Limping back to normal...
I'm back!!! Will refrain from adding "...with a bang", because
I've mostly been in the middle of one the last 7 days.
Oct 11, 2002
Solved the whatizzit !
I finally know! It's been a source of curiosity for the last few days and I finally have an answer. Not to "what is the Supreme Question to which the answer is 42", but what "Yaara da tashan" means.
Aamir Khan's Coca Cola ad with him doing the Punjabi farmer signs off with that extremely vernacular line and it had been mystifying for a lot of us. But thanks to a guy called Kamlesh (no mean "Punjabbee" accenter himself), we found out that tashan is sort of slang for "style". So what Aamir Khan the farmer means to say in response to "Tussi great ho" is "Yeah baby! That's my cool style" (or words to that effect in Punjabi of course).
I can go back to worrying about the world now that that thread is tied up.
I finally know! It's been a source of curiosity for the last few days and I finally have an answer. Not to "what is the Supreme Question to which the answer is 42", but what "Yaara da tashan" means.
Aamir Khan's Coca Cola ad with him doing the Punjabi farmer signs off with that extremely vernacular line and it had been mystifying for a lot of us. But thanks to a guy called Kamlesh (no mean "Punjabbee" accenter himself), we found out that tashan is sort of slang for "style". So what Aamir Khan the farmer means to say in response to "Tussi great ho" is "Yeah baby! That's my cool style" (or words to that effect in Punjabi of course).
I can go back to worrying about the world now that that thread is tied up.
Oct 8, 2002
Fast-forward or super slo-mo?
Watching Saving Private Ryan the other night, I couldn't help but be affected by the scenes in which the Allied soldiers rush madly towards the Normandy beaches, splashing about the beachheads. Not as affected by the graphic scenes of bullets-human rendezvous' as by the randomness of it all. All one can do is rush wildly ahead, just hoping the next bullet doesn't have one's name on it. Completely and utterly random. Except for Tom Hanks of course, being the protagonist, you know he's going to make it. But when the camera pauses, even fleetingly, on some other not-so-famous actor, you are wincing in anticipation of the bullet finding its mark on him. In one scene, one soldier's helmet gets in the way of a sniper shot. As he removes it to wonder at his good-luck amidst cries of "You lucky b***", another bullet crashes into his now unshielded head. Dramatic, yes. But believable in every way. And we don't even know if we're the chosen Hanks for the current scenes. We rush through our lives each day, and who's to say we won't swallow our death-pill in whatever method that day? But all we can do, like those soldiers who made it to the safety of the embankments that July day in Normandy (in piece or pieces) is to keep running full tilt, just hoping it won't be us to fall next. Maybe later, but not now. Our lives are the same, only played out in a much slower motion than a soldier who's running in complete panic and meets his end that much more instantaneously.
Watching Saving Private Ryan the other night, I couldn't help but be affected by the scenes in which the Allied soldiers rush madly towards the Normandy beaches, splashing about the beachheads. Not as affected by the graphic scenes of bullets-human rendezvous' as by the randomness of it all. All one can do is rush wildly ahead, just hoping the next bullet doesn't have one's name on it. Completely and utterly random. Except for Tom Hanks of course, being the protagonist, you know he's going to make it. But when the camera pauses, even fleetingly, on some other not-so-famous actor, you are wincing in anticipation of the bullet finding its mark on him. In one scene, one soldier's helmet gets in the way of a sniper shot. As he removes it to wonder at his good-luck amidst cries of "You lucky b***", another bullet crashes into his now unshielded head. Dramatic, yes. But believable in every way. And we don't even know if we're the chosen Hanks for the current scenes. We rush through our lives each day, and who's to say we won't swallow our death-pill in whatever method that day? But all we can do, like those soldiers who made it to the safety of the embankments that July day in Normandy (in piece or pieces) is to keep running full tilt, just hoping it won't be us to fall next. Maybe later, but not now. Our lives are the same, only played out in a much slower motion than a soldier who's running in complete panic and meets his end that much more instantaneously.
Oct 7, 2002
Of Dulcimers
A Dulcimer is one of those interestingly named musical instruments that probably enjoy some sort of exotic status. It just caught my attention 'cos Rahman has (like Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy and the trivially famous digderidoo) used a dulcimer in a song in his latest release Kaadhal Virus. It's credited to a guy called John Asher (on whom a Google Search seemed to indicate that he is a well-known exponent in that instrument). I'm not exactly sure what it sounds like, 'cos that song had a couple of quaint instruments alongside. Anyway, here are some links which at least tell one what a dulcimer looks like: this, some history, and this.
A Dulcimer is one of those interestingly named musical instruments that probably enjoy some sort of exotic status. It just caught my attention 'cos Rahman has (like Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy and the trivially famous digderidoo) used a dulcimer in a song in his latest release Kaadhal Virus. It's credited to a guy called John Asher (on whom a Google Search seemed to indicate that he is a well-known exponent in that instrument). I'm not exactly sure what it sounds like, 'cos that song had a couple of quaint instruments alongside. Anyway, here are some links which at least tell one what a dulcimer looks like: this, some history, and this.
Oct 6, 2002
Next stop is...
Ajmer's Mayo College for the Mastermind Semi-Finals on the 9th & 10th of November. Ajmer is also the favourite location of leaders, especially for those across the border, Ajmer is home to the memory of Khwaja Moinuddin Chisti. My topic this time is the Life & Works of R.K.Laxman. I have met him once (in COEP), and don't know if that will help along with the parochial Tamilian & Punekar connections.
