Kahaani is a superb movie.

Kahaani is a superbly made movie and Vidya Balan does not need a hero to make people watch her movies.

After many days, saw a really good thriller. And that too without Songs,Sex,item number, heroes with six pack abs,synchronised fight sequence,mindless violence or high voltage stunt scenes. Based on a simple story with twists at the correct places, tight script, beautiful acting, talking photography, the City of Joy as the backdrop and above all wonderful editing, Director Sujoy Ghosh has been able to deliver a commendable piece of work in which the main protagonist remains a pregnant woman in an advanced stage throughout the movie (almost).

Kahaani is a modern cinema in all aspects and a director's movie , out and out. The story has been set and blended with the milieu of Kolkata with all its aspects. Right from the chaos as you step out from the airport , through the underground metro, to the traffic jams, ending with the throbbing crowd at the Durga Puja immersion,it captures Kolkata ,in its true colours,lifelike and in an awesome manner. From Park Street to the dingy byelanes and dillapidated buildings of North Kolkata and the street crowds of the busy markets, the camera shows them all. Perhaps very few Bengali films have blended the city with the subject of the movie this way,earlier. The true nature of the people there , in general, slightly abrasive on the outer side but soft and helpful within has been very nicely portrayed through the characters, be it the taxi driver, police,tea vendor or the informer. Those who stayed in Kolkata earlier, whether Bengali or not will feel a lump in their throat and miss the city once at least , after watching the movie.

Coming to the acting part, apart from Vidya Balan, all the other members of the cast are not so well known to the national audience though they are all very much known to the Bengali speaking audience of TV and films. Of them Param has proved that he is a actor to watch for . He fits very nicely in the role of a Kolkata police Sub inspector again after Baaishe Shraabon. But Nawazuddin Siddiqui really steals the scenes with his acting as the IB officer. And Vidya , she needs no accolades by now. The first line of this post is a tribute to her. Personally , I have now replaced Julia Roberts by Vidya at the second place in the list of my favorite actresses, just a notch below Smita Patil at the top.

The importance of Azam Khan

As Akhilesh Yadav is being annointed as the new Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh, a very interesting development is playing itself in the background. Hidden in the euphoria and hype surrounding the ascension of the new CM , the choice of the Azam Khan as the new Speaker is equally important and deserves a close study to unravel the layers of intricate details of Indian politics.

This was perhaps, the most important and correct decision that Mulayam Singh Yadav has taken in his political career. Unlike Karunannidhi or Badal, he has not tried to keep the reins of the state in his own hand till eternity. Wily politician that he is, the mood of the people has been very well gauged by him . But the backstage machinations and the compromises he has had to make within his party in spite of the huge mandate has been also been large.

To ensure victory, Mulayam had allowed a free hand to his son Akhilesh to formulate strategy for the elections. But at another level, he went back to his old votebank of the Muslim community and here, Azam Khan was the person whom he had to rely upon to deliver him the precious votes from this segment. SP was off course helped by the inept handling of the Muslim aspirations by a ridiculous Congress bid with people like Salman Khurshid and Beniprasad Varma convincing the Muslims about their perception of Congress as a party that can not be trusted to fulfill its election promises.

The victory of SP is not only for Mulayam or Akhilesh as is being projected by the coffee table analysts and city bred TV anchors . It is also all about the consolidation of Muslim votebank in UP alongwith other segments. After their brief fllirting with the BSP and Congress , the Muslims in UP have understoood the hollowness of the two parties. The Congress cannot and will never be able and BSP will always have the interest of the Dalits foremost. So SP was the natural choice for en-block voting by the Muslims as BJP became haaraam to them once Uma Bharati arrived on the scene.

Azam Khan now emerges from the shadows to become a force to reckon with in Indian politics. Whether you like him or not, whether you think him to be representing a retrograde political philosophy or not. That's not the question. The fact remains that he now holds a considerable degree of power to influence the decisions of Mulayam , who himself should be one of the movers and shakers of Delhi politics provided his health permits.

The UPA government is beseiged with numerous problems, The P.M. looks like a clueless joker waiting for the prompting from the wings. The prompter herself does not look interested as she is fighting serious health problems. The prince has not been able to prove himself. The local satraps are slowly and surely raising their ante. The only thing which is propping up the UPA government is ironically an even more idiotic and clumsy BJP which looks like a misguided tramp in search of El-Dorado. This is the time when the vaccum will play out its own game and very interesting permutations and combinations will start taking shape. We are approaching another threshold of Indian politics which will prove as much a game changer like the Emergency or Mandal commission.

And also watch out for Azam Khan. His fate has smiled on him and his destiny has brought him upto this point after many ups and downs. He will go far. 

Akhilesh Yadav on 06/03/2012

Mulayam Singh Yadav must be a happy man today. And why not ? He ought to be happy. Nothing gives more pleasure in life than seeing your son succeed. And what a success it has been ! From being taken as a possible unwanted junior ally to Congress ,in case of a fractured mandate to a position of unquestioned dominance of SP with a clean majority; that's what sums up the achievement of Akhilesh Yadav.

Make no mistake. This was not an emotional gift by the people of UP to the old and ailing ex pahalwan Netaji. It was a mandate for change and hope. The people of UP wanted the untested, rejecting a pool of known devils. Neither the drama queen Uma Bharati nor the self seeking Mayavati . They rejected them both. The false and unsure Congress was given the short shrift by the electorate.

And yes,they also negated the style of politics which has marked over five decades of his father's political career. It is a vote for change. In every sense. The people wanted a relief from the vicious caste and religion based politics. They wanted development. And they wanted to be sure that the person who rules them for the next five years get a free hand. Akhilesh Yadav is the chief architect of this victory, whatever be the legacy of Mulayam may be.

