"How Popcorn Shot to FAME"

Having popcorn while watching a movie at the theater has a unique charm of its own. It is a luxury that always makes the movie-going experience so special for me. The Fame multiplex, at South City, Kolkata, is one of my favorite best places to eat flavored popcorn by the tub and watch the latest blockbuster. One can take one's pick of movies, snacks and beverages, all at once!
Recently, as I went to to the said destination, to watch a rather insipid film, just because I had some spare time and the urge to recline in the cozy comfort of the air-conditioned auditorium, I decided to order for popcorn at the onset and munch along. At the interval, I was in for a pleasant surprise when in the lights of the auditorium I read the stuff printed so colorfully on the notoriously over-priced popcorn pack's wraparound! It had an assemblage of movie trivia & tidbits, plus a poem dedicated to the specialty popcorn. I humbly reproduce the poem, unedited, to amuse my readers..... here it is:



How Popcorn shot to Fame

Depressed with his two-tone hue
Corn wanted something new.
He wished to be more glamorous
More glorious. More Fame-ous.

It was the 15th century though
He had to settle for less than more.
Pondering CORN stumbled on some hot coal
Then his head began to throb and roll

Suddenly his body began to split
And then CORN exploded
In seconds it was over with
He was snowy-puffy... splendid!

CORN had become POPCORN
But centuries later we still love his charm.
That's how he shot to FAME
Have him Salted. Cheese. Caramel. Or just plain.

Goodbye M.J.

GOODBYE M.J.
Michael Jackson (1958 - 2009)

YOU shall live in our hearts forever!
YOUR music gave us joy, hope, togetherness, courage, conviction and love.
People who heard YOU,
swayed & danced to the infectious beat and the overpowering melody
of YOUR songs,
and we shall always remember YOU
as World's Greatest Pop Icon,
as the King of Pop,
as the ultimate MoonWalker!
YOU will be ever remembered by YOUR songs,
YOUR legend lives on!

Dignity of Labour?

When we talk about child labour, a common and grossly exploitative facet of poverty in countries like ours, we hardly focus on the real picture.

Be it the organised sector or the informal & unorganised sector, child laour is rampant. Taking a look at these heart-wrenching photographs, sent to me by a forwarded mail (original source unknown, and hence uncredited by me), we can just spare a thought for the children whose childhood have not only been robbed, but the indignities of hard-labour - all for a minimal pay and often inhuman working conditions - make them stand out as sufferers who are easily forgotten by the powers-that-be!














[I would like to clarify that the pictures used for the post have been used without the permission, approval, authorization or endorsement of the original owner and/or the photographer(s), as the conditionality for the same was not applicable, this publication being purely for display as in any personal post. No copyright infringement is thus effected. Any reproduction, duplication, distribution or display of this material in any form or by any means is expressly prohibited. It is absolutely forbidden to use it for commercial gain.]

Jude Law & Gael Garcia Bernal

Jude Law and Gael Garcia Bernal: Two of my favorite actors.
But what makes me write about them in this same piece?
Well, I think they both are grossly underrated as actors just because they also happen to be 'gorgeous', or as many would say 'unbearably handsome'!
Beautiful men have always had a problem in gaining a wider acceptance, and Jude & Gael Garcia are not just good looking men, they are beautiful! Most consider beauty to be a an asset only for women, whose beauty has been the object of men's desires and subject of treatises too. However, with the turn of the century, men endowed with beautiful features, notably facial, is finally gaining social acceptance, with the concept of metrosexuality and some such terms being thrown at us commonly by the media.

Jude Law and Gael Garcia Bernal have both proved their worth as versatile actors in umpteen films. Yet it is either their unabashed sexual charm or the nudity that they have so confidently embraced for the sake of credible portrayal of characters that gets written about or talked about at large! They have both received the much critical acclaim for many of their film roles, and have wide fan-following too, but the mainstream media have often been not so generous to give them their due!

