas here.

* 2-0 may seem a paltry scoreline for the attacking quality of the Dutch. But as Ruud Gullit said, teams that start slow go on to win World cups. The flying Dutch have not gotten off to a flying start, but have bagged 3 crucial points. They are yet to reveal their true hand, which they will by unleashing Robben.

Clockwork Oranje

The following is an article of mine which got published in Deccan Chronicle Bangalore dated June 10, 2010 in page 38.

Inventors of Total Football which is today the trademark style of European power houses, Barcelona and Arsenal, the land which gave rise to football’s greatest talents like Johan Cruyff, Marco Van Basten, Frank Riijkard, Ruud Gullit, Dennis Bergkamp, Ruud van Nistelrooy; the list is endless when talking about Dutch football. L’Oranjes have always been billed as ‘the chokers’ who falter at the final hurdle. For several reasons, I believe a Dutch World Cup win is due.

The Eredivisie(the Dutch domestic league) is one of Europe’s most talented leagues, though considered a ‘feeder league’ today by many. It was in the Netherlands that people like Wesley Sneijder, Arjen Robben, Mark van Bommel and several others started their careers and went on to achieve greatness. Unable to hold on to its talented players, the Eredivisie has lost its fame in Europe today. But the fact that the youth system of teams like Ajax is considered one of the best in the world is indisputable. A country’s football team thrives on a strong domestic league which breeds young talent. The Dutch clubs are masters at it.

In the current squad, Holland have two visionary playmakers in Rafael van der Vaart and Wesley Sneijder. Sneijder, who has been the string puller of the Inter orchestra this season, is devastating with his incisive passes and strong free kicks. Mark van Bommel and Nigel de Jong act as anchors in a strong defensive midfield. For the forwards, Bert van Marwijk has plenty of options at his disposal in the likes of Arjen Robben(who terrorized Europe this UCL), Robin van Persie, Huntelaar and Kuyt(all clinical poachers). With Robben fit, I see no reason why L’Oranjes won’t go all the way this World Cup in South Africa. The highest honour in football is long overdue for the Dutch. Billed the underdogs during every tournament, I would love to see them win and breathe new life into the world’s greatest sporting event.

L’Oranjes FTW!

Catenaccio rules!

Catenaccio or ‘the door bolt’ system of football is the best style of football. Period.

The art of catenaccio, made famous by Helenio Herrera, who was at the helm of Inter Milan in the 1960s, calls for colossal amounts of discipline and patience. The style focuses on putting out a highly organized defensive system to thwart the opponent. After several years of criticism, Catenaccio has earned its much deserved reputation in Europe, with Inter Milan beating European powerhouses Chelsea, Barcelona and Bayern Munich to win the UCL. The art has been under severe criticism by many and I don’t understand why. Many liken it to ‘anti-football’. I think this kind of criticism is baseless and comes from people who are not open minded to change.

Opposites exist everywhere in nature; matter and antimatter, light and dark, and total football and catenaccio. It’s important to appreciate this fact. I reckon that the anti-catenaccio camp thinks attack is what drives football; and attacking football is the most entertaining style. True, the kind of football played by Barcelona, Arsenal and The Netherlands is always high on entertainment. For arm-chair football fans with pop corn, watching these teams play is like watching a commercial blockbuster movie. But football is more than entertainment. Imo, it takes a lot of courage and hours of tactical thinking to sit back and defend, spurring your opponent on telling him ‘Come on hit me!’. The lofty levels of discipline and patience required to concentrate on stopping your opponent is the hardest thing in football. And in that aspect, Catenaccio wins hands down. Like Rocky Balboa says, “It’s not about how hard you hit. It’s about how hard you can get hit and keep moving forward, how much you can take and keep moving forward. That’s how winning is done.”

It’s sad to see defenders like Lucio, Samuel, Zanetti, Cannavaro, Vidic and many others are not spoken about in the same breath as players like Messi, Ronaldo and Robben. What irked me the most recently was when Diego Maradona left out Cambiasso and Zanetti out of the Argentina WC squad, perhaps in fav0ur of sending out an attacking line-up, despite their pivotal contributions in Inter’s glorious campaign. Catenaccio is an acquired taste for football fans. But once you realise how hard it is, every other style looks meek.

Catenaccio forever!