Ajmer's Mayo College for the Mastermind Semi-Finals on the 9th & 10th of November. Ajmer is also the favourite location of leaders, especially for those across the border, Ajmer is home to the memory of Khwaja Moinuddin Chisti. My topic this time is the Life & Works of R.K.Laxman. I have met him once (in COEP), and don't know if that will help along with the parochial Tamilian & Punekar connections.
Oct 3, 2002
Blugging
<End sociable, instructive Voiceover>
What is blugging? Blugging is the emerging art of Blog Plugging. Yes, all copyright to the word vests with me. But what is blugging all about? Let's take what these management chaps call a case study.
<Cut to Educational Video Style Picture>
Walking down the street, I bump into someone quite intent on keeping his eyes firmly fixed on the pavement stones. Having interrupted this worthy occupation, I step back with apologies. So does he... But what is this? It's my old friend Sudhir Vinod, dressed in an ill-fitting white suit.
It took me a minute to inveigle the sob story. In his own words: "Well you know, everyone was talking about this
new technological and social phenomenon called blogging. I've never been one to shy away from the popular trends (and he hadn't, his little moss-on-chin-masquerading-as-goatee was ample testimony), so I had to jump on to this blogging bandwagon ASAP." In response to a question, he shot back "Of course, I have an internet connection. What do you think I am? I almost went to the US, you know." What that had to do with his dialup was not so evident. "So I went to this site and started up my very own blog. It took me three days of hard labour while I set up my templates, but some fiend-in-friend's-disguise told me to use this comment box idea, which seemed to be in perpetual strike. But I persevered, and at the cost of not studying for my GRE, I got my own comment box. I have to pay 200 rupees every month to a guy for that, but atleast it works. Then I put up my first post". So what was the problem? "I didn't notice this at first, but after three days, I didn't see a single comment left by anyone. It just broke my heart. I even learnt HTML programming at that institute for 2 weeks for my blogging."
<Fade out Educational Video Style Picture>
<Start Friendly, Informative Voiceover>
As you saw, our friend did everything right except the final stage. He didn't practise the fine art of "blugging" or Plugging for your own Blog (The motto is: If you won't, who will?). What he should've done is plug, advertise, spread the word. Take every opportunity, every meeting, every passing hello, every 2 line email to solicit viewership. Let us see some of the popular strategies that will help YOU (And I'm pointing at the middle of the screen as I say this) become a popular blogger.
- Make sure they get the message:
When you start your conversation with anyone (I mean A-N-Y-O-N-E! Don't be shy to approach total strangers!), find a way to steer the conversation to blogging. Like:
"Do you keep any pets?" "I used to have a dog as a kid. That reminds me, have you read my blog?".
"I hate those boys, ya. They always keep passing comments on my hair, ya." "Is that so? Don't you wish you could pass a comment? I think you should visit my blog."
See? Nothing obtrusive about that. Subtle hints will do for the usual targets. - Be a barnacle, Keep going after them:
You've just run into someone you gave your blog url a month ago. You haven't seen his comment on the blog. Don't be shy and let him get away with that! (People love to be asked to visit sites. Perhaps many bloggers asked him to visit, and he just forgot to visit yours.) Remind him. Note his reaction. Some of the smart-alecs may say they've read your blog. You have two ways to nail the bugger (Note: no typo here, I don't mean "blogger"): Give him the test and ask him to name atleast one subject of a post from your blog over the last week. Or tell him the blogger's rule: Only the presence of comments proves he's been reading your post.
Having done this, you can always give him a reminder call, preferably at night, when he'd have a lot of free surfing time. Will also keep him out of trouble (I'm giving you a dig in the side, as I wink and chuckle knowingly). - Use it to bookmark your speaking:
Simple rule of thumb: mention your blog every 10 sentences you utter. You need practice here as you should get creative here to avoid boring yourself. Work into your conversation. Like:
"You know the funniest thing happened to me today. The Shift key in my keyboard got stuck and I just couldn't type McDonald while posting on my blog, by the way, did you know I have a blog? No? Well, it's at...". That simple. - Try Quid Pro Quo
The best way to ensure a regular commenting flow is to get into a self-locking, mutually circular blogging and commenting mechanism. Simply start commenting on a new blogger's blog. If he/she responds, you've just made significant progress towards ensuring comments. It's like courtship followed by a long relationship. For the blog-pal potentially brings newer viewers. But you too have to keep your end of the deal up (Darwin's rules apply, bloggers enter into strategic deals with those whose link columns are seen to be bulging. Size does matter).
But remember: if you both get intimate (speaking blogwise) enough to link to each other's blog, you must do it in a "is-haath-lé-us-haath-dé" single handshake, to avoid wild recriminations. The laws concerning cyber-contracts are still hazy. - Content ain't king:
Once you have a dedicated viewership that you have managed to get comments from, and you've got them using your blog as part of their daily reading, no one cares what you put on the blog. So you can devote your energies into exploring newer markets, such as the virgin Zambian and Assyrian cyberspaces. You do need to keep the comments on your quid-pro-quo-ed friends, where the odd "Oh dude! Way to go" or "Cannot believe that!" type vague notes should suffice on the days you couldn't be bothered to read another's tripe, especially moments after you did some tripe-typing of your own.
