The Triangular Love Story ! The Remake Director - Half Secular Govt. - An Indian

This blog entry is dedicated to the “gem”-of-a-director, famous for epic remakes and renowned for taking Indian cinema to the World level who has recently come out with another movie which has had the audience dumbstruck again (for different reasons though)

Whilst the director’s movies have acclaimed fame internationally (One of his movies - Nayagan being listed in the TIME Magazine’s 100 Greatest Movies), his critics have this invariable argument against him – Most of his films are remakes of either real life occurrences or the mythological stories! Nevertheless it is difficult to adapt and present the same on the silver screen and the people of India are stupid only when they vote, not when they watch a movie! So, when a movie is a success, it deserved to be (Vijay’s movies are hard core exceptions)

Such is the reputation of the director who decided that it is “Ramayana” which is to get reshaped in his forge this time. Whereas all his previous remakes proved a worthy watch, I’m still wondering whether the director was high on cocaine when he wrote (to be read as re-structured! or may be got inspired from would be soothing) the script for this movie. Lets analyse...

Always on the short cut Rama! Did he really pass police training or got his certificates from those who have been selling duplicates for literally every document on Earth!?

Half exposed Sita! What was she – A cabaret or pole – dancer?

The all hyped, good-to-good, bad-to-bad Ravana - Man this is how every Tamil movie’s hero is portrayed !

Let alone the characters which were blasphemously transformed. The story line suffered a much worse treatment!

Cutting of nose becomes “gang rape”! That too by the police!
Accepting the one who surrenders, and wishes to talk for peace is replaced by killing the same person!
And this hurt a lot! The all mighty Hanuman is a complete “comedy-piece*” who somehow retains the ability from his alter ego, to jump between the trees!
*I insist on the usage of this word over here, although there are proper English words like moron, brainless, kook or whatever!

And finally Sita falls in love with Ravana! Boy O’ Boy… Here the director became a bit too predictable. When everything is being represented as the opposite, its obvious the heroine is going to fall in love with the villain (With the movie titled after the villain, this is pretty much expected – As already stated We are fools only when We vote)

Having gone this far in insulting a great epic, why didn’t you instead push Sita off that cliff in the climax and make Rama and Ravana - gay partners? That would have been an unexpected twist and would have left the audience completely bewildered! And you would have been appreciated for enlightening about Section 377 too. You missed a grand opportunity of entering politics!!

It is when such loathsome representations are being made, am I reminded of movies like ‘The Da Vinci Code’ that received a strong opposition from the Catholic Churches of India (while the ones in the Rest of the World did not protest much – I still wonder what was itching the ones in India) The but-for-Hindus secular Govt. which was already hanging loose on the about-to-be snapped threads did support the groups, failing which they would have lost the opportunity to loot for the years to come, till date! Adding a specific disclaimer did give the admit pass for the movie. Regardless of religion, insulting epics cannot be considered as Freedom of Expression.

Are the Hindus and their mythologies in existence just for making such hideous depictions? Even people who said ‘God ain’t there’ or those who criticized that bindi on a woman’s head looks like blood oozing out, wouldn’t have gone to this extent! Thanks for scaling a surmountable peak!! You have now set new records, which will definitely be overtaken (may be even by you, God knows). You are just Mani. Not Murali, to create unachievable targets!!

May be just one question is left un-asked! Why didn’t the Hindus or the organizations that supposedly represent them didn’t protest against the release of the movie or after the release!? There are two possible answers.

One they are completely bored of fighting. Such acts have been happening from the M F Hussain era. Atleast they could term him a Muslim protagonist and tell that his art work was against the religion. What can they term you? A Hindu traitor?? Their stupid acts are already digging their graves. We do not want you as the icing on that stinking cake!

Second reason! May be they did not watch the movie at all !! Half the India does not
have a 3 square meal. Who would bother about a so-called artistic movie! A 5 song 2 fight masala entertainer cheers that part of India more and makes them feel the money’s worth! Your creative wonders are beyond reach for them.

You may continue giving such remakes for the mouthwatering A Class audience while the country is still in awe with the question – Why do all producers fall in short of budget when it comes to designing a heroine’s dress!

Help these epics live longer (by not doing such profane remakes) !
Long Live the sovereign secular democratic republic !

Ever Loving
Ganesh Ramachandran
The above mentioned 'Indian'

May be I am not good enough...

The son has no liking towards having a formal training in music. However, his ancestors have been traditionally rooted in classical music. So the boy is forced to learn music. Unless the heart is rooted, talents don’t branch out. The boy prefers football to music. Excellence isn’t something that can be thrust upon. The urge for excellence has to come from within. The boy doesn’t do well in music. His teachers criticise him, “Hailing from such an illustrious family, it is a shame that you don’t have interest in music.” The family denounces him saying, “Don’t spoil the family name. Football will not feed you. Drop it and focus on music.” Everybody screams, “Practice more.” How much ever you may practice, a donkey’s bray will never become a cuckoo’s song. In not being able to live up to the expectations of his loved ones, the boy starts feeling less about him. This feeling, “May be, I am not good enough,” begins to show up in all his performances.