I am not by any means a supporter of SP or Akhilesh. I am not hopeful that they will be able to give a corrution free and criminal free government. The cynic in me raises its head and wants to take this mandate with a pinch of salt and nothing more than an item of passing amusement in my silly and busy life in the biggest metro. But the eternal optimist in me wants to savour this victory of this young man, even if he is raised and nurtured in the cradle of the worst form of casteist and degenerate form of politics in the badlands of the India's most populous state. Even though he perpetuates the dynastic rule , he has given us an option, a choice from the overhyped ,uncertain leader of the future projected by the Congress party.

It is very easy to treat politics as an entertainment on the idiot box from the cosy sofa set in the sheltered existence of our lives and talk about the politicians with disdain without trying to know the vast and varied geography, history, society or the economics of our country which is multi dimensional and so large that we lose track of the enormity and overwhelming effect it has on our daily lives. But there are days, hours, moments in the history of a nation when time stops, looks back and changes course. Some sixth sense within me says this may be such a day which will be looked back on after two decades.

Very soon Akhilesh will spend the balance of huge goodwill generated for him and as he negotiates the quagmire of the Indian politics and governance of a state like UP , he will start making compromises, mistakes, misjudgements and retrograde actions. He should try hard to learn the ropes of governance and statesmanship as fast as he can. Here, I would like to give him some unwanted advice. He should eschew any thoughts of emulating his father, how much respect he has for him or whatever pressures are brought on him . Rather , he should look around and try to imbibe some qualities of three Chief ministers who should be his role models :

Like Narendra Modi he should concentrate on development as a non negotiable item and use it as a tool to bring in more opportunities for the most neglected, instead of resorting to caste and religion as crutches.

Like Nitish Kumar he should try to rise above the confines of a caste leader and become acceptable to all sections of the society and try to give the public relief from crime and the fear of getting kidnapped,raped,killed or looted whether they are in their house or on the streets.

Last but not the least like Navin Pattanaik, the cold , calculating , suave and silent style of decimating opposition, first within his party and then his rivals to establish unquestioned control over without appearing to dirty his hands in the hustle and bustle of power.

The search for my bearings remained so elusive to me, while the
ravaging flood swamped me entirely .The overpowering force just swept
me away far and further with the tide,till I was left holding with
nothing but the water in my fisted hands.

If tomorrow comes

Can I count on you,
If tomorrow comes?
Will it be the same with us,
when tomorrow comes?
Will the burden be too much;
the debris of broken dreams,
and unfulfilled expectations,
when tomorrow comes?
Will the blood still throb,
in our veins with this crazy beat,
if tomorrow comes?
Will someone still hold me back,
from the edge of the precipice,
when tomorrow comes.?
Does the story of the day
really end with the homing birds,
in the falling dusk and the setting sun.
if that be is the fate of life then why ,
Oh why tomorrow comes?

Make me forget every reason,
all conditions and terms.
Let me live just a single moment,
nestled in your arms.
For once ,shut out the world,
suffering in its chaos.
Take over me like a crazy whim,
leaving me with no choice.

The Quinquagenarian

 1577836800 seconds,26297280 minutes,438288 hours,18262 days or 50 years, whichever way I look at it , has really been quite a time to spend on this earth. But more than the measure of time, it is the loads of love and good vibes which I have been fortunate to receive from parents,sibling, wife, son, cousins uncles, aunts, relatives, friends,colleagues,classmates, acquintances which make me overburdened with a deep sense of gratitude. Its not as if I have not faced hostility, trouble or enemies in life. I have had enough of  them for good measures too. But I have forgiven them and have always tried to withdraw from negativity in life. So they do not matter to me . 

                               Spending fifty years of life surely entitles one to be reflective and retrospective. As I look back , I can take deep satisfaction and a big sigh of relief  of completing five decades  without being tested too much by the vagaries of life. Pains and tribulations have come and gone but I have been fortunate enough to always find something else to look ahead. Regrets , I have a few in life, but again even if things have not gone my way, I have not been devastated. Somehow , I have survived . I know , many of my well wishers and elders will point out to the fact that I have not been able to either realise or do justice to my potentials fully. But then, I have not been a loser in life too. I have mostly got whatever I needed and much more. That is what matters , ultimately . Isn't it ?

                                Change of workplace,job profile and dwelling have been a constant feature of my adult life . Which means, I have really been a rolling stone. Not gathering moss around . This nomadic journey in life has contributed to the overall growth of myself as a person and fitted my restless personality. If I have any misgivings on this aspect of life, it is the fact that my wife had to bear the brunt of the inconvenience and sacrificed a lot for my sake. But by now she has also started liking the changes. The frequent changes have brought me into contact with new people and places and variety has been indeed been the spice of life for my family. 

                                I have only to thank my good luck for being able to complete my adult life without any major illness or accidents. This , I think is truly a divine blessing.  During my total work life of about 29 years, I have taken medical leave for two days only. I can only pray for my luck to hold all along further . Though I had to face some worries related to my wife and son, they were , mercifully , not been too difficult. 

                                I have loved,committed big mistakes,stood up for causes,protested,been a rebel,fought over silly things and will continue to do these in future. But I have never consciously hurt anybody or taken advantage of any situation by demeaning or degrading another person.  I have faced rejection, experienced humiliation, got heartbroken, felt frustrated and sought vengeance.  Anger has been my greatest weakness , apart from a cursed habit of smoking. I have tried to control both and still trying to keep them suppressed I know that my sudden bad temper tantrums may have sometimes spoiled the atmosphere and have  hurt others feelings but then I  have always believed in admitting mistakes and saying sorry for them. 
                                The two persons , who I think should have deserved a better me are my wife and my son. Whatever, I may have done for them, I think has not been enough. If I could could go back in time and change things, I would have done that only for their sake.