<End sociable, instructive Voiceover>
<Cut Back to Educational Video Style Picture>
I ran into Sudhir Vinod, who despite his little almost-chic goatee, was looking quite happy. It has worked! "So how's everything?" "Quite fine, quite well." "Get a lot of people in daily?" "Oh yeah! The mums love it!" That's a niche audience that I didn't think would be blog-friendly. But you always learn something new everyday in this business. "And how are the comments?" "I'm inundated! I keep aside my Saturday just to read all of them.". Wow! "Especially the last episode. That had the letters pouring in". Hang on. "You mean the last post , right?". "What post? Oh, you mean that whole blogging infatuation?. I've gotten over it man. Where are you? That's so passé. Move on man. I have my own television software company which makes these serials like "Gomti Ganga ki Gatha" and you must've seen my..."
<Frantic Dissolve from Educational Video Style Picture amidst calls for "Cut it, dammit">
All Jaané Bhi Do Yaaron references are intended to be an unnecessary plug for the movie. If you haven't seen it yet, perhaps your isolation by alien beings worked a shade too well.
Worth more than a blink
- How much can you push the idea of a mirror site? Here's one extreme example, a mirror of Google. Try lateral vision...
- More from Deepa Gahlot on woman-centric films here. She used to be a neighbour of my relative's a long time ago, and given her background, I'd give her views on this matter a good read.
- And a note on *the* Scrabble contest. (link could have moved elsewhere)
Oct 2, 2002
Bombay Dreams revisited
Bombay Dreams (now officially a surprise hit on the London stage) will be going on Broadway (set to premiere in 2004). I got my first chance a few days ago to listen to all the songs together. There were a few interesting songs, but on a whole, it probably is nowhere near some of his other albums. Lots of orchestration (a trend towards which ARR has been leaning towards, not having what I call a lot of "silence", i.e songs which have very few but distinct instruments and hence a lot of scope for that instrument to break through, which marked some of his classics) is evident in the songs. Shakalaka Baby is surprisingly better than its original (it has been reworked). I can only think of one other instance where a Rahman remake has been better than the original : Que Sera from Pukar ,which was a whole lot better than the one from En Swaasa Kaatre. Like an Eagle (funny lyrics), Salaam Bombay & Wedding Qawaali (shades of his peti magic with Kannalanne or Kehna hi kya from Bombay). But Love's Never Easy a.k.a Taal's Ishq Bina doesn't quite work out for me.
In more Rahman news, Kaadhal Virus is his next Tamil release, which will be out this week. Supposedly Saathiya promos will be on in the middle of October. Wonder how Pachai Nirame is going to look and sound on le Oberoi & la Mukherjee.
Rahman has sometimes shown an inclination to using certain instruments more often or to more effect. I call them the violin songs (some from Taal, Puthiya Mugam), the Mridangam songs (a few from Sangamam, Indira), the train songs (Chikku Bukku from Gentleman, Chaiyya Chaiyya), the sea songs (Tu Hi Re, Nahin Saamne), the percussion scores (Rangeela, Thiruda Thiruda) and so on. I got hold of Anthimanthaarai, directed by Bharatiraja which had a couple of songs (the songs are not in the film) which are quite great. The santoor (I think) and mridangam in Sakhiye, sung by Unnikrishnan & Swarnalatha's rendition in Oru Naal are quite enchanting. The opening piece in Sakhiye is quite superb, IMO. Wish I had a better musical vocabulary to express better what these songs are like!
Bombay Dreams (now officially a surprise hit on the London stage) will be going on Broadway (set to premiere in 2004). I got my first chance a few days ago to listen to all the songs together. There were a few interesting songs, but on a whole, it probably is nowhere near some of his other albums. Lots of orchestration (a trend towards which ARR has been leaning towards, not having what I call a lot of "silence", i.e songs which have very few but distinct instruments and hence a lot of scope for that instrument to break through, which marked some of his classics) is evident in the songs. Shakalaka Baby is surprisingly better than its original (it has been reworked). I can only think of one other instance where a Rahman remake has been better than the original : Que Sera from Pukar ,which was a whole lot better than the one from En Swaasa Kaatre. Like an Eagle (funny lyrics), Salaam Bombay & Wedding Qawaali (shades of his peti magic with Kannalanne or Kehna hi kya from Bombay). But Love's Never Easy a.k.a Taal's Ishq Bina doesn't quite work out for me.
In more Rahman news, Kaadhal Virus is his next Tamil release, which will be out this week. Supposedly Saathiya promos will be on in the middle of October. Wonder how Pachai Nirame is going to look and sound on le Oberoi & la Mukherjee.
Rahman has sometimes shown an inclination to using certain instruments more often or to more effect. I call them the violin songs (some from Taal, Puthiya Mugam), the Mridangam songs (a few from Sangamam, Indira), the train songs (Chikku Bukku from Gentleman, Chaiyya Chaiyya), the sea songs (Tu Hi Re, Nahin Saamne), the percussion scores (Rangeela, Thiruda Thiruda) and so on. I got hold of Anthimanthaarai, directed by Bharatiraja which had a couple of songs (the songs are not in the film) which are quite great. The santoor (I think) and mridangam in Sakhiye, sung by Unnikrishnan & Swarnalatha's rendition in Oru Naal are quite enchanting. The opening piece in Sakhiye is quite superb, IMO. Wish I had a better musical vocabulary to express better what these songs are like!
