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A fan’s tribute to Shammi Kapoor

Everyone who knows me knows that I adore Shammi and have for as long as I can remember. When one of my friends called me up at 1 AM on the 13th (me being in Atlanta right now) to condole Shammi Kapoor’s death, both he & I were equally shocked that I had not checked news for a while and had completely missed this! It did take a while for this news to sink in and when it did, it bought back a ton of memories.


It took me a couple of days to get started on a tribute since it was difficult for me to fathom he is no longer there. But it was just natural that I pen a tribute to my all-time favorite actor (he has been 1 to 10 on my list), who was in more ways than one responsible for my interest in Hindi movies. This one is very personal!


For a kid growing up in 80’s South India (Dharwad, Karnataka) where hearing Hindi was not really a daily occurrence, well before the whole cable and internet revolution and more importantly more than 15 years since he retired from lead roles (his last lead role was 1971’s Andaz),  I have no idea when I started liking him!! I can only hazard a guess on the why & how.


I do remember one of my mother’s uncles (a huge Shankar-Jaikishen fan) getting video cassettes of any movie with SJ music for weekend watches whenever he visited us. We kids obviously watched all of those movies. Great foot tapping music coupled with Shammi’s moves in light romantic movies laced with clean humor (great cast helped too), which might have sparked an interest in him. After all when compared to other heroes of that era i.e. Raj Kapoor, Dilip Kumar, Dev Anand, Rajendra Kumar, Bharat Bhushan or Pradeep Kumar; it seems a no-brainer now. Movies like Junglee, Janwar, Rajkumar, Brahmachari, Kashmir Ki Kali, Bluffmaster, Singapore & Prince became childhood staples.


Once my folks realized my growing interest in Shammi birthday gifts started turning out to be video or audio cassettes of Shammi Hits! It became an integral part of my growing up and the biggest reason for me getting hooked onto Hindi movies. A set of 4 HMV cassette Golden Collection Shammi songs is still a prized possession.


He was always young at heart and bonded with youngsters. This shone through in his movies and his actions. Watching those songs with him in the frame is something else something refreshing. His zest for life oozes through and it gives such a joy which is indescribable. Even now, when I am in a bad mood, I switch on a song of his and viola I am good. Nothing beats “Taaref karoon”, “Yahoo”, “Suku Suku”, “Aaja Aaja”, “O Haseena Zulfonwali”, “Tumsa Nahin Dekha”, “Govinda Aala re”, “Baar Baar Dekho”, “Badan pe Sitare”, “Akele Akele”, “Diwana hua badal”, “Tumse Accha Kaun Hai”, “Lal chadi”, “Ae gulbadan”, “Aajkal tera mere pyar”, “Jhoomta Mausam”…actually all the 100+ songs in which he appeared even from obscure movies like Vallah Kya baat hai or Boyfriend!


As is known, he was a gizmo freak and one of the pioneers of internet usage in India. He used to personally respond back to birthday wishes through emails. One of my prized possessions is a mail he sent some years back. When I heard about him being serious and admitted to hospital back in Jan, I thought about making a trip to Mumbai the next time I am in India, which was to be in April 2011. Unfortunately that trip got postponed and now he is no more. I will have this regret of not meeting him personally forever!


As a star, just suffice to say that Hindi movies; might never have been as we know it now if not for Shammi. We might never have had heroes dancing anything but classical (like GopiKrishna before him). There have been a bunch of folks who have followed him and been known for dancing like Joy Mukherjee, Jeetendra, Mithun, Govinda, Hrithik Roshan etc but everyone bows to the pioneer.


Shammi started his career as a theatre artist in his father company and soon graduated to movies. He played a dour hero with long hair and moustache! He was just following what the leading lights of that time were known for and for a new comer that was death knell. I think the turning point was his marriage to the vivacious star of that time Geeta Bali in 1955. I think she succeeded in loosening his onscreen persona and after 16 flops in a row, a non-descript movie Hum Sab Chor Hain (1956), directed by comedian IS Johar, turned into an average success. His makeover was complete with his first big hit Tumsa Nahin Dekha (1957) which followed, made everyone take notice and when JUNGLEE (1961) made history a new superstar was born.


Like he has mentioned in his interviews, he first said Yahoo in Tumsa Nahin Dekha and then in Dil Deke Dekho (1958) but “Yahoo” in Junglee was what broke the mold of the Hindi film hero and movies were never the same again! So much so that when the internet company Yahoo opened their India office in Mumbai, Jerry Yang, the founder, invited Shammi to the occasion and they played the immortal song for his entrance!