Looking for the King

Eric 'The King' Cantona is arguably the greatest footballer ever, remembered the most for his efforts in reviving Manchester United's fortunes in the Premier League. During the five years he spent at Old Trafford, he helped the Red Devils win 4 Premier league titles and 2 FA Cups. Known for his explosive temperament, magnificient goals and inspirational leadership, King Eric's name is chanted by the Old Trafford faithful even today. He is, quite simply, the man who transformed English football the most by bringing a sense of authoritarism to the field, which later inspired the likes of Roy Keane and Wayne Rooney.

'Looking for Eric' directed by Ken Loach is a film that caters strictly to the Man Utd faithful. The story is about a postman Eric Bishop whose personal life is in ruins. Eric is a die hard Cantona fan and begins to have hallucinations of meeting with his idol every day. Cantona inspires him and helps him get his life organised, and the film has captured the King at his philosophical best. The best part about the film is the message it leaves behind that footballers transcend their exploits on the pitch. They are sources of inspiration to many, affecting the fans' lives in unimaginable ways. For those who breathe and live for the greatest sport on earth, footballers are Gods. Man Utd fans will love this movie because Eric Cantona is worshipped as a deity at Old Trafford. In capturing on film how football affects lives, Ken Loach has packed a punch.

Hail King Eric! Glory Glory Man Utd, the greatest football club ever!

Quotes from 'Into the Wild'

'Into the Wild' has some spell binding quotes which influenced me heavily.

"I'm going to paraphrase Thoreau here... rather than love, than money, than faith, than fame, than fairness... give me truth."

" ...And I also know how important it is in life not necessarily to be strong but to feel strong. To measure yourself at least once. To find yourself at least once in the most ancient of human conditions. Facing the blind death stone alone, with nothing to help you but your hands and your own head. "

"If we admit that human life can be ruled by reason, then all possibility of life is destroyed. "

"The core of mans' spirit comes from new experiences. "

"When you want something in life, you just gotta reach out and grab it. "

And finally, "Happiness is real only when shared."

Truly, mindblowing!!

Catenaccio - an art form

Catenaccio - invented by Helenio Herrera. Resurrected by Jose Mourinho. Inter Milan are in the European cup final after 38 years. This has been long overdue.

After Barcelona tore Arsenal to shreds, it was easy to say they were going to do the same to every opponent who stands in their way of back-to-back CL trophies. Inter, with their rock solid defence, were too mighty for the champions. When you're reduced to 10 men within 30 minutes(Boo Busquets) against the fire power Barca have, you need to play out of your skin to contain them. Barca played the entire match inside the Inter half. Gerard Pique played centre forward(excellent goal btw). Victor Valdes was feeding from the half way line. The 98,000 capacity stadium was rocking. Despite all this, Inter were happy doing what they do best : defend like a rock. It's noteworthy to remember that Julio Cesar had to make few saves in the match(the Messi save is the second best I've seen). Cambiasso, Lucio, Maicon, Samuel and Zanetti were top class. Eto'o played left back. Diego Milito was sprinting with his heart dangling out of his chest, playing defensive midfield.

Barca play total football where the entire team goes on the attack. To have contained the likes of Messi and Xavi, magicians with immaculate vision, Inter receive full marks. This, I feel, is the resurrection of Catenaccio, an art form which was dying due to lack of recognition for Italian clubs in Europe. Mourinho has re-invented it. It was fireworks all the way, watching catenaccio vs. total football. Just priceless. To have beaten the reigning champions convincingly, Inter deserve to win this CL. Like Mourinho said, reaching the final is a 38 year old dream come true for Inter. I'm going to yell at the top of my voice "Forza Inter" when they take on Bayern.

FORZA INTER!!!!

Numb3rs : A tribute

“We all use math every day; to predict weather, to tell time, to handle money. Math is more than formulas or equations; it's logic, it's rationality, it's using your mind to solve the biggest mysteries we know.”

Numb3rs is the TV show I grew up watching, for five years. Now that the show has come to an end, I want to put into words my feelings of a great show which has been my great companion. Being an ultra introvert and considered cold by almost everyone, I turned to different things over my schooling years to keep my sanity. Out of them, Numb3rs stands out distinctly for making me think rationally, teaching me that math was cool and making me nurture a dream of making it to academia.
The cool way the title was spelt was how the show caught my attention, when I was in 9th grade. Since then, sitting glued to AXN at 8 O’ clock every weekday night became a ritual for me. Watching the inimitable math genius Charles Eppes almost pull equations out of the air was the first time I learned that math and science are super cool. Attending a school of losers, Numb3rs was where I started to appreciate and wonder at science. Before this show, things like Heisenberg’s uncertainty principle were mumbo jumbo to me. But then came Prof. Charles Eppes giving a classic example of the principle explaining to his brother how his action of observing a group of robbers changes their actions. I felt like there was an eruption inside me! Man, science was damn awesome, I thought. The water sprinkler illustration, graph theory, Vornoi diagrams,steganography, the friendship math, game theory : there are so many things I learned which intrigued me and gave me a sense of purpose, after being socially detached.