Legends of Cricket
It's the old game-within-the-game (Hamlet would've been proud) : Making lists of the "greatest" cricketers ever. ESPN indulges in it this time, but as always, there is a certain amount of dignity involved and some of us can't stop watching bio-shows on the great cricketers. The name is "Legends of Cricket" and the aim is to get 50 this time, and the show kicked off with the chaps in the 50-26 bracket (Lara was in it) accompanied by short notes from some very distinguished cricketers. The rest of the 25 get an episode each devoted to them. Surprisingly, it's a daily show (at 8.30 pm with no repeats observed so far). Sachin, Kapil & Gavaskar will definitely be the Indians in the list. Perhaps there may be Chandrasekar. My guesses for the top 3: 1. Gary Sobers 2. Don Bradman 3. Viv Richards. Warne would probably be the greatest bowler, or maybe Wasim Akram. It has been good so far.
It's the old game-within-the-game (Hamlet would've been proud) : Making lists of the "greatest" cricketers ever. ESPN indulges in it this time, but as always, there is a certain amount of dignity involved and some of us can't stop watching bio-shows on the great cricketers. The name is "Legends of Cricket" and the aim is to get 50 this time, and the show kicked off with the chaps in the 50-26 bracket (Lara was in it) accompanied by short notes from some very distinguished cricketers. The rest of the 25 get an episode each devoted to them. Surprisingly, it's a daily show (at 8.30 pm with no repeats observed so far). Sachin, Kapil & Gavaskar will definitely be the Indians in the list. Perhaps there may be Chandrasekar. My guesses for the top 3: 1. Gary Sobers 2. Don Bradman 3. Viv Richards. Warne would probably be the greatest bowler, or maybe Wasim Akram. It has been good so far.
UP-SET MAX
The recent ICC Champions Trophy was a trailer in more ways than one, cricketing-wise and otherwise. In my opinion, it didn't help one bit in identifying potential World Cup winners, as the conditions were exactly the opposite to those in Zuid Afrika. There was probably a bit of careful mucking around with the umpiring and a chance for the ICC members to indulge in some quiet (and routine) backroom shenanigans.
But that ain't the subject of this post. The telecast of the Trophy gave us an idea as to potentially how bad the World Cup cricket presentation is going to be on the Sony Channels, the people who've bought the rights to the show. Quite clearly, their idea of a presentation is derivative from their primary business: that of soaps & films. Whoever had the incredible brainwave of hiring Ruby Bhatia (a Canadian Indian, Canada being a country that supposedly played the first big cricket match in the 19th century versus the US, and has ever since followed its Southern neighbour in thankfully keeping its paws out of the good game) has presented a good argument in favour of retaining the death penalty. Add to this such attractions such as Fardeen Khan, Ma Prem Rithambara (Tarot Card reader who would make all sorts of predictions - wonder if she swept the Predikta contest that was running alongside on Max?). And when you consider that the "experts" consisted of Srikkanth, Farokh Engineer, Mahanama & Kapil (all decent cricketers, but not so hot at the mike & the headphones), your stomach did the rescuing act each time Extraaaa (painful) Innings came on. Only Barry Richards held on to his honour. Srikkanth got into Arjuna Ranatunga's hair a lot (and I'm sure Arjuna Ranatunga would've swatted Krish Srikkanth if Srikkanth had just been an annoying member of Sri Lankan Parliament.) Tony Greig probably watches a lot of Zee News, nothing else would explain his "we were the first to tell you this tiny piece of rubbish" quotes. Charu Sharma should be banished to covering Kabaddi for all his "aiding-and-abetting" acts.
So what's the film going to be like in six months time? One can only shudder in answer. Rumours abound that News Corp will try and squeeze Sony in the rights game. Sony has a great chance to see their golden goose lay an egg : a stone one. Any solutions? Monopolies for Espn-Star perhaps? The last World Cup telecast was quite brilliant. And there was no Sidhu too then (But I'll take him as the pinch of salt, rather than watch Ms. Bhatia look at head-to-head comparisons and ask what they were. Lay off!)
The recent ICC Champions Trophy was a trailer in more ways than one, cricketing-wise and otherwise. In my opinion, it didn't help one bit in identifying potential World Cup winners, as the conditions were exactly the opposite to those in Zuid Afrika. There was probably a bit of careful mucking around with the umpiring and a chance for the ICC members to indulge in some quiet (and routine) backroom shenanigans.
But that ain't the subject of this post. The telecast of the Trophy gave us an idea as to potentially how bad the World Cup cricket presentation is going to be on the Sony Channels, the people who've bought the rights to the show. Quite clearly, their idea of a presentation is derivative from their primary business: that of soaps & films. Whoever had the incredible brainwave of hiring Ruby Bhatia (a Canadian Indian, Canada being a country that supposedly played the first big cricket match in the 19th century versus the US, and has ever since followed its Southern neighbour in thankfully keeping its paws out of the good game) has presented a good argument in favour of retaining the death penalty. Add to this such attractions such as Fardeen Khan, Ma Prem Rithambara (Tarot Card reader who would make all sorts of predictions - wonder if she swept the Predikta contest that was running alongside on Max?). And when you consider that the "experts" consisted of Srikkanth, Farokh Engineer, Mahanama & Kapil (all decent cricketers, but not so hot at the mike & the headphones), your stomach did the rescuing act each time Extraaaa (painful) Innings came on. Only Barry Richards held on to his honour. Srikkanth got into Arjuna Ranatunga's hair a lot (and I'm sure Arjuna Ranatunga would've swatted Krish Srikkanth if Srikkanth had just been an annoying member of Sri Lankan Parliament.) Tony Greig probably watches a lot of Zee News, nothing else would explain his "we were the first to tell you this tiny piece of rubbish" quotes. Charu Sharma should be banished to covering Kabaddi for all his "aiding-and-abetting" acts.