Jude Law, is a thoroughbred English lad, born December 29, 1972. Whereas Gael Garcia Bernal is Mexican, born November 30, 1978, though he can speak English quite well, as he had studied acting in London after having begun his acting career as a child on stage. Both Jude and Gael Garcia have had rich experiences on stage, both have acted in plays.
I re-assert that their skills as actor defy boundaries. I have not seen all their films, but just as many as I could, so here I include a listing of the films that I have seen from the extensive filmography of both the actors.

The films of Jude Law that I have seen:

Sleuth (2007)
My Blueberry Nights (2007)
The Holiday (2006)
Breaking and Entering (2006)
Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events [Voiceover only] (2004)
The Aviator (2004)
Closer (2004)
Alfie (2004)
Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow (2004)
I Heart Huckabees (2004)
Cold Mountain (2003)
Road to Perdition (2002)
Artificial Intelligence: AI (2001)
Enemy at the Gates (2001)
The Talented Mr. Ripley
... aka The Mysterious Yearning Secretive Sad Lonely Troubled Confused Loving Musical Gifted Intelligent Beautiful Tender Sensitive Haunted Passionate Talented Mr. Ripley (1999)
eXistenZ (1999)
Music from Another Room (1998)
Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil (1997)
Gattaca (1997)
Wilde (1997)

Films of Gael Garcia Bernal that I have seen:

Babel (2006)
Diarios de motocicleta
... aka The Motorcycle Diaries (2004)
Dot the I (2003)
Amores perros
... aka Love's a Bitch (2000)

Back to Bollywood.... with a BANG!!!!!!!!!

After a long while, Bollywood is again back at the multiplexes, nationwide.

The multiplexes and the Mumbai film producers have reached a truce and the Hindi films are back in theatres, after a two month drought.

Several big budget Bollywood films are being readied for release. Today happens to be the release date for 'Kal Kissne Dekha'. Next on the line-up are 'New York', 'Kambakht Ishq', 'Love Aaj Kal', 'Paying Guests', 'Kaminay', and many more.
Looking back at the tiff between the producers and multiplexes, that started in February this year, one must not forget the genuine attempts made by two of our biggest superstars, Shah Rukh Khan and Aamir Khan, who came together on the same platform for the first time to raise the issue of a speedy settlement, both advocating a partnership of equality. Apart from Aamir, industry veterans like Ronnie Screwvala, Mukesh Bhatt and Karan Johar were present, among others.

Aamir Khan had categorically pointed out that it should be a partnership of equality, urging the distributors and the exhibitors to find a way to make it a viable business within their equitable share. He has reasoned, rather logically, that all parties can survive in the film industry only when each sector gets to earn a healthy share.
Shah Rukh Khan - on the other hand - had stressed that their coming together was not a power-show to threaten the multiplexes, but rather it was a solidarity for the cause of equal sharing of revenue.
After several failed discussions prior to that very Press Conference, the producers had decided to stop releasing films for a while. From April 4 they stopped giving release rights of the latest big-budget movies.
Even after the joint-efforts of the superstars and the big production and distribution houses, the deadlock continued, the ice took a long time to thaw!