Apart from the math, Numb3rs was a factor in making me meet my first ‘intellectual friend’, Sid, who redefined my life. Numb3rs gave us a common ground to talk about so many things. The night time walks at Sreevatsa staring at the stars, the late night chats in his home about string theory, us trying to understand time; the memories are indelible. I’ll have to write an entire post about how Sid put me on a different universe. Later.

About the characters in the show, I grew up watching Charlie crack cases in a way that appeared super human to me, Larry chipping in with great philosophical insights about physics and space, and watching the lives of the other characters. Charlie and Larry are the ones which stuck with me, and I identify with Larry a lot for his frequent foray into reveries about the world, his constant search for a sense of purpose, and getting lost in his quest several times. This was the point when the world of academia appealed to me, the world of people who make a significant contribution in understanding the meaning of our existence in the universe and improving it. I haven’t given up on that dream yet.
Watching the supposed finale of the show, I felt a gush of emotions. Numb3rs filled a great void in my life and influenced me immensely. Thanks to Nicolas Falacci, Cheryl Heuton, Ridley and Tony Scott for a great show!!

New York Knicks

How the New York Knicks got their name? Follow the link.
http://www.merriam-webster.com/top-ten-lists/unmentionables/knickers.html

The legend lives on!

It is said, "After Manchester United, the only road is the one downhill".
David Beckham, Rud Van Nistelrooy. Now the magnificent Cristiano Ronaldo. All fell to the Real mania.
At the wake of Arsenal's 5-0 thrashing of Porto and Man Utd's 4-0 riot against Milan, it's high time to note that football is about nurturing talent and not buying it. It was sad to see one club man Raul's career coming to an ignominious end, after giving way to the new Galacticos by being on the bench for much of this season, despite all his services to Los Merengues.
Being a hardcore Man United faithful, I am smirking at Real's Champions league disaster(yet again :D), after losing Ronaldo to a transfer and Karim Benzema to an unsuccessful bid earlier this season.
Ronaldo or no Ronaldo, the Red Devils march on! Glory Glory Man Utd!

In sync with nature

The Copenhagen climate summit and its end result of producing no legally binding treaty to curb carbon emissions to mitigate global warming is a stark reminder of our consistent arrogance towards nature and growing hunger for nothing but economic progress. It was sad to see delegates make a mockery of the intensity of the problem called global warming by their petty fights about the developed countries v the developing countries. The need of the hour is a change in our outlook. All our activities today are modelled on economic auditing; focusing solely on bringing down costs. A wonderful solution to this problem would be to replace economic auditing with energy auditing and life cycle analysis. Energy auditing is the process of evaluating the energy flow in a system (as in a building) and striving to cut down energy consumption without affecting outputs negatively. Life cycle analysis a.k.a. cradle-to-grave analysis is the method of evaluating the amount of energy that has gone into making a product at each stage of its making and considering the environmental impacts of the product. These methods not only cut down energy consumption but also make the manufacture of the product a sustainable process.

There is growing interest in a technology called Carbon Capture and Storage, which many hail to be a magical solution to capture carbon dioxide from fossil fuel plants and store it underground, thus mitigating global warming. In this case, it is to be noted that CCS technologies require a lot of energy to implement and run -- up to 40 percent of a power station's capacity. Additionally, if we transport that captured CO2 by truck or ship, those vehicles will require fuel. And, the burning of fossil fuels is what got us into this predicament in the first place. Using LCA and energy audit here, the best solution is to cut down our emissions instead of complicating the situation. Now this is easier said than done.

Akin to the aforementioned use of LCA to figure out that it’s much simpler to curb our emissions than build complex technologies like CCS which enforce unnecessary risks and put extra pressure on the environment, our lives can be restructured to cut down unnecessary sophistications which serve no great purpose but only pile up on carbon emissions. Turning down the brightness levels in our laptops, switching off lights in our rooms while leaving, replacing incandescent bulbs with energy efficient CFLs, using the public transport, saving water, buying locally grown foods, using greener technologies; all of these steps which may seem trivial can make a difference when the entire world changes its outlook and starts to be more benevolent to the planet.