So what's the film going to be like in six months time? One can only shudder in answer. Rumours abound that News Corp will try and squeeze Sony in the rights game. Sony has a great chance to see their golden goose lay an egg : a stone one. Any solutions? Monopolies for Espn-Star perhaps? The last World Cup telecast was quite brilliant. And there was no Sidhu too then (But I'll take him as the pinch of salt, rather than watch Ms. Bhatia look at head-to-head comparisons and ask what they were. Lay off!)
Holidaaaaaay!
It has been a while since my last real holiday, and so I'm pretty grateful for the off day today. Saturdays & Sundays don't really qualify in my case, because of all the stuff that I have to do on the weekends, and the last few weekday-leaves uncannily invited urgent work. I get the feeling I'm working 7 days a week: 5 days for someone else and 2 days for myself (there is an element of strain even here, pressure to enjoy every moment of the holiday). The occasion duly commemorated by catching a few winks in the middle of the day, something that doesn't come to me naturally. Very Churchillian.
It has been a while since my last real holiday, and so I'm pretty grateful for the off day today. Saturdays & Sundays don't really qualify in my case, because of all the stuff that I have to do on the weekends, and the last few weekday-leaves uncannily invited urgent work. I get the feeling I'm working 7 days a week: 5 days for someone else and 2 days for myself (there is an element of strain even here, pressure to enjoy every moment of the holiday). The occasion duly commemorated by catching a few winks in the middle of the day, something that doesn't come to me naturally. Very Churchillian.
Sep 17, 2002
Now where have I heard that?
Now, it's no big deal when it becomes apparent that a new song is stolen. lifted, inspired, remixed (depending on what side of the musical divide you stand) from an earlier tune. People shrug their shoulders and move on to enjoying the next song (till they discover its origins). Things have come to such a pass that Bappi Lahiri wakes up one fine day and receives a mighty jolt: somebody has replicated his tune (I use the word "his" hesitatingly). This actually happened if you think I'm joking (George had this post on that topic). But what nobody has seen fit to spotlight is the state of the poor playback singer putting to audio, notes from a paper which a 30-paise kerosene xerox just spat out.
I got to thinking of this on hearing the title song from Hum Tumhare Hain Sanam & Dil Laga Liya from Kundan Shah's Dil Hai Tumhara (BTW, is this the same man who made the cult Jaane Bhi Do Yaaron or has he been replaced by some evil twin from the eight planet of Masalawood?). The reason for their being as dissimilar as two round, green peas in a pod for two, is the fact that the music directors of the 2 films were listening to the same Pakistani radio show, and drew unflinchingly from the same well. Now having digressed enough, what I'm interested in is: are the music directors considerate enough not to invite the same singers?
Consider this: a poor playback artiste does 6 songs each day. Having finished one recording, she rushes to studio B to record her next hit (everyone is agreed on this: the song that is being recorded will be the next most popular jingle since "Happy Birthday to you"). Going through the mandatory antaras & mukhdas, a vague sense of déjà vu knocks the door. She bravely fights it off, only to be kayoed back when she hears the music gushing through her ears via the headphones: the tune is identical to the one she just finished doing in studio A. Here, if the playback singer had a degree in Computer Science with an inclination towards Optimizing Theory, she'd pull out a cassette with the earlier recording and ask the techs. at this studio to make a copy. Everyone goes home early that day.
But seriously, can't these "creative persons" take the pain to atleast alter the tunes?
Their motto in life? 'Ditto!'
Now, it's no big deal when it becomes apparent that a new song is stolen. lifted, inspired, remixed (depending on what side of the musical divide you stand) from an earlier tune. People shrug their shoulders and move on to enjoying the next song (till they discover its origins). Things have come to such a pass that Bappi Lahiri wakes up one fine day and receives a mighty jolt: somebody has replicated his tune (I use the word "his" hesitatingly). This actually happened if you think I'm joking (George had this post on that topic). But what nobody has seen fit to spotlight is the state of the poor playback singer putting to audio, notes from a paper which a 30-paise kerosene xerox just spat out.
I got to thinking of this on hearing the title song from Hum Tumhare Hain Sanam & Dil Laga Liya from Kundan Shah's Dil Hai Tumhara (BTW, is this the same man who made the cult Jaane Bhi Do Yaaron or has he been replaced by some evil twin from the eight planet of Masalawood?). The reason for their being as dissimilar as two round, green peas in a pod for two, is the fact that the music directors of the 2 films were listening to the same Pakistani radio show, and drew unflinchingly from the same well. Now having digressed enough, what I'm interested in is: are the music directors considerate enough not to invite the same singers?