Finally, we were given some good news on Friday, Jun 5 when the the strike was called off after the producers and the multiplex owners came to a settlement over revenue sharing. The meeting between the two parties was held at the Yash Raj Studios and the deal was first inked by Big cinemas represented by its chairman Amit Khanna. Some prominent multiplex chains were initially against signing of the pact, but followed suit later. Mukesh Bhatt, the convenor of the United Producers and Distributors Forum (UPDF), announced the happy end to the tiff. Producers and distributors under the banner of the UPDF, had demanded a revenue share of 50:50 ratio from the multiplex owners. But the latter refused, demanding a 45:55 ratio instead, and had agreed to give 50:50 only if a film was declared a hit at the box office.
It has now been negotiated that the entertainment tax, yet another bone of contention, will not be charged where it is not applicable.
During the two month deadlock producers, distributors and multiplexes have lost over 200 crore rupees.
Here is the distribution strategy, on equitable terms, as reported to have been agreed upon:
*The discretion lies with the producers & the distributors;
they get the right to choose & release the film as per content of the film.
* All accounting/peripheral complaints to be looked into & resolved.
*Finally, it is the realization of the concept of FAIR RIGHTS FOR FRIDAY NIGHTS:
All films will be treated equally (including all Hollywood films) and get terms of 50% in week one, 42.5% in week 2, 37.5% in week 3, and 30% from the 4th week onwards till the life of the film.
*In addition to this, there will be a bonus to all those films which do exceptionally well at the Box Office.
*In case a movie collects more than Rs 17.50 crores at the top six multiplex chains
(The top national multiplex chains in India are PVR, Big, Inox, Fame, Cinemax and Fun), excluding the collections from the single screens and independent multiplex chains, the terms will be as follows: 52.5% for the first week, 45% for the second week, 37.5% for the third week, and 30% from the third week onwards till the life of the film. [9 films from the 2008 releases would have been eligible to belong to this category, including 'Ghajini', 'Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi' and 'Jaane Tu Ya Jaane Na'.]

So, it's back to Bollywood with a bang! I wish the deserving films all the success, whether they are big or small. After all, as Shah Rukh & Aamir had both stressed that it was the small and medium-budget film that they hoped would, and should, benefit the most from the equitable terms, doing away with the whims of the plex owners who are hardly the people to be judgmental about such films' merit. Let the viewer be the one to choose which film he/she wants to watch!

Summer distress piling high!!!!

Kolkata has been witnessing a lot of summer distress.

The weather has been playing havoc lately. It seems the weather Gods have been behaving in a thoroughly unpredictable manner!

This year Kolkatans were about to heave a sigh of relief, with the news of an advent early monsoon; but alas, it has been a weak monsoon approach!

First came Aila, the cyclonic storm (which intensified at its peak on May 25,
and caused severe damages in several parts of West Bengal, and especially in North Bengal)
and now this horribly hot & humid weather!
The cyclone Aila is believed to have been responsible for the arrival of early monsoon, but the cyclone has, in its turn, drastically altered the monsoon pattern for the city. It has made the monsoon flow take a detour!!! Hence, no rains.... no signs of respite!


We Kolkatans do not shy away from the summer heat, but this time it has been an extremely uncomfortable weather which has seen the lucky citizens choosing to sit indoors, in the cool comfort of air-conditioned rooms; while the unlucky citizens have had to swoon in the heat outdoors, with only an odd while's rest under a shady tree.

We all have been staring at the cloudy skies.
The clouds have been forming,
dispersing,
and there ain't any rainfall......!

The hapless Kolkatans have been cursing the blasted weather, as the discomfort index is on an all-time high. But curses bring no showers too!

The sweat surge has been the worst ever, in recent years!!!!!!!!

We can only pray that the piling high of distress, of all Kolkatans, be stemmed soon....
very soon!

Ronaldo versus Messi

Yesterday was the BIG day for football (soccer) lovers all over the world. Kolkata has always been crazy about football, and, as a die-hard Kolkatan, I am no exception. I have always loved the powerful manoeuvres of the players with the ball. And last night, I stayed awake to watch the dream-like finale of the European Champions League. Manchester United versus Barcelona F.C.
A little after midnight, as the television screen came alive with the players coming on to the field - with Andrea Bocelli's live, heavenly vocals resonating the stadium (Stadio Olimpico, Rome), I felt the goose-bumps. More importantly, it was the crucial question that waited to be answered: Who's bigger? Cristiano Ronaldo of Man-U? Or Lionel Messi of Barca?

Needless to say, it was a contrast of physiques and demeanours of Ronaldo and Messi, the two contemporary football legends that was being put to test.

