When the beginning is better than the conclusion

Baahubali 2 - I think, probably, I am the only one who will be saying a few negative things about the film. I saw first day first show at Panjim Inox. Was so enthused that minute I found that I was free for a couple of hours that morning I bought myself a ticket and went alone (ditching a few in the process). 

My reaction was mixed.
I like the film and acting by everyone. However, Tamannah was under utilised in The Conclusion.
Prabhas is one of my favourites in any case. I have seen even his flop films in Telugu....and I am not a Telugu. Anushka, Ramaya, and Rana do justice to their roles as does Sathyaraj. 

Prabhas actually looks different for both roles. Subtle differences like colour, body language and expression. And one has to give him and the director credit for that. 

The fantastic screenplay that held you in The Beginning, falters in The Conclusion, especially in the later part. "Why did Katappa killed Bahubali" is answered.....but the second half fails to hold a strong grip. Neither the grandeur nor special effects nor the script has the capacity to reach heights higher than The Beginning as the makers claimed it would.

Probably my expectations were high from the story and special effects.

I had expected Katappa to ask help from Aslam Khan, the arms dealer from The Beginning to enable them to fight Bhallaldev. That would have given them a chance to really create a spectacular climax! Because that would have given them a chance to use amazing warfare and stunning weapons.

The current climax doesn't leave a lasting impression, nor does it make you sit up and say "Wow!"

Why did they have to waste footage on the head of the Bhallal statue falling of the cliff.....had it hit the body of Shivagamini....it still made melodramatic sense.

And how does the woman having ALL GREY HAIR (well almost....more salt than pepper) suddenly have just streaks of it within a span of hours - must be a day and night salon!?????

Does that mean I didn't like the film....no! I liked it for Prabhas and Anushka. But it disappointed me on all other fronts - especially story and screenplay.

#karanjohar #bahubali2 #prabhas #rajamouli #bahubalitheconlcusion 
#ssrajamouli @rajamouligaru 

Book is a Book is a Book.....

Rose is a rose is a rose is a rose
Loveliness extreme.
Extra gaiters,
Loveliness extreme.
Sweetest ice-cream.
Pages ages page ages page ages.

- Gertude Stein

Ms. Stein, probably, didn't know the effect she would have on literature and its idiomatic history when she wrote these lines. Till date her lines are used either as is or after replacing the noun with the user's favourite like I have done today. She herself has used the term 'a rose is a rose is a rose' in her later works. What, however, misses the eye and mind most often is the last line...which, I must confess, I stumbled upon while searching for more information on the oft quoted phrase.
Pages ages page ages page ages.....
My mind drifted to these lines after an animated and enlightening conversation with a publisher friend the other day. He quite categorically mentioned that publishing is history. It's a business that has lived its life and was in the ICU, if not in coma.
Pages....from ages....the smells and the content....the context and the emotion.....pages....pages....
His arguments as a businessman made sense. "Where are the bookshops? Most are closing down..." He didn't sound paranoid, just matter of fact. Smart phones had reduced the attention span. Kindle taken over the physical book space. My point was - ebook still was publishing. He countered it by saying that even ebooks was not a huge market as readers themselves were dwindling.
I was not shocked...but yes, I was upset. There was no reason I should be. I was not a publisher, nor was I dependent on the industry for my bread and butter directly. But...I was upset. He sensed it. It must have shown on my face. I asked him, "What about the huge new crop of writers that was mushrooming in every corner of the country?"
"They are the rom-com variety. Chetan Bhagat, Anuja Chauhan types. And the reader is different." I didn't want to argue...he had a point, but I didn't want to agree. We moved on to a different topic...but my mind was ticking. He was right somewhere. My own reading speed and capacity had reduced. Serious reading had taken a back seat. And "out of the hour and half dedicated to reading" as my publisher friend mentioned, almost "one hour was spent reading online".
Next day, I was chatting with friend, older than me, who's a printer. It was a telephonic conversation. An avid reader, who still, sometimes, preferred taking a print of an online story that he found interesting to read it well. He managed his online and offline reading beautifully and read about almost everything under the sun barring Bollywood gossip. "Well...once in a while, that too!"
Among other topics, he mentioned, again, that how and why he preferred to read hardcopy than online. And then the favourite common love - smell of a book! "It's the combined smell of ink, gum and paper," he said. Being a printer, he defined it. What about old books? "Oh, they have a different smell..."
 
 This was something which all my book loving friends had mentioned some time or the other - smell of the books. However, quite a few had reluctantly switched to Kindle. "Don't have space for anymore books. And I can't really give away books....not even a Lee Child or David Balacci!" said a friend from Goa.
This was one thing I could relate to. I was finding it extremely difficult to create space for new books that I keep buying....because I can't give away the existing books. And my collection was not just my collection. Books that have been collected by my parents and I have just inherited them.
Leather bound English and Russian classics which my Daddy had bought when he was still struggling on lot of fronts. He used to save money every month and buy one Russian and one English classic - leather bound versions. Then there are the leather bound Britannica volumes, which are possibly outdated now. Huge coffee table about Gold of Tutankhamen, books about artists....and of course the Sanskrit and Marathi encyclopedias....list could go on....
And then....the books I kept buying...self help, management, Shobhaa De, Lee Child, Rick Riordan, biographies, MJ Akbar.....and again....the list goes on....as I also buy books in Marathi and Hindi......How to create space for all this without throwing away something?
So......was my publisher friend right or the printer friend? Possibly, both in their own way. One had a businessman's viewpoint, while the other purely an old, avid and compulsive reader's opinion. But....if everyone's reading...... is the publishing market really southbound?
My confusion remained. To add to this my BFF said, "I can't possibly hold a book now. I am so used to a Kindle! And very happy with it!"

