RE: INDIA POISED

Thank you all for your comments, feedback, bouquets, brickbats to the Amitabh Bachchan 'India Poised' post. All it took was a Bachchan....

Now, for my responses to all your questions:

Did you produce it?
How I wish!
It's a Times of India initiative (you obviously didn't get to the end of it...)

Did they really need Amitabh Bachchan?
There are several others in the campaign, but Bala pointed me to this one and I liked it the most.

Are you an Amitabh Bachchan fan?
And I thought three posts in a row was proof enough. If I may add, I'm also an Aamir Khan and Shah Rukh Khan fan.

Must we always have Bollywood stars going on about everything?
Would you rather have cricketers instead...

All this sounds fine, but are you bullish about India?
You bet. I was and I still am and for that let me take you back to an earlier post I'd done on this issue. Alright then, I'm ready for the bricks, bats and all.

This one from Zafar Anjum aka Dream Ink in the blogosphere:
"Yes, this kind of argument is always there: That all of India is not shining. It’s true also. But the point is, as you have rightly mentioned, at least some are doing better than before. And the whole situation cannot be put in words better than those used by Mr Bachchan in his video. The acknowledgement of two Indias is realistic but let the success be the motivation behind the "follower" India to take a flight from the precipice of opportunity with the "leader" India.

It is one of the most inspirational national videos I have ever seen. I actually had goosebumps and my heart went dhak dhak while I was watching that video…

BTW I like the English version. In the Hindi version, he is in supreme control over the medium as he does in the films. In the English one, he is almost perfect and that little bit of imperfection reflects the gap (for me) between the rich and the poor Indias."

EKLAVYA

Is disappointing. Mercifully, clocking a little less than two hours it's short. After all there's only so much of slow mo's, zoom ins, zoom outs, eye frames that the audience can take before sleep beckons. The setting may be stunning, the framing of the shots perfect from start to finish, but the movie lacks a strong script which manifests itself in the weak plot that unfolds.

The first half is a backgrounder. You spend the second half hoping things will get better. They never do. The palace intrigues hardly pull you to the edge of your seat, Amitabh Bachchan as Eklavya maybe shedding tears, but there is no sobbing to be heard in the hall. Instead its the whisperings: 'Is it going to get better?' followed by 'Is it going to get over?'

By the end of it all, the line of kids sitting in the row in front of us and my twosome exclaim almost in unison 'that was the most boring movie I've seen.' Wonder who Vidhu Vinod Chopra would want to slap now - the critics, the adults or the baba log?

I, though have only myself to blame. Had I listened to Zafar's words and read this review by Khaled Mohammed, I'd have saved myself the grief and been mildly satisfied with the DVD. It would have meant the luxury of forwarding at least half the movie. As Khaled rightly points out about the characters - "All of them are as unbelievable as apple trees in Andheri."

Now, if the selectors for the 'O' list still don't get it, here is the plea. Please don't even think of sending it to the Oscars. Never mind the setting and cinematography....Boman Irani aka the King's rendition of the Shakespearen sonnets are enough to wilt even the rosiest of roses. And that's just the start. Best to keep those daggers drawn.