Time to lose the tag

2012 would have been a bloody good movie if it had a little less masala. I mean if the centre of the earth were to erupt at a magnitude of a million times greater than Mt. Krakatoa even Mr. Schwarzenegger would have shit his pants. However, quite a few people survived and that’s all right.  Hope and optimism is indispensible for existence. Thankfully, China saved the humankind – or whatever was left of it. America’s Air Force One, with its state of art in-house technology, was once again capable of saving Mr. Obama’s associates and let us not forget Russia’s ancient communist airplane had its share of heroism too. Likewise, important people from the EU and Japan too had survived the end of the world. Sadly, Mr. Berlusconi who was busy with Noemi Letizia could not make it on time.

But what about the newest ‘emerging’ superpower, India?  I’m sorry to report that we were all killed. At least, that’s the way the film made it appear. These people (i.e. the producers of the film) are not stupid. Their view is not obfuscated by those ‘Incredible India’ ads. With all the rural population willing to move towards the cities for better jobs and a better lifestyle our urban infrastructure is nowhere in comparison to China’s megacities. Forget Beijing, Hong Kong or Shanghai; see what even tier-2 cities have become! The success at Beijing Olympics was no coincidence either. Today, even biggies like the USA, EU and Russia have acknowledged China’s dominance in Asia. That is respect you can only earn. China was once our competitor among developing economies. Today, if we were to compare ourselves to China, we’d fall way behind.

Okay cool, we could be the second ‘emerging’ superpower then. Ahh, not so fast my friend. Not before you consider Brazil. In the past, Brazil was only known to the world based on facts that Brazilian women wore the tiniest bikinis, its glittering carnival celebrations and the samba dance. Keeping its culture and the fun alive Brazil has achieved something that no one saw coming. The city of Rio de Janeiro is now the official host of the 2016 Summer Olympic Games. That’s a big step forward. A step that could define the word ‘emerging’. With Brazil’s achievement we have fallen well behind our BRIC peers.  Can India follow on similar lines? Can we expect New Delhi to host the Olympics in 2020 or 2024? The answer lies significantly on how well we conduct the 2010 Commonwealth Games, to be held in New Delhi. So let’s keep our fingers crossed.

Surely, there has been a bunch of reforms and progress has been made. But if we look at the bigger picture India’s situation seems grim. Plainly, we are losing the race for glory. There is no point in shutting our eyes and ears and proclaiming that we are the best. The government is trying, I’m sure, but it’s not working all that well.  I don’t want to compare my country to Mexico or South Africa or maybe with Romania and Lithuania someday. We are much better than that. The PM’s advisory council is full or graduates from the best Universities in the world. Indians have amazing intellect so why can’t we take the country forward instead of digging up issues like the Babri or Godhra every time we disagree? I’m sure there’s more to India than just I.T outsourcing, obscure rituals and words like ‘culture’ and ‘tradition’. India can only grow with the proactive participation of the government and the people. The need of the hour is to identify a clear direction and act with conviction if we are to be an economic superpower in the years to come. Its time to lose the ‘emerging’tag.

Will you just be making money 'Paa' ?

The upcoming film titled ‘Paa’ has been creating a lot of news lately. Mr. Amitabh Bachchan is playing the lead role of a 13 yr old boy suffering from a rare genetic disorder called progeria, an abnormality marked by symptoms of premature aging in a child. Plainly, the idea of Mr.Bachchan playing a 13yr old is preposterous and when u see the trailer u’ll realize that there is an alien in the film! No wait, I’m sorry that’s the character Amitabh-ji is playing, the character of a progeric. I mean u have to doff your cap to what the make up artists have achieved here. Also, let’s not forget that Mr.Bachchan had previously made a fool of himself with few stupid films like Nishabd and Boom but with this new venture he really seems to have pushed the envelope with his acting skills.

However, the film is aimed at creating awareness about this disorder which is a jolly good and honest cause. NGOs and social workers are delighted, awaiting its release. In the recent past, movies like Black (Alzheimer's disease), Taare Zameen Par (dyslexia) and Ghajini (anterograde amnesia) have set the trend in exploring rare abnormalities and all of them have earned rich dividends. Sure these movies have created awareness of the disorders but I have not heard much about if they have brought a positive change in the mental outlook people. Differentially abled people are still looked down upon by the society and so do NGOs who house them often run out of funds. Tisca Chopra said, ''TZP has changed my life in the nicest way'' (i.e. she got lot more offers). That was not the purpose of the film. Or, maybe it was. Like Taare Zameen par, ‘Paa’ too will earn huge profits but I doubt if even a fraction of it will go towards the welfare of progerics (and there are quite a few of them in India). I feel that just like ‘Chak de’ it’ll be unable to raise concerns for the issue it’s addressing and everybody will only remember how smart SRK looked in stubble and not give a damn about the game. Clearly, all producers have picked the clue here. They know that choosing sensitive issues is the order of the day and is going to work well with the audience. Moreover, a star actor should be heading the role. So in Sanjay Leela Bhansali's next, "Guzaarish," Hrithik Roshan will be portrayed as someone suffering from paraplegia (can u believe that? Hrithik Roshan has spent his entire life in the gym and in dance classes, now he’s playing a paraplegic). In “My Name is Khan," Shah Rukh Khan plays an autist portraying Asperger’s syndrome where the victim has difficulty interacting socially.

I honestly wish ‘Paa’ does well at the box office. With Amitabh Bachchan, Paresh Rawal and a composer of the magnitude of Ilaiyaraaja, I’m convinced that a lot of hard work has gone into its development. But more than that I wish the film sends out a positive message about progeria and the disabled in general and takes that important first step (with all the money) towards their welfare. I wish it’s a film with soul and a heart at the right place.