Pages ages page ages page ages.....

I have decided to disagree with my publisher friend. He's right in his own way. But till the time world's round, people will read....I admit they might just slow down like me or switch to virtual bookshelf. But they will read.
And a few like me and my printer friend....and a senior Marathi writer friend, whom I totally adore for the way he smells a book..... will continue to buy the hard copy!
Pages....from ages....the smells and the content....the context and the emotion.....pages....pages....pages ages ages pages.......

LinkedIn contacts could be dangerous

This is based on my experience. Everybody might not agree or subscribe to it. I thank LinkedIn for their immediate action.

 What started as a normal day, ended as a nightmare. I had heard of being asked to make ‘compromises’ to get that promotion or the prize assignment. But I had never in my wildest dreams thought I will be a victim of ‘casting couch’.
LinkedIn, to the best of my knowledge, was a professional platform for people to connect on a professional level and work towards finding synergies for a better work ambiance. That’s the only social media network where I have connections that are not known to me. I had connected or accepted invitations because their designations and companies looked decent.
Manikandan Editor was one such name. He connected and then sent InMail asking me if I was interested in acting in an ad film. I was quite intrigued that someone could see me as a prospective model. He said he worked for a company called Maestro Advertising, Chennai. He went on to give me names of a few clients and said it’s for a jeweler. The client list was quite impressive and had a few big names.
Things were good till this point. He later shifted the discussion to WhatsApp chat. And that’s when the things got creepy. “I want to be close to you on chat before we work together…” To which I replied that we are not friends and he should send me details about the shoot to email id. He said his staff would do that and he would pay me 75,000 per day for a three day shoot.
What followed stumped me. “You will sleep with me after the confirmation”  Yes…he said that in those many words. And I was aghast! I didn’t know what hit me. “I don’t want to work with you” I said. The conversation ended! There was no reaction from the man and he stopped communicating, thankfully.
It was too late for any action or complaint. I called LinkedIn Corp Comm head first thing next day morning. She was quite shocked to know my experience. “34 million members in India are on LinkedIn because they want to connect to professional opportunities and become better at their jobs.  The behaviour you reported to me is not common, effective or appropriate on LinkedIn. Our User Agreement states clearly that our members should act in a professional manner,” said Deepa Sapatnekar, Head Corporate Communications, LinkedIn.
Deepa escalated the matter to the security and safety team. They took an immediate action and deleted the man’s profile.
By that time, I had deleted my contact details from my profile. One experience was good enough for a lifetime lesson.
I was thinking…. if they have taken down his profile, they must have found something else that was objectionable…..
My experience has taught me the following and I would be happy to share that with other female members.
I think they should find these tips helpful as well.

1. Just because it’s a professional site, don’t trust everyone.
2. Don’t exhibit or share your telephone numbers with anybody you have not met till you have received an official mail from an official id from them.
3. DON’T trust anyone who doesn’t have his/her profile picture. Only those who have something to hide will not put a profile picture on a professional site.
4. Do a thorough background check of the company and candidate before beginning any conversation with the person.

Double trouble

I went to see Dhoom 3 quite late. So the double role secret was already out. Promos and public was talking about the "brilliant idea" and superb performance. When I finally saw it..... I was wondering about both - "brilliant idea and superb performance".
What's so brilliant about an idea that was done twice in the 90s once by T Rama Rao and once by none other than Ramesh Sippy. Ramesh Sippy had used Keith Stevenson to play the double rolewhile T Rama Rao had chosen some South Indian guy. And even they had copied the idea from a Hollywood film from 70's....I can't remember the name.....
Point is....there was nothing extraordinary about the film like they boasted about.
Also....Aamir Khan's approach to the two characters was exactly the way Keith Stevenson had approached it. The neck detailing....all...the entire body language seemed to be inspired by Keith. Keith did only one Bollywood film....and that too because Ramesh Sippy insisted, cajoled, bribed, blackmailed......
Aamir Khan is known to be perfectionist, self inspired, refined actor. Then.....WHY???
In Dhoom 3 he comes across as an ordinary actor and we accept what he is doing because he is THE Aamir Khan. Why???
I am a fan of the franchise Dhoom from the first film and have loved the first two. I even liked Uday Chopra whose buffoonery is perfect for the role he plays.
If I am not mistaken this is the first time Aamir has done a double role. Did he wait so long for THIS? And to do a job like this????
I may sound...whatever....but I am not anti Aamir. But yes...in this film he comes across as a fraud actor!



http://www.youtube.com/movie/muqabla