Rann

There are very few movies which captivate you so completely that for the entire time the film plays, you remain transfixed. There are fewer still for which adjective-brilliant seems justifiable, Rann simply happens to be one of them.

Rann is a purely intellectual experience. What made it so special? There were so many factors that made it the way it was but above all it was a brilliant story well told. The acting ofcourse was superlative. Amitabh Bachan as the head of the news channel India 24X7 & a reliable news anchor whom the entire country trusts, Sudeep as his son- hyper, young, just returned from the states who wanted to succeed at any cost, Riteish, as the journalist starting out, who wanted nothing else but to portray the truth like his idol Amitabh Bachan, Mohnish Behl, the rival news channel head honcho who was constantly sabotaging India 24X7, Rajat Kapoor as the cunning industrialist with no moral qualms whatsoever or Paresh Rawal as the absolute corrupt politician, each actor fit the mold so perfectly that it was as if they imbibed the very principles they so well portrayed.

It was perhaps that I was watching fiction imitating fact that made the movie so riveting and  the story so relevant. I remember once being told when I was very young, that a news reporter must always portray a news with equanimity i.e. he should report a bomb blast with the same sense of calm as a weather report. I was told that his emotions should never cloud the news, so that the viewer is not influenced by an anchor’s opinion but rather be given the opportunity to take in the facts and analyse them intelligently. This, I believed was the only way news should be told & ingested. So, in a way, Rann typified my beliefs. Sensationalism of news has become so rampant that it is often a shame as what passes of as “news”. Newspapers, tv channels, magazines - everyone is in a race to outbid each other in an effort to gain maximum viewership. Like Amitabh says in the end, even if we punish the people involved, it won’t solve the root of the problem.

What then is the Root of the problem? What drives the media to present news the way the do or rather present the “kind” of “news” that they do? It is Us, the Aam Admi,  R.K. Narayan’s Common Man or rather Imtiaz Ali’s Mango People. We watch & devour the sensationalized news so rabidly that they keep giving us the same high calorie, carbohydrated, fat filled juicy news for which actually, the apt term is Gossip.

Rann is a right movie made at the right time. More and more politicians are getting involved in the news business to the extent that we even hear of local politicians actually owning newspapers. Today, the very sanctity of information is threatened, more than ever before.

The movie drew so many parallels with the current scenario that it was hard to ignore. It’s a must watch for the thinking man. Most importantly, it asks a very crucial question-Is what is being said in the media truly a “fact” & who determines what really defines one.

 “Quis custodiet ipsos custodies” - Who will guard the guards?

Changing World

What has happened to that world full of wonder, subtlety & mystery? Was that called Innocence? Was it just childhood? Or has the world really changed?

Perhaps it’s all of these.

There was a time when it was so easy to believe in elves, dwarfs & fairies. Knowing it was unreal yet believing in its reality. A time when anything was possible. Time and space could be bent if one wished hard enough. Secret islands with untold magnificence existed with unicorns and other long lost exotic creatures. Magic was around every corner waiting to be discovered. Every book an adventure of mammoth proportions. A rollicking, laughter filled ride. Where the television had shows like stone boy, jungle book and the news with Pranoy Roy with his “World this Week” was such a treat to watch. Where the one movie a week on Sundays was waited for with bated breath.

When u live in such a world its hard to come to terms with reality, with books of today filled with psychopathic killers, evil and sunshine barely coming through. Where the news is full of killings, riots, murders and acts of obscenity. Where one cannot watch a music channel for more than 5 minutes without cringing. Where reality shows with people bad mouthing others are the flavour of the season.

What has happened to this world? There’s so much hate, envy and deception. What has happened to love? Love- pure and beautiful. Love unspoken, subtle and strong? Love with the passion of Wuthering Heights and the subtlety of Pride & Prejudice. Is everything lost?

I hope not, there must still exist a few endangered species of humans who still believe in strength of truth and the power of love. Here’s a call to them: Let’s go back in time, delve deeper into life and discover that reality isn’t so real after all & magic isn’t really an illusion.

Stardust

Stardust is a Beautifully written novel. The words seem to dance and there seems to be a sparkle in the prose, Neil Gaiman is indeed an artist.

The story though seems to be deceptively simple. Tristran is on a mission to get a fallen star for his beloved Victoria. On acquiring the “Star” he ardently believes, hopes and desires that Victoria would be his. But for this, Tristran must enter into the forbidden forest, where “nothing is as it seems”.

The book was a breath of fresh air. Its been a while since I was so tantalized by a book. I loved the conversations between the main characters in the book and the sweet talk, which generally comprised of angry insults been exchanged! A small excerpt:-

She: “ Yes, which only goes to prove that you are indeed a ninny, a lackwit, and a……….a clodpoll.”

“Dunderhead” offered Tristran “You always used to like to calling me

Dunderhead. And an oaf.”

The chemistry between the characters was Evident, the tension –taut and the book in short was brilliant.

[No. of pages: 248]