I can quote trivia about Shammi all day long but that is for another time.


For critics of that time, the songs and dances overshadowed everything but he was a very underrated actor. When you peel through the songs and his antics, you could see a very sensitive actor. He was not just great in romantic scenes or comedy but in dramatic scenes as well. His comic timing and combination with Mehmood or Rajendranath was incredible. He has played a slew of characters like a prince, conman, college kid, murderer, warrior, doomed lover, helpless husband, freedom fighter, policeman, singer, driver, zamindar or tapori…if this is not versatility then…..


A veritable who’s who of Hindi films either made their debuts in movies in which he starred or worked with him in their initial set of movies before making it big (in fact in a lot of cases their movies with Shammi helped them make big). Below is a list of stars I can think from the top of my head -


Actresses like Ameeta, Asha Parekh, Saira Banu, Kalpana, Sharmila Tagore, Leena Chandavarkar, Hema Malini, Amrita Singh, Mandakini, Padmini Kohlapure, Aishwarya Rai


Actors like Rajendranath, Dharmendra, , Sanjeev Kumar, Vinod Khanna, Jackie Shroff, Sunny Deol, Rajiv Kapoor, Sanjay Dutt, Shahrukh Khan 


Directors like Nasir Hussain, Manmohan Desai, Ramesh Sippy, Ravi Chopra, Rajiv Kapoor


Composers like Usha Khanna, RD Burman


How much he was liked and loved by everyone who knew him was evident when pretty much the whole of the Hindi film industry turned up to bid farewell to him.


A big thank you to all the friends and family, who sent me notes or called me to express condolence. Even college friends with whom I had not interacted for years now, remembered me at this time. It helped a lot. Thanks again!


Shammiji thanks for all the great times, you will always be with me!


~ Tally Ho

Posted in Movies, Shammi Kapoor.

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By Sachin HC – August 17, 2011


Kanataka in 2009 Lok Sabha elections - Part 2

Thanks for all the feedback I got for the first part. I will address one common comment that came my way .specific individual seat related queries/comments have been answered separately.

I got quite some comments saying my first part of analysis seemed lenient or favouring BJP! A major factor in my analysis was based on how parties had performed in the assembly elections held in May 2008 and how the parties having been doing since in Karnataka politics. The first part had constituencies from the North and Coastal areas which are traditional BJP strongholds. In fact they had swept all seats in districts like Gadag & Bagalkot and done extremely well in Dharwad, Haveri, Bellary, Davangere & Shimoga. They are again expected to do well here. There has been no perceptible change in these areas that indicate otherwise.

We also need to note that BJP has dominated the scene in the last year and opposition has been a divided lot. A lot of leaders including sitting MLAs have moved over to them. This has to affect Cong and JDS and would this time.

Now continuing on the seat analysis with Davangere!

Davangere

The cotton belt of Karnataka! This is Shamanur Shivshankarappa's (owner of Bapuji educational institutions) stronghold. He virtually runs Davangere city (I personally know that hostels were emptied and students were forced to campaign or do proxy voting). He has retired from politics and his son SS Mallikarjun is the Cong nominee against sitting MP GM Siddeshwar of BJP.

It was a surprise that BJP managed to win last time and they used that opportunity to consolidate further in the assembly elections last year. The neighboring districts of Bellary and Shimoga are BJP bastions, so there might be some affect of that. There is quite some dissidence in Cong. This was witnessed in the fracas during the assembly elections when the fight led to no Congress candidate in the fray (nomination papers of both congressmen were rejected as both claimed they were "official" candidates)!! You never rule out Shamanur in Davangere and this time they would be going all out but it still looks like BJP will retain this seat and GM Siddeshwar will just make it. It can really go either way.

BJP -13, Cong-3, JDS-0

Chitradurga

Another reserved constituency and another where delimitation has changed the local politics. This is now the largest constituency by area in Karnataka. This is an unpredictable seat in the sense that in its earlier form it even elected JDU's actor Shashi Kumar to the LS!! No party or leaders have really solved the issues in the area and that is a jarring note.

BJP is not that strong in the area. They have taken a punt and fielded US returned Software engineer Janardhan Swamy against Cong's Thitteswamy. JDS used to be strong in the area but defections have hit it hard and they would be relegated to third. Thitteswamy should win this one!