The Indus valley civilisation is a classic example of energy auditing. Their architecture consisted of granaries, warehouses and homes with open courtyards; all of which were built for a specific purpose. This is in stark contrast to today’s world when we place personal luxury above the greater good, building skyscrapers all over the world. This is in no means a way of advocating a return to the old ways of living. But somewhere between personal comfort and environmental impact, a balance has to be struck. If it is struck, the world will be a better place. Thus the best solution to any environmental problem is to try to act in sync with nature.

Human rights for an animal?

India is a country full of people with super-tolerance levels; tolerance to religious disparities, corruption, poverty, illiteracy and even terrorism. I was stunned when I read in the papers that Ajmal, the lone surviving gunman of the Mumbai Taj hotel terror plot had the courage to demand to be tried by an international court because he doesn't trust the Indian courts. And the judiciary amazingly has the time to listen to whatever he's saying. How more crappy can this country's judicial system get? The man is a terrorist who killed people and destroyed the country's premier hotel causing panic in Mumbai for more than two days. And we're treating him like a VIP who has his fundamental rights. This man is an animal. He doesn't deserve human rights. Why not simply shoot him down and get down to other businesses, like the Arabs do? By empowering terrorists with human rights, we are feeding terrorism. As Kamal Haassan says in UPO, terrorism is the only way to fight terrorism. We live in an age where the end is what matters the most, not the means to it. It's high time the judicial system wakes up to face this truth. People might argue that by employing extremism about terrorists, we are forgetting to impose the difference between the sane man and insane animal. Well, that doesn't really matter because if a rabid dog keeps infecting people, shooting it down solves the problem entirely. Let's be practical.

HP6

I'm a huge fan of the Harry Potter books. The last three books in the series are very complex and it's very tough to adapt them to movies. So many nuances are bound to be missing in the plot. And this was the case with HP5, though David Yates succeeded to a fair extent in making a good movie. The spirit was there. So, I went to watch HP6 fully expecting a good movie, if not one faithful to the book. I'm one among millions who believe 'The Dark Knight' was treated very unfairly at the Oscars. So when I heard that HP6 had beaten TDK's pre-release screening record, I was thinking, "This movie better be good". Have to say, HP6 is one of the crappiest movies I've seen in recent times. The problem with it is that the director has tried too hard to be cheesy that the spirit of the story is lost. Terrible acting and screenplay make matters worse. The movie is so pathetic that you hardly feel Dumbledore's loss when he is killed. The scene of Harry persuading Slughorn to divulge the memory looks silly(Supposed to be the defining moment in the story) and Lavender Brown looks like a pumpkin. The movie has its moments though. The problem is that the good moments are too few. The Quidditch scenes are very enjoyable, and in the adventure in the cave to destroy the horcrux when Dumbledore fights the inferi, the movie translates the feeling of the book when one understands why Dumbledore is the greatest wizard of all time. Agreed that HP6 the book has a lighter mood than the dark HP5. With the movie, David Yates has tried too much to be cheesy. Daniel Radcliffe sucks so much that he just stands stiff like a rock during Dumbledore's death and leaves you to wonder if there was any bond at all between Harry and Dumbledore. A total disappointment and one for the Razzies. I remember breaking down completely while reading about Dumbledore's death, for he was the one person who cared for Harry from his childhood, apart from Sirius. And this movie doesn't even have a bloody funeral for Albus! Shame!

Before the fifth movie came out, I thought it was the trademark of the HP movies to be sucky(barring the third installment). The fifth one gave me some hope that David Yates can end the series well. I seriously doubt his credentials now. The books have been such a integral part of the lives of so many fans that it pains to see the movies suck so much. It's all shame and no substance!

The case of religion and God

I have nothing against people's religions and their concept of god. But I feel it is necessary that people get the right idea of god and understand the true purpose of religion. I am an atheist, but I very much respect others' faith and expect them to do the same to me. God and religion, besides the ever lasting discussion of whether or not are true, are meant to inspire people to a good life. Nothing more than that. But then, why is there war in the name of God? God gives inspiration. Just like how Star Wars, Rocky Balboa training and the idea of hobbits triumphing inspires me. The reason is people think that fairy tale stories are for real. God is an invention of mankind. It's not wrong to believe in God at all. Many people need it to keep things on an even keel. But squandering your money and wasting your life in the name of service to God is not simple bull shit. I have seen the dearest of my friends and relatives do this. There is nothing more important than your own lives. Discover your talents and work on them. Never for a moment think God will save you without you putting in enough smart work.

