Missing something Guru?

The buzz a year back in Karnataka was so intense that I took it for granted that the newpapers in Karnataka had virtually died. Maybe, the monotony of following dry politics or the boredom of following our Desi cricketers for a quote, all drove the reporters helter skelter for news that they finally ended up landing at Hubli. This time they were out chasing none other but the Guru himself along with his filmi and asli gharwali Aishwarya.


Mediapersons had more than one reason to chase them. Firstly, for a verdict on their then going secret affair and secondly, for a tip-off on Mani Ratnam's Guru. Tight lipped as ever, nothing spilled out of either of the actors or the great Ratnam. Secondly, instances like Aishwarya's minor accident during the shoot all gave them enough spices to keep their readers interest. The villagers in Banapur and around Hubli gathered at the shooting spot and at a point the mob became uncontrollable that police had to resort to lathi charge. Whatever said and done, after nearly 14 months the movie is on the big screen and above all, the story reflects the growth of Reliance founder Dhirubhai Ambani. "The script and the story of the movie are purely fictional. Infact, fictions come from reality and hence Guru is just a reflection of anybody's story and not necessarily about any particular individual" said the Junior Bachchan at a TV show when asked to clarify. Director, Mani Ratnam takes the same stand and for obvious reasons.

Now, a spectator can relate this movie very well to the man who left behind a new world called the Reliance. Guru, a young lad, who is often taken by neck by this headmaster father leaves to Istanbul to work with his uncle. Finally, on getting there the boy starts off by selling petrol cans. Oh, what an irony. Dhirubhai started his career selling petrol cans too. Moving on, the boy who completed eight years in the company is recognised for his hardwork and is promoted with a high pay but not before he wears on a tie as insisted by the Phirang. Guru, a mature lad by then pleasently refuses the offer and says, "if the 'Gore's' think I am a capable man then why should I work for them". And rightly so!

On coming back to his village, he starts thinking about starting a bijnas and here's where his friend comes into the picture and Guru strikes a deal with him of marrying his sister who had left the house in trust of another man but was promptly deceived. ( Sensible man ;))

Victorious and resourceful with a wife, a good sum of dowry and a 50 per cent partner in the business, Guru heads to Mumbai to realise his dream. Well... what bijas was he thinking? Exactly what Dhirubhai thought-Polyster. With the corruption and rich men involved in the game, Guru had to resort to playing tricks. The scene I enjoyed the most was where he meets a minister to get licence approved for his petro project and is well aware of the fact that the minister is a clean man. The nervous yet confident Guru sits face to face with the minister and puts across that a relative had left behind a gift for the minister and that he has no idea where to deliver or what to do with it. Hmm...I heard Dhiru had something similar to offer to Rajiv Gandhi in the name of mommy Indira Gandhi. Now... isnt this turning a true fiction.

On a more serious note, in three hours Abhishek has managed to convey a stong message that w "It happens only in India". In the movie, Guru runs a textile factory that has foreign investors and middle-class share holders who have invested in the company. The factory produces Goods that is thrice its actual capacity. Nanaji-Mithun da, hits the nail on the head with the dialogue: "Tumhari khaas baat yah hain ki tum dimakh or zaban ek saath chalathe ho". This is exactly what takes him to the heights of glory.

So, besides going ga ga only over Guru, I also noticed the aging Aishwarya who portrays Sujatha, a hindustani nari, who stands by her husband on any given day. Unlike her other movies, her presence in Guru is absolutely nill. Her onscreen presence is not felt and neither are her dialogues catchy. Her plunging-wide backcut blouses may have left some drooling but that apart Sujatha is a plain character that has no colour nor depth. Mani Ratnam's effort to make her look a young 'gaon-ki-chori' with her lehenga's and then show her coming off age with silk sarees and gajra around her hairbunch has hardly made any impact. Even while dancing in the rain or sitting beside her husband and doing a vox-pop, she hardly creates magic on the screen. Maybe its those days when a certain age shows and there's nothing much the make-up man can change.

Madhavan on the other hand shows a lot more energy, it might well have to do with the journalistic role he portrays. But overall, he is something to look out for as he slyly takes away the momentum from Abhishek for a few minutes. The scene where he visits the Shakti factory and questions Guru's mama on the company details just left everyone in the theatre with a wide open mouth. Meenu-Vidya Balan, looked to me like a time wasting tactic. Even writing a couple of lines on the character would make this reading a unnecessary drag. Mithun da obviously plays the second best role. The part where he pulls his editor for having accepted a bribe from Guru Kant Desai and publishing articles in favour of Guru gets the real journalist in him.

And finally to the climax, Guru appears before of an enquiry commission for a hearing against him on charges of corruption. The scene that was captured in one single shot completely fails to satisfy the audience (or ME) who expected Guru to pass some whacky dialogues that would put our corrupt officials to shame. However, he lets the entire movie tumble in that fifteen-minute explanation where he explains to the commission his story of having made way from rags to riches which was anyway what the movie showed rather than he having to go over it all again. He explains that he did everything from kicking those who had to be and feeding those that had to be fed. Justified? In a way, but what is with the perception that everything is acceptable when you talk in terms of `janta ka aadmi' or 'aam aadmi' or `a middle class entrepreneur' out to help the public and raise the standards of middle class. Well... if that is what it takes for a middle class to reach for the stars then we should drop the judiciary and let the Guru's be!