Consider this: a poor playback artiste does 6 songs each day. Having finished one recording, she rushes to studio B to record her next hit (everyone is agreed on this: the song that is being recorded will be the next most popular jingle since "Happy Birthday to you"). Going through the mandatory antaras & mukhdas, a vague sense of déjà vu knocks the door. She bravely fights it off, only to be kayoed back when she hears the music gushing through her ears via the headphones: the tune is identical to the one she just finished doing in studio A. Here, if the playback singer had a degree in Computer Science with an inclination towards Optimizing Theory, she'd pull out a cassette with the earlier recording and ask the techs. at this studio to make a copy. Everyone goes home early that day.
But seriously, can't these "creative persons" take the pain to atleast alter the tunes?
Their motto in life? 'Ditto!'
Frasier more often
The sitcom Frasier is like this little gem that brightens up the dark night: atleast those nights that I can watch it (Competition for the remote is fierce but civilized at home). It now airs each weeknight and the lives of the Cranes entertains quite unlike others. For me, it is the wittiest show on air for there hardly are any creative compromises, no "the-majority-will-not-get-this-gag-lets-water-it-down" tricks, no loud attention-attracting devices. The acting is of the highest calibre with Kelsey Grammer, David Hyde-Pierce & John Mahoney leading the pack (They deserve every cent of their reputedly rooftop-breaking salaries). The comedic timing is good, so much so that even Moose, the spunky dog that plays Eddie can only be called "gifted". But most of all, it is a writer's triumph. A recent news item noted that Frasier now has the most Emmies, each of them richly deserved. Interestingly, the character Dr. Frasier Crane (created by Glen & Les Charles as a glance at the credits will tell you) appears in an earlier show called Cheers that you might catch on Star World in the afternoons. It is played by Kelsey Grammer himself, and seemingly like Robin Williams' Mork from Happy Days was turned into the series Mork & Mindy, Grammer seems to have forked a path out in the tube-world. For trivia-mongers, Woody Harrelson also appears in Cheers.
The sitcom Frasier is like this little gem that brightens up the dark night: atleast those nights that I can watch it (Competition for the remote is fierce but civilized at home). It now airs each weeknight and the lives of the Cranes entertains quite unlike others. For me, it is the wittiest show on air for there hardly are any creative compromises, no "the-majority-will-not-get-this-gag-lets-water-it-down" tricks, no loud attention-attracting devices. The acting is of the highest calibre with Kelsey Grammer, David Hyde-Pierce & John Mahoney leading the pack (They deserve every cent of their reputedly rooftop-breaking salaries). The comedic timing is good, so much so that even Moose, the spunky dog that plays Eddie can only be called "gifted". But most of all, it is a writer's triumph. A recent news item noted that Frasier now has the most Emmies, each of them richly deserved. Interestingly, the character Dr. Frasier Crane (created by Glen & Les Charles as a glance at the credits will tell you) appears in an earlier show called Cheers that you might catch on Star World in the afternoons. It is played by Kelsey Grammer himself, and seemingly like Robin Williams' Mork from Happy Days was turned into the series Mork & Mindy, Grammer seems to have forked a path out in the tube-world. For trivia-mongers, Woody Harrelson also appears in Cheers.
Sep 15, 2002
And the movies on TV that caught the eye
- Groundhog Day is one of those movies that don't boast of Oscar glory or aren't hyped in roaring
Saturday Mega Movie!!! trailers, but are a good advert for movies. No viewing hassles.
Featuring Bill Murray & Andie MacDowell, Groundhog Day has a very interesting story line,
and is a feel-good movie that will make you feel exactly that way: good. Do remember to look up the meaning
of déjà vu if you watch the film.
- Annie Hall is typically Woody Allen and is arguably his most famous film. It scooped four Oscars
(most unusual for a comedy, can't think of any such occurence after that until Shakespeare in Love),
notably Best Picture, Best Director for Allen, Best Actress for Diane Keaton and Best Writing (shared by Allen).
The tale is of a romance with Annie Hall, told through the eyes of Alyy Singer, and features the usual gamut of Allen's
neurotic concerns with being Jewish, the women in his life, New York and depression. George had a post on Zelig, another Allen film . A peeve with Allen is that the plots of his
films tend to revolve around the same themes, marked by the now-classic Woody Allen hesitant dialogue delivery.
I also read the script. There are some interesting narrative methods: Actors break off to address the audience, and often characters go back in the past, observing themselves or others in innovative flashback sequences. But for most, it probably is a film most likely to be appreciated by Americans themselves, and I don't think I can get everything in it. It thus wouldn't go down in my all-time list, but I'll cross one more out out of my top-films-to-watch list.
