Archive for satyam

(I would of course resist some of the writer’s characterisations..)

The Systolic Tide

‘Down’ South, the star-fan bond is intense, super-real—and it’s sealed with a blood transfusion
Sadanand Menon

Shahrukh Khan’s ‘Ennada, Rascala!’ cameo of a ‘South Indian hero’ in Om Shanti Om flags the continuing tension between the North and the South on the concept of the hero in films. Bollywood’s perennial caricature of the ostensibly comical hybridity of stars from the South merely masks its own anxiety at being unable to fathom the infinitely greater bonding of Southern heroes with their audiences.

Simultaneously, they are clueless about the entirely different frame within which the ‘production’ of heroism happens on Southern screens. It is interesting that, at various times, the director, the scriptwriter/lyricist, the sweet-throated singing heroines have all been ‘heroes’.

Magic of Mujhras

The Hindi film industry may have long back done away with scripts that revolve around Nawabi lifestyles. But that has little deterred it from espousing the cause of ‘mujhras’. Item songs may be the latest fad but the royal aura attached to ‘mujhras’ continue to make them the hot favourites of filmmakers, be it period films or contemporary films set against small-town backdrops.

Here’s saluting the charm of those few Bollywood ladies who have kept the torch of Lucknowi culture burning in Hindi cinema…

Think mujhra and the idea is synonymous with Rekha. A yesteryear diva, she recreated the magic of Meena Kumari in Pakeezah with those pleading yet prideful eye contacts, low necklines that provided ample opportunity to flaunt her assets but not to the point of evading the mystery around them and those simply marveled to perfection ‘kathak’ postures.

(thanks to theskeptic, weirdly this did not show up at all earlier, I could see day 22 and so forth and then day 23 (i) but not this. On another note I see that recent IBOS piece has been referenced here)

Day 23

Nasik, May 9, 2008 12:19 pm

(there is no day 23, click on the link for the blog and check out the Agneepath lines!)

Day 23 (i)

Posted on: May 9, 2008 - 2:12 pm

Apologies ! It is the Supreme Court in the Ramadoss story. I stand corrected.

And … I finally have been given the know how on Hindi Devnagri and how it can be initiated on Mac. So after a few lessons on its use I shall be there with you in that script - ना !

DAY 22(ii)
May 9, 2008 - 2:07 am

Nasik, on location, now drenched to the bones in fake rain sequence

still May 8, 2008 and its 7:20 pm

Screen, the respected film paper, with changed editor contains an article – Windows 2008, by Kenneth Lobo, on the recent burst of celebrity blogging.

Compares the blogs of Aamir Khan and yours truly. Compliments the material on Aamir’s stand on the Olympic Torch and refers to mine as one that ‘rambles on’ !

DAY 22
May 9, 2008 - 1:59 am

Nasik, On location for ‘ShoeBite’, some miles out 10:14 am May 8, 2008

Stark beautiful and barren hills. Barren and dry, without any vegetation. Dark steely rock formations peeking out of low moisture clouds as the sun appears behind them.

Its 5:45 am and the unit is trickling in. Trucks and buses with the camera and production equipment. Reflectors, boxes, trolley tracks. Languid momentum. The odd unit hands sipping make shift tea. Assistant directors just beginning to adjust their mode of communication – the walkie talkie. A few wild ‘testing’ crackles here and there. At some distance the jimmy jib – a vast crane like arm which holds the camera and moves it to exciting angles and heights through remote means, being set up on tracks. Men moving. Men lifting. Men getting busy.

Its show time !!

Amitabh Bachchan’s Blog: ‘Vijay’ Rises Once More!
Thursday, May 08, 2008 - Commentary

[65 year old Bollywood star Amitabh Bachchan has been blogging online since April 18, 2008. Bachchan’s blog is open to public at: http://bigb.bigadda.com]

The stars have always been well-aligned for Amitabh Bachchan. That he has been a colossus striding over the Indian film scene for close to four decades now is but cliche. What is sometimes less acknowledged is his incredible capacity to reinvent himself at every stage of his career both as filmstar and as public figure. Bachchan’s trajectory in all these years has indeed relied on remarkable metamorphic gifts to constantly surprise his audiences and redefine himself in doing so. Popular culture in all the time since he emerged on the scene has always been recalibrated by the Bachchan signature irrespective of the prevailing trends. To have lived in India (and often abroad as part of the diaspora) in this period is to have lived also in the ‘age of Bachchan’. The latest stage of this ever-expanding legacy involves Bachchan’s recent interventions in the ‘blogosphere’.

Since its launch just about three weeks ago Bachchan’s blog has generated an extraordinary level of interest. This can be discerned browsing through not just the number of comments that accompany each one of his posts but also the intensity of devotion that each response reveals. The blog has really mobilized Bachchan’s base after a very long time and all across the globe. At the same time there have also been more casual visitors who nonetheless try to unpack the Bachchan enigma using the opportunities Bachchan’s writings provide. Similarly, what this last of superstars writes has been the subject of great scrutiny within the film industry as well as in the media. With the latter a number of articles have already appeared on or about the blog.

DAY 21
May 7, 2008 - 11:58 pm

Nasik, May 7, 2008 10:38 pm

Thank you ! Thank you ! Thank you !

Your responses and their endorsement gives me strength and courage. Your concern for my safety, your advise on my conduct, your appreciation of my work, bring a spring in my feet every morning. They make me look forward to an exciting day. A day full of hard conditions, uncertain decisions and indifferent moments.

It is difficult to imagine or even assess the strength of one singular man. History is full and complete with endless examples. If I possess merely an infinitely minuscule portion of that strength, you must know that it comes from your affection and support.

So, Somya, Ibrar Hussain, Ali Ahmad, Raksha Naidoo, Pritam Dutta, Santosh, Alshaaaaaaaaa, Kuldip, Swati Pai, Madhu, Shameera and K., thank you for being there in my life. You I have randomly picked. There are millions of others on the blog that I cannot address now, but will. Your confirmation of my actions is cathartic for me.

DAY 20(i)
May 7, 2008 - 12:50 am

Nasik, May 6, 2008 11:22 pm

I would have preferred to have left you with DAY 20, but on returning back from location, I went through my faxes that contain the days cuttings and could not resist commenting on what appeared in MidDay.

Tuesday May 6, 2008 . MidDay Mumbai . LIFE@WORK Page 13 subtitle YOU@WORK Title - Are you super-sensitive ?

And the text beneath reads : ‘Amitabh Bachchan has been perceived as super-sensitive, taking offence at the slightest provocation. And that reflects in the actor’s blog. Are you like Big B ? Find out.’

After years of accusing my family and I of arrogance, aloofness and non cooperation.

Indian Film stars’ comparative TV ratings draws statistics
Tuesday, May 06, 2008 -

Since the year 2000, a host of film stars have attemped hosting Indian television reality shows. Often times all sorts of mixed reports have filled up the media without providing any hard data for context. Below we present the actual tv ratings performance results for major actors’ hosted shows on Indian television since the year 2000. The ratings are provided by TAM Media which can be used to determine the comparative success/failure as well as the direct individual impacts in drawing viewers for the associated channels and the advertisers. The two major stars who have had more than 1 stint on television are Amitabh Bachchan and Shahrukh Khan.