A warm welcome indeed!!!

After days of serious negotiations with well-wishers like dad, mom and sis, i finally decided to visit home last week. With this, my vow not to visit home ever again came crashing down, forcing me to accept defeat at the hands of my family. In a bid to put the bad memories behind, i gracefully accepted the invitation (putforth by my neice) and left on a wednesday night after completing a couple of reporting assignments that hardly took any time.

Railways failed to offer me a seat and hence i chose the next best economic mode of transport- the bus. One hour in the bus and i decided never to travel by an A/C bus ever again. I literally froze, thanks to the kerchief like blanket. Just when i began to warm myself with a denim jacket and get some sleep, the lights went on and the conductor tapped me indicating it was time to get down. It was 4 am and there i was standing, shivering and chattering. The autowala demanded Rs 140 almost double the actual rate. After bargaining for a good ten minutes he finally agreed for Rs 70 but not before taking an elderly couple along who were to get down on the way.With the 100 ft road dug up for flyover construction, the driver took us through narrow and unfamiliar lanes scaring the hell out of me. My mind kept wandering, thinking about all the possibile crimes that could happen. Finally, after twenty minutes of breathtaking ride, i reached my destination and hit the sack right away.

Next day it was time for a long chat with mom and convince her that this time around my purpose of visiting home was not friends but family. My neice, the two and a half year old brat, was all smiles on seeing me. The day was peaceful and home food never tasted this good.

But things dint remain the same, Friday was a fateful day. Getting up late is quite acceptable at home and hence i over slept. Later, it was time to complete some formalities of filling up a few forms for my neice's nursery admission. It was already 2 pm and my stomach was growling. Mom was yet to cook, but i decided to wait and have home food as i knew i would soon be deprived of it for the next few months. But luck had it otherwise, we ran out of LPG and hence not a vegetable was boiled. The next minute i took the bike and headed towards a hotel to pack some yum food. However, it was not a jolly good ride, as my mind kept wavering about some unpleasant incidents a few days prior to that. Somehow, i managed to enter the colony gate without a glitch and saw a herd of school students who occupied the entire road. Honking my way through i managed to reach a little further, telling myself to watch out for these little ones on the road. An accident was the last thing i wanted. Just then a girl, walking an inch ahead of my bike, onto my right side turned abruptly and crossed the road. Losing control of the bike and realizing i was going to knock her, i applied the brakes taking complete left, lost balance, skid and glided a good 10 feet and the bike came tumbling down on my foot. With this the trip not only became unpleasant i also had to go through a few tortures of taking shots and gulping yukky drugs.

Water Privatisation

"Most universities are seriously considering abandoning coke after it created such a massive campaign": Alan Sitow

By Dhanya Lakshmanan

CHENNAI: Most colleges and universities in the United States are planning to boycott the use of Coca-cola in the wake of the crisis involving the company and the Kerala Government, said Alan Sitow, a documentary film maker from US.
He spoke to a group of environmentalists, corporates and social activists at the screening of his documentary, `Thirst', at Loyola college on Thursday. Sitow said that the massive strike campaign against the soft drink company, Coco-cola, in Palakkad has led to numerous debates across America. "Most of them are seriously considering abandoning coke after it created such a massive campaign," he said.
Meanwhile, his co-director Deborah Kaufman spoke about water privatisation and said that it was painstaking to see the most important natural resource in the world being sold to corporate companies in the name of globalisation. The 62-minute film is about the agitation campaigns against the same in Bolivia, California and India.
Sitow and Deborah Kaufman were in the city to screen their documentary. The short film has created a shock wave in America. This is the first time the film has been screened outside the US. The film also shows images from the World Water Forum 2003, in Kyota, Japan. The forum included politicians, international bankers and corporate executives who were present to decide on who will take control over water supplies. Meanwhile, experts and environmentalists from across the world accused the forum of acting against people's will. Every activist present said that water is a human commodity and not a material that has to be traded in an open market.
The film focuses on the Bolivian campaign against their government that was planning to privatise water. The protest march and violence that followed in Bolivia on the matter, forced the Bolivian government to acknowledge the people's demand. The only Indian in the film, opposing privatisation was Rajendra Singh, a social activist from Rajasthan.
The documentary also highlights the citizen coalition of Stockton, California which questioned the government's plan of selling water to private companies. Hundreds gathered on the streets, holding banners reading, `Let the people vote' and `Do not sell water', pushed the tempo of the film further.
Meanwhile, Dr V Suresh, General Secretary of People's Union For Civil Liberties (PUCL), Tamil Nadu and Pondicherry, said that America is thinking of new methods of carrying water and selling it. "New techniques are being propelled to transport water from places like Canada to Southern American cities by using a material that looks more like the enlarged version of a condom, and is also made of rubber," he said.