A George-like observation on an in-joke: Allen & Keaton refer to The Godfather (I forget exactly where, I think outside a movie theatre). Keaton, of course, starred in a brace of Godfather movies made before Annie Hall as Kay, wife of Michael Corleone. - Sense And Sensibility aired today. Ang Lee's film version of the Jane Austen novel was also an Oscar
success, mostly for Emma Thompson, who was Best Supporting Actress and won Best Adapted Screenplay. The
film also features British actors, Hugh Grant (who also had a tiny role in another old-world British film,
The Remains of the Day) & Kate Winslet. Interestingly, as I type this, I'm listening to a few songs from A.R. Rahman's score for Kandukondain Kandukondain, which is Rajeev Menon's Tamil adaptation of
Sense & Sensibility (Another multistarrer, which had non-Tamilians heading most of its lead cast with Mamootty, Tabu, Aishwarya Rai & Abbas. Ajith was the odd Tamil out.). Rahman had another hit that same year, Mani Ratnam's Alai Payuthey. Kandukondain... was also released in select non-Tamilian centres like Mumbai,
in the original Tamil with subtitles, an experiment born out of the debacle of Sapnay, the dubbed version
of Minsara Kanavu, Menon's debut. It did surprisingly well and enjoyed good reviews. I have yet to see
both Alai Payuthey & Kandukondain Kandukondain. Alai Payuthey is being made into Hindi
as Saathiya which marks the directorial debut of Shaad Ali, son of Muzaffar Ali (of Umrao Jaan fame) & Subhashini Ali. He's been assisting Ratnam for a while now (He also appears somewhere in Dil Se). Will also be the full romantic debut of Vivek Oberoi. In the original, counterpart R. Madhavan shot to superstardom with Alai Payuthey.
- And finally, Sun TV had two of Mani Ratnam's most successful films, Agni Nakshatram & Nayakan on consecutive Sundays. The former is his, AFAIK, first multistarrer and the latter is one more Kamalhaasan singlehanded acting lesson.
Music that's catching
Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy have a Hindi film music release in Yeh Kya Ho Raha Hai (rumoured to be a dési American Pie). The music seems reminiscent of their biggest hit, Dil Chahta Hai, and so were the visuals of the aspiring actors & actresses who seem to have done their share of acting classes and modelling assignments, in short nothing strikingly new. I liked one song bit though, Yeh Sama has Shantanu Mukherjee (a.k.a Shaan) crooning. Sadly, I couldn't identify the female voice. The other songs that I caught didn't strike a chord for me, not yet.
Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy have a Hindi film music release in Yeh Kya Ho Raha Hai (rumoured to be a dési American Pie). The music seems reminiscent of their biggest hit, Dil Chahta Hai, and so were the visuals of the aspiring actors & actresses who seem to have done their share of acting classes and modelling assignments, in short nothing strikingly new. I liked one song bit though, Yeh Sama has Shantanu Mukherjee (a.k.a Shaan) crooning. Sadly, I couldn't identify the female voice. The other songs that I caught didn't strike a chord for me, not yet.
The Iraqi Bombshell
Hanging about BBC World for the last couple of days gave me a chance to see a very interesting group discussion Question Time New York. Nothing new in the format which would be familiar to Indians as Question Time India with the NDTV faces. I had given up watching such "TV Debates" such as the Big Fight on Star News, the action is repetitive and so are the issues and there is no fun in seeing antics and hearing noises that would shame any self-respecting Ganesh Mandal loudspeaker. Indian politicians do not have any graces, and the ones that do have nothing new to offer. So what got QTNY my sticky eyeballs was not the topic (The usual range of UN speeches last week with the Iraqi Bombing threat), but the rather animated audience and the sight of Michael Moore (author & filmmaker) taking on two Republican Hawks.
The point was this: is Dubya justified in making plans to bomb Bad Boy Saddam, possibly unilaterally? (as his rather open threat further demolished any pieces of respect the UN had: bomb with me or I bomb alone.) The arguments were fascinating, especially when one British member of the audience invoked the ghost of the Chamberlain fiasco of 1938. Another question brought the house down: Does the UK have its so called "special relationship" with the US solely to hang on its historic notions of greatness? The British Secy. of Defence, on the panel, was clearly discomfited. (As an aside, I sometimes feel Churchill, statesman as he was, was somewhat responsible in the US ascendancy by his wooing of the Americans to play a super-role in WW2.) Moore kept reminding the GOP panelists (clearly annoyed) how the US equipped the villains with all the weapons they now brandished against the Yanks. Their response: it's a question of self-defence. But their clear reluctance to make crucial admissions (remember that out of the last 6 White House administrations, 4 have been Republican, and most of the supposed arms transfers happened in the period when George Bush Sr. was the head of the CIA or was Veep or President. Clearly a point of potential embarassment.)
Can the cop bust the baddy with the bad record on the suspicion that he's going to commit a crime? Precogs, anyone? Can the UN blacklist the US for murdering the environment in full view of the world?
Hanging about BBC World for the last couple of days gave me a chance to see a very interesting group discussion Question Time New York. Nothing new in the format which would be familiar to Indians as Question Time India with the NDTV faces. I had given up watching such "TV Debates" such as the Big Fight on Star News, the action is repetitive and so are the issues and there is no fun in seeing antics and hearing noises that would shame any self-respecting Ganesh Mandal loudspeaker. Indian politicians do not have any graces, and the ones that do have nothing new to offer. So what got QTNY my sticky eyeballs was not the topic (The usual range of UN speeches last week with the Iraqi Bombing threat), but the rather animated audience and the sight of Michael Moore (author & filmmaker) taking on two Republican Hawks.