I feel it is prime parental responsibility to give children avenues by which they feel like a success. From relationships to career, more than what I do, how I feel about doing it forms the foundation for my future.

The issue isn’t football or music. During growing years, either in academics or in sports or in theatre or in arts or in social work etc., the path is immaterial. But in some path, children should feel a taste of success. A girl who feels that sense of success in BA Economics will do much better with her future than the girl who feels like a failure in BE Electronics.

We say the overall standard of education has dropped!! Why wouldn’t it?

His marks didn’t get him into engineering, but his dad’s money did.

His merit didn’t get him into medicine, but his caste did.

His performance didn’t get him into management education, but the letter from the Minister did.

We end up building a society with Chartered Accountants, who do not have the flair for numbers, doctors who lack sensitivity, engineers who lack analytical abilities, teachers who can’t feel the subject... and then we cry “Why is the world like this???” How else will it be when we have architectured it this way...

Success or failure is not about potential, but it is a matter of interest. The mind will easily follow the heart, but the heart will seldom follow the mind. Competence cannot always cause passion, but passion can always develop competence. Not all first rank holders come first in life. Not all backbenchers remain a backbencher in life. Our past is never equivalent to our future.

There is nothing in a caterpillar that suggests that it can be a butterfly, and yet it becomes one. What we were and what we are, turn inconsequential to what we can become in life.

Give your child a chance by choosing a path where his best will come out. Not everybody can be good at everything, but everybody can be good at something.
Let us stop the perpetuation of the feeling “May be I am not good enough” !!

Ever Loving
Ganesh Ramachandran

Institutionalised !!

A Tribute to all my near ‘n’ dear ones @ SASTRA !!!
I’m not a poet. Never have I attempted to be one. This is not an attempt to be one either. But never knew a means to share what I feel... Other than ‘WORDS’ !

As I walk through these deserted corridors
I find an inherent emptiness..
In my heart...
Everytime I go home, even for a few days
There used to be happiness n joy
I tell almost everyone around
And it pisses them off to the core...

Today I’m leaving back home forever
But I find the happiness missing...
For it’s at the cost of moving away from my dearest friends!

How many days would I have cribbed about this place...
But it is the same place which has transformed me into what I am today!
How many times would I have badmouthed the ‘mess’ food
But it is the mess hall where I have had life changing conversations!
How much would I have talked ill about the hostels...
But it is the same hostels that I do not want to leave now!
I will be missing it all!

The ‘Chota’ Canteen that gets crowded
Even before the stroke of the 11.10 bell
Guys ‘obviously’ waiting to catch a glimpse of at least one good looking girl!
And the girls ‘secretly’ trying to peek at ‘their’ guy!
Missions impossible... Never forgettable!!

Ice creams that could burn... A hole in your pocket!
Gold Cups that sell hotter than Pepsi & Coke!
Gtalk – the only free channel of communication!

Classes... Free hours... Exams... Results...
The cycle continued for 3 years!
Acquaintances, friends, dear friends, best friends...
Tiffs, Squabbles, Cold wars, Fights, Reunions...

Festivals added colour to our lives...
Fests added flavour to it!

The foundation was getting laid
For the ‘Friends Forever’ tag!

Its time to get a job they said...
And everyone sat with those aptitude books!

There came a final semester, nevertheless different!
Lesser classes, more time spent with friends...
A streak of placements happening with
Loads of companies coming and going by
And thats when everyone started to know...
How much a friend could inspire you to do!!!

The early morning talks over breakfast...
The messages that fly across benches and buildings in the afternoon!
The never ending saga of ‘treats’ in the evening...
And the long late night walks on the sands!

To remove it all in a flash from my life...
Gives a crushing pain!
I’m not a person who cries...
But it certainly pains when a layer of skin is peeled off!!

The first ‘Bye’ wasn’t that difficult...
It went off before I could realise we would never be back together at this place..
The further ones were becoming heavier...
Do not know what the final ones got in store for me!

I decided to leave on the last day from this place!
So that it would give me time to meet all people I wanted to...
And I can travel with the dearest of my friends...
Now I feel how stupid a decision I have taken...

To exchange byes every day, with somebody so close to heart
Is one of the worst things that you can imagine of doing!!

5th July 2006 is like yesterday...
And tomorrow seems empty!

‘Friends’ should have been a longer word...
For the amount of meaning it stores in it!

How fast these four years have been!!
And how much have I learnt from it!!!

As I wish to write a few more lines...
A drop of tear slides down my cheek!
It is that moment when I realise...
I am completely INSTITUTIONALISED!!!

Love you people!
You made my college life memorable!
Will be missing you all...
Do stay in touch!

Ever loving
R Ganesh