Happy New Year - 2009 !!!

I spent my New Years Eve with Tanni and Raj, while they celebrate his bud-day by causing a partial blackout in Amritsar. All the while Bangalore played out fireworks. And Vividh Bharti played in background. And me packed my bags for the weekend trip. And made a list for my travel next weekend. And then a list of things-to-do the week-after onwards. More about all these later. Till then ...

Wish ya all a very Happy & Prosperous New Year !!!

Ghajini

I think this must be the first Hindi movie I have seen, in which the eponymous character was not hero or heroine or sidekick, but ... someone else.

The penultimate sequence which changes the course of Hero's life, that was so 1980-ish. I must have watched 100s of gorish voilent movies in my childhood, those being the 80s. But for this one I used my palm to screen out strategic locations on screen. I must saw, I did not see all 3 'smashing' scenes.

Kalpana track was the best one. Every single tale in it. Asin was definitely the best choice. If I watch Ghajini again (most probably not, but if I do), then it would only for those sequences which play out of the diaries.

Dialoges were good. That's what worked in the Sachin-Kalpana sequences. That plus Aamir-Asin acting ofcourse. But I loved it when 'Sarfarosh Sultan' says "Short-term memory loss patient" as a taunt, and repeatedly too.

'Bheka' and 'Kaise Mujhe' were beautifully sung and wonderfully picturised. 'Gujarish' was rendered very well by Javed Ali and Sonu Nigam's humming was good too.

Speaking of 'Kaise Mujhe', it was picturised in all night settings, with Aamir moving from vehicle to vehicle progressing from autorickshaw to car to limo to plane. That is so reminiscent of SRK's Swades promos, which were more on blue tones and where he travels in cycle, moped, boat, train and every possible rural vehicles.

Aamir does use some more of SRK tools. Like the 'at peace with ghost' ending. And Autumn colored (plastic) maple leaves flying around in the end. In Mumbai that too !! And the six-pack abs look.

And so many mobiles phones in the movie, each of them wow. I wished they displayed the model name onscreen subtitle. I need to choose a good one for myself.

News Media Bubble

Yet another instant why news media needs restraints.
With competition, it has lost all bearings of priority, responsibility and honesty.

News media has become a rumor mongering tool and an attention grabbing one. Most of them function like personal publicity machines of celebrities and terrorists.

Terrorsits depend on media, to air, hype and pump them up in front of the whole world. Even chota-mota goondas, use them fully. It's well known fact, that any group wanting to disrupt anything, like valentine day celebration or language board on shops, they first inform a news channel. And begin work, once the cameras are there. Or shoot it themself and air it for publicity. After all what's the point in doing something, if it does not get known ? Who hears the log which fell in a forest ?

The whole celebrity economy is fueled by news media. Untalented, long forgotten, useless people are resurrected, and played up on airtime and newsprint, solely for what they wear, what cluth they carry and who their latest gf/bf is.

We say wars are fought for just an idea, a thought, a philosophy. Gas, as I call it. Similarly economies are also run just based on ideas. The whole gossip related economy is way bigger than say farming or carpentry. Latter needs days & months of hard work and attention to minute detail, planning, action, everything. And the returns, practically nothing for them, and everything for the buyers. While Gossip related one, that just needs to light a fire, and laugh your way to bank. It doesn't take much to demolish anyones good work.

Atleast today, the negatives and the uselessness of news media far outweighs their supposedly idealogical superiority.

Dotcom bubble burst. So did real estate.
I am waiting for the News Media bubble burst !