The point was this: is Dubya justified in making plans to bomb Bad Boy Saddam, possibly unilaterally? (as his rather open threat further demolished any pieces of respect the UN had: bomb with me or I bomb alone.) The arguments were fascinating, especially when one British member of the audience invoked the ghost of the Chamberlain fiasco of 1938. Another question brought the house down: Does the UK have its so called "special relationship" with the US solely to hang on its historic notions of greatness? The British Secy. of Defence, on the panel, was clearly discomfited. (As an aside, I sometimes feel Churchill, statesman as he was, was somewhat responsible in the US ascendancy by his wooing of the Americans to play a super-role in WW2.) Moore kept reminding the GOP panelists (clearly annoyed) how the US equipped the villains with all the weapons they now brandished against the Yanks. Their response: it's a question of self-defence. But their clear reluctance to make crucial admissions (remember that out of the last 6 White House administrations, 4 have been Republican, and most of the supposed arms transfers happened in the period when George Bush Sr. was the head of the CIA or was Veep or President. Clearly a point of potential embarassment.)
Can the cop bust the baddy with the bad record on the suspicion that he's going to commit a crime? Precogs, anyone? Can the UN blacklist the US for murdering the environment in full view of the world?
I've started...
...and it's not finished yet. My Mastermind episode aired finally last Thursday, the 12th of September and I'm glad 9-12 passed without incident. And for those with no access to television with BBC India feeds, or for those who got plain lucky and were nowhere near Channel 13 or whichever number, I did win my preliminary round. I'm not sure if you've had the experience, but I have. I'm referring to the curious trick by which the telly conks off, or cable decides to take the rest of the day off, or the electricity folks play with the Off button when you want to watch something desperately. It has happened to me quite a number of times, most recently when I contrived to spend my time making out the England v Argentina grudge encounter in lines of gloriously grey static, that time MSEB doing the honours. I've become a bit of a stoic sage in such matters, and so I would've probably shrugged the shoulders if Thursday was another addition to the list. But all the publicity to friends and relatives would've been in vain, and so it was a relief that they did get to watch a known face do well.
Mass mobilisation of the above kind did take a bit out of me, and was vaguely reminiscent of handing out invites to weddings, where forgetting someone could cause a mini-butterfly effect. I think I did get to everyone. I now have a unabashed salute to wave to the organisers of political rallies : mass mobilisation, as I note above, is tough!
I am aware of the common cliché in interviews: the phone kept ringing continuously, the occasion being some achievement, minor & major, or yet another scandal. I got a few calls after the episode aired, actually immediately after, causing my parents to believe I was in one long call where I was switching with four. My advice to Mastermind participants: keep the phone instrument in working order, as you'll probably be requiring it to do overtime. Preferably, strike a deal with the telephone dept, as you could be generating some valuable revenue.
...and it's not finished yet. My Mastermind episode aired finally last Thursday, the 12th of September and I'm glad 9-12 passed without incident. And for those with no access to television with BBC India feeds, or for those who got plain lucky and were nowhere near Channel 13 or whichever number, I did win my preliminary round. I'm not sure if you've had the experience, but I have. I'm referring to the curious trick by which the telly conks off, or cable decides to take the rest of the day off, or the electricity folks play with the Off button when you want to watch something desperately. It has happened to me quite a number of times, most recently when I contrived to spend my time making out the England v Argentina grudge encounter in lines of gloriously grey static, that time MSEB doing the honours. I've become a bit of a stoic sage in such matters, and so I would've probably shrugged the shoulders if Thursday was another addition to the list. But all the publicity to friends and relatives would've been in vain, and so it was a relief that they did get to watch a known face do well.
Mass mobilisation of the above kind did take a bit out of me, and was vaguely reminiscent of handing out invites to weddings, where forgetting someone could cause a mini-butterfly effect. I think I did get to everyone. I now have a unabashed salute to wave to the organisers of political rallies : mass mobilisation, as I note above, is tough!
I am aware of the common cliché in interviews: the phone kept ringing continuously, the occasion being some achievement, minor & major, or yet another scandal. I got a few calls after the episode aired, actually immediately after, causing my parents to believe I was in one long call where I was switching with four. My advice to Mastermind participants: keep the phone instrument in working order, as you'll probably be requiring it to do overtime. Preferably, strike a deal with the telephone dept, as you could be generating some valuable revenue.
Sep 4, 2002
All about Sachin
Keep the encomiums coming! The maestro plays test match no. 100 and Rediff has a special tribute.
The Times of India will have theirs tomorrow, on the first day of the Oval test.
Keep the encomiums coming! The maestro plays test match no. 100 and Rediff has a special tribute.
The Times of India will have theirs tomorrow, on the first day of the Oval test.
Aug 28, 2002
Cricket Reports
I took Gaurav's suggestion keenly (a comment somewhere below), and checked some British newspapers for news on the Indian win at Headingley. The Times had managed to hide the content somewhere, so I'll try and read the print version at BCL (one point for BCL here). But I did get through to The Guardian and was rewarded for my snooping with their set of articles during and after the Leeds test. Read these and enjoy the fine art of cricket writing, especially "Bharat come back with a bhangra", "England tumble to Kumble", "Little Master overhauls the Don" & "Little prodigy already a big hit". Also features an article by Mike Brearley.
I took Gaurav's suggestion keenly (a comment somewhere below), and checked some British newspapers for news on the Indian win at Headingley. The Times had managed to hide the content somewhere, so I'll try and read the print version at BCL (one point for BCL here). But I did get through to The Guardian and was rewarded for my snooping with their set of articles during and after the Leeds test. Read these and enjoy the fine art of cricket writing, especially "Bharat come back with a bhangra", "England tumble to Kumble", "Little Master overhauls the Don" & "Little prodigy already a big hit". Also features an article by Mike Brearley.
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