There was this essay competition in my intra college culturals called Carpe Diem, which I won writing under the topic 'The Nature of reality'. In it I made a proposal which may seem ridiculous to many. It was this : Many believe the Ramayana and Mahabaratha are works of fact. And the evidence produced when the factual nature of the books is questioned is the the discovery of the city of Dwaraka under water, the existence of a place called Kurukshetra and the Indo-Sri Lankan bridge. Fine. 'The Da Vinci Code' is a runaway hit of fiction which is largely set at the Louvre, Paris. Say, for example, Paris drowns due to global warming. And 500 years from now, Paris is discovered under water and a copy of 'The Da Vinci Code' sans the opening declaration page by Dan Brown is retrieved. There is a fair chance to say that that generation of people will believe the events in 'The Da Vinci Code' to be totally true, that a person named Robert Langdon actually raced through the museum looking for clues, under the pretext that the Louvre which features in the book has been discovered. Now, this is no good. Similarly, in my opinion, the evidence produced for the factual nature of religious books is no good. You are welcome to disagree with me. An answer to this can never be found. But what we can do is get a strong hold of our lives and turn to religion for inspiration when needed and not take it too seriously.

I deeply regret it if I have offended anyone's faith as it is not my intention.
May the force be with you! :D:D

The Curious case

I'm smitten by the Oscar fever. By Oscar fever, I don't mean the excitement of who wins what. I mean the excitement of catching up on the movies which have been nominated. I recently watched 'The Curious Case of Benjamin Button', a slow moving classic. Brad Pitt gives his best performance till date in a movie which has an unusual story in which the protagonist ages backwards. With this amazing idea in the storyline, a wonderful love story unfolds. The execution is simply poetic. Brad Pitt taking care of the child Blanchett and Blanchett baby sitting the child Pitt as their ages run in opposite tracks is just amazing. The scene where Benjamin learns to walk made me sit stunned at Pitt's stellar performance. I thought he can only play the cool dude. He proved me wrong and how! I'm watching 'Milk' tomorrow and I hear Sean Penn will steal the Oscar for his performance. Nevertheless, Brad Pitt is just too good.

Man! Where does David Fincher get his stories from! I can't forget the awesomeness of 'Fight Club' and the chills of 'Se7en'. He belongs right up there with Chris Nolan and Gus Van Sant.

Rory's First Kiss

Let me get my point straight. If 'Slumdog Millionaire' deserves 10 Oscar nominations, then 'The Dark Knight' ought to get at least two more. How can Christopher Nolan be left out of the Director's criteria and the blockbuster out of the Best Picture criteria? I know the reason. 'The Dark Knight' is a comic hero film. There's this whole génre thing in Hollywood. 'The Dark Knight', being a superhero movie has been left out of the two important categories simply because of what it is, inspite of all it's near flawlessness.
Coming back to 'Slumdog Millionaire', if A.R.Rahman deserves an Oscar nomination for 'Jai Ho' and 'O Saya', then he should have earned more Oscars and Golden Globes on numerous occasions previously, the latest being RDB. I think of this and I get reminded of Martin Scorcese. Scorcese won an Oscar for 'The Departed'. The movie was Oscar material, no doubt. But it was nothing compared to Scorcese's earlier classics like 'Taxi Driver', 'Goodfellas', 'Raging Bull' etc. Rahman deserves an Oscar, no doubt. But not for Slumdog Millionaire. The movie, in my opinion, is overhyped. There are moments where Danny Boyle's class is shown. But the movie's no classic. I'd rather see 'The Curious case of Benjamin Button' or 'Frost/Nixon' bag the top honours. 'The Dark Knight' wound will be hard to heal for many fans.
At such a moment, I think of Marlon Brando and how he snubbed the Oscars. To 'The Dark Knight' fans like me, Oscars don't mean a lot any more. To us, no matter what happens in Kodak Theatre, Heath Ledger's 'The Joker' will remain the greatest psychotic character ever portrayed and 'The Dark Knight' the best Batman movie till date. Personally, I don't think Chris Nolan would go for a third installment. But I know that if he does, it will be out of this world!