While Ronaldo is more assertive and unpredictable, Messi relies on technique, more than anything else.

Cristiano Ronaldo is often called the Wonder Kid of football. His powerful shots galvanise into easy victory for his team more often than not. While Messi is ever impressive with his flair and finesse.

Sadly, yesterday did not go in favor for Manchester United. Right after the first ten minutes, after the scoring of the first goal against them by the Barca striker Eto'o, I sensed their despair. As if the lines of the Bard came true for Man-U:
"They've got the blues
Into their shoes...
Never shall they win again,
Destined to lose.."
- that's how they played thereafter!
While we saw Ronaldo becoming isolated and frustrated, Messi not only scored the second goal - a fine, cushioned header - after seventy minutes of play, he was central & integral to the fine and focused performance of Barcelona. Messi's status was sealed. But just for now. It isn't the end of story for young Ronaldo. And nor is it the end of the great debate which will surely continue to engage football lovers.
[pics courtesy: DailyMail]

Lok Sabha Polls, 2009

The recently concluded parliamentary elections have shown the majority of the electorate opting for two things in particular.
First, a change for the better so that the MPs are not non-performing functionaries.
And, that they want a stable government at the centre, thereby refusing to dilly-dallying & experimental coalitions.

There are many new trends that have emerged from the results. It has been unanimously asserted that this time there were a large number of young voters. The proportion of youth among voters is larger in our country than most developed countries, thanks to the 'demographic dividend'. Our country has been passing through a phase when the proportion of young adults in the population is noticeably large. Now one might probe its political implications. The idea that a larger proportion of youth will lead to a greater role for youth in politics is based on too simplistic an assumption that they constitute a distinct political constituency - a section of population with distinct political preferences, attitudes and voting patterns. However, the induction of several first-timers and young politicians in the Union Cabinet has shown that the powers-that-be are showing that they are conscious of the emerging trend of positive bias for a fresh governance.

The outcome of the 15th Lok Sabha elections have been interpreted by many as the surge of youth. Many have analysed the young voters eager for a youthful leadership to come up. Rahul Gandhi has been seen as a major draw as the United Progressive Alliance inched towards a near-majority in the 545-seat Lok Sabha, of which 543 are elected. There is nothing wrong with the preference for a youth-oriented leadership or a mandate for Sonia Gandhi's, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Rahul Gandhi's leadership. But one also has to guard against false lessons in bureaucratic-bourgeois democracy. Parliamentary politics must not degenerate into a harmful waste because of the very structure of the economy-polity in India, whereby illusions are circulated and the way for revisionist decay gets paved.
In both West Bengal and Kerala, the common people have come out and voiced their rejection of the way CPI(M) has governed. It is interesting that the other partners of the Left Front - RSP, Forward Block and CPI - seem to have been much less hit by the popular anger; in Bengal each has won two of the three seats they contested. Thus, at the end of elections, CPI(M) finds itself in an absolutely reduced and marginalised state - far from its declared role of being the force that uses the parliament to bring relief to people within a capitalist economy.
Across the world, the neo-liberal economy has been facing a crisis. In many developing countries, people are turning to the communists and social-democrats to counter the socio-economic helplessness. It is indeed sad that in such a worldwide scenario, the common people, in their negation of the communal/corrupt/anti-people politics of many local, as well as national parties, are forced to elect a government which is in alliance with neo-liberal forces.
The Congress' gamble - focusing in a major way on the young voters, often the first-time voter - has paid off well. Its youth power has been recognised as a formidable force, and its new young leaders are raring to go. Jyoti Mirdha, Meenakshi Natrajan, Mausam Noor, Jyotiraditya Scindia, Jitin Prasada, Agatha Sangma and Sachin Pilot are some of the young faces in the Parliament that we will be watching out for.
[pic courtesy: Prabir Sikder]