Act of shame masked in darkness

The following is an article written by Mr. Murali Gopy, published on MSN. Since I share the same feelings as Mr. Gopy, I would like to present his article in my blog. I do not have any intention of plagiarism and present the article as Mr. Gopy's work, simply echoing my sentiments.

"When I was a kid, I loved power cuts. That was the time of the night when I had the liberty to make faces at my dad. I exercised, with great verve, my super-constitutional right to step on the chair cushions (forbidden), juggle the remote control and the pen torch (life sentence), moonwalk to the prayer room in my slippers (deportation) and hide the candles thereof(punishable by death). When the lights came back, my dad would find me reclining on the easy chair with the chemistry text book spread across my chest and a pen idling in my hands; he never mistook it for the catnap of a nerd. He bought an emergency light without fanfare, hid it, and switched it on while I was on my Act. My embarrassment was my punishment.

I have a reason to recall this. Some fans of “Indian culture” remind me of the arboreal ME of yore. They buy the tickets, squeeze into the hall, and wait for the lights to go off. Then, they devour the sleaze that is thrown at them in the name of entertainment. They whistle at the belly button close-up, clap at the double innuendo, cheer the rapist on rampage and hoot wildly at the hero who comes in time to save the prospective rape victim.

THE END, LIGHTS, and they are back to the streets lecturing on moral science, burning effigies of cultural defaulters and issuing life threats on women who have a great wardrobe to choose from.

Mallika Sherawat does not have a master’s degree in dress sense, but that should not prevent her from sharing the dais with Kamal Haasan, Jackie Chan, Amitabh Bachchan and the most venerable M Karunanidhi. But she was told otherwise. She was actually given a sermon by an enraged political outfit of Tamil Nadu on Indian culture. And ordered to apologize unconditionally “or else face the consequence”.

This is not jotted down in favour of Mallika Sherawat’s couture acumen. In fact, I find it tough to describe her choice of attire. It was the sartorial equivalent of “Don’t look at what I am wearing; think of what I am not”. She walked up as easily and confidently as she had done her pole dance in the movie, ‘Dasavatharam’, the audio launch of which was being staged on the dais.

She forgot something: The lights were on!

The watchmen of Indian culture are terribly peeved at Mallika Sherawat “for making Tamilians cringe and hang their heads in shame, for causing mental agony and hurt to the sentiments of the people of Tamil Nadu by wearing a revealing mini skirt, for exposing her back and sitting cross-legged in front of the Chief Minister M Karunanidhi”. Mallika did what celebrities of her hue do when faced with similar obstacles. She fled the scene.

Fleeing has been a standard practice with all post-modern artistes who have dedicated themselves to amoral dictums. Richard Gere had had his share of India’s fabled “athithi devo bhava” when he came down for an AIDS awareness campaign, last year. He had, obviously, selected the Fool’s month for the sojourn. After shaking hands with Shilpa Shetty, Gere changed gears to hug her, bend her to an uncomfortable right angle before planting a few smooches. The next thing he remembered is the chat he had with the airhostess on the “next morning flight”.

Shreya Saran, who sang and danced hand-in-hand with Rajnikanth in ‘Sivaji’, ran into trouble for going on stage, skimpily dressed, and addressing the most venerable M Karunanidhi (again) in “unacceptable attire”. The moral police (again) had asked for an unconditional apology and Shreya had promptly bent her knees and pleaded for dear life. Khushboo, with the 25 pending court cases against her for “degrading Tamil womanhood”, reminds me of that famous Sandhya character from ‘Do Aankhen Baarah Haath’—the village lass with the noisy drum trailing her like a blunderbuss saheli.

Where exactly are we standing now?

The average Indian blockbuster has been, for a long time now, a garish mix of bolly-mujrahs and melodrama, with a liberal serving of the crimson liquid. We have no complaints, since the lights are off every time we bump into one. Peeping Toms that we are, we love to watch without being watched. Once the emergency lamp is trained on our Darknesses, we stand to lose face.

For the volatile fan of Hindu culture, who is ready to empty his barrel on the Shreyas. Mallikas, Shilpas and Khushboos of the world, I must quote Octovio Paz: “The Hindu genius is abstract and realistic, sexual and intellectual, pedantic and sublime. It lives between extremes, it embraces the extremes, rooted in the earth and drawn to an invisible beyond.”

All lights off!"

Now, it's time to think!

P.S. Just to reaffirm that I have not plagiarised, I present the original link to Mr. Gopy's article. http://entertainment.in.msn.com/bollywood/article.aspx?cp-documentid=1399011