BJP -13, Cong-4, JDS-0

Chikballapur

Former CM Verappa Moily of Cong takes on C.Aswathnarayana of BJP and Kannada film director Manohar in a three way fight.

Local strongman and sitting Cong MP RL Jalappa (another JD man who moved to Cong during split) is miffed and refused to contest this time. He has been miffed for some time due to him being not given importance. Apparently a lot of Jalappa's supporters have joined BJP in the recent past and there were rumours during the trust vote on N-Deal that Jalappa might also switch over! This is a big setback for Moily, who is an outsider to this constituency.

Traditionally BJP has not been strong in this area but given the infighting in Cong camp they did well in the assembly elections and should do well now also. Aswathnarayana might just win this and Moily will have to go back empty handed.

BJP -14, Cong-4, JDS-0

Hassan

Three things are famous from this Vokkaliga heartland ' ISRO, Gomateshwara and Deve Gowda.

Need I say more! Former PM and sitting MP HD Deve Gowda takes on veteran BJP leader KH Hanume Gowda and B Shivaram of Cong.

Apparently both Cong and BJP are trying hard to make sure Deve Gowda does not make it through. There have been movements across party lines here but that has actually dented Cong as leaders have moved to both JDS and BJP. Shivaram is a veteran rival of Gowda in local politics and Hanume Gowda also has been around for a long time but I just don't think Vokkaligas in the area will let down their "mannina maga" (Son of the soil) and HD Deve Gowda should win easily.

BJP -14, Cong-4, JDS-1

Mysore

Sitting BJP MP CH Vijayashankar takes on JDS' BV Jeevijaya and Cong's H Vishwanath in a three way fight.

It is a bit puzzling in the sense that I just do not understand why H Vishwanath was given ticket by the Cong. He was the education minister in SM Krishna's Govt and is afflicted of a disease called "foot-in-mouth"J. Also he has lost assembly elections twice from Mysore and is down and out. If the ticket was given to lash out at Siddramaiah then it was bad! This is the area of Siddramaiah's influence and a handpicked candidate could have wrested the seat for Cong. Bad choice in my view.

Former MP, Jeevijaya moved from Cong to JDS recently to contest from here. He is a veteran of the area. He had once defeated Gundu Rao from this seat in the 80's. JDS has lost a lot of clout here with Siddramaiah moving to Cong and GT Devegowda moving to BJP! He will give a good fight but should still loose here.

Vijayashankar once defeated Srikantadatta Wodeyar for Mysore LS seat and that is an achievement in this area. Given the good support for BJP among Lingayats and this area has a sizeable and influential Lingayat population. But the biggest plus for BJP is addition of Madikeri to Mysore LS seat after delimitation. Madikeri is a BJP bastion. Given this I feel Vijayashankar will retain his seat here.

BJP -15, Cong-4, JDS-1

Chamarajnagar

This is a straight fight between Cong and JDS. BJP is almost non-existent here. Cong holds all 8 assembly segments under this seat. Cong denied ticket to sitting MP as all their MLAs in the region as also their top leaders Siddramaiah and Sreenivas Prasad (both moved from JDS to Cong in recent years) were against him. This means the only dissidence is from the MP, which should not amount to much. Cong's Dhruvnarayan should win this hands down.

BJP -15, Cong-5, JDS-1

Mandya

Another one of straight fights between Cong and JDS! This is the heartland of Cauvery belt. 'Rebel Star' Ambareesh played a game with the Cong leadership and had his way. His has been non-performance of highest order. In fact he even outdid Dharmendra and Govinda in attending parliament!! That's not an easy task! But having a look at the rally he took to file nomination, it seems Mandya will again vote along caste lines and for their Ambianna. Former minister JDS' Cheluvarayaswamy will give a tough fight but his appeal is limited. Shivarama Gowda of BJP, a recently Vokkaliga import from Cong has little chances of winning barring a miracle. My pick is Ambareesh should win comfortably!

BJP -15, Cong-6, JDS-1

Kolar

Another straight fight between Cong and JDS in what has always been a Cong bastion. BJP is a minor player here. It also does not help that a BJP MLA is being investigated for corruption and has also been suspended from the party!

Sitting MP and union minister KH Muniyappa is trying to retain the seat and his opponents are JDS' Chandranna and BJP's DS Veeraiah.

There are a huge number of Tamilian votes in this constituency, to the extent that on AIADMK's Rajendran has won the KGF assembly seat thrice! If they whole-heartedly support JDS since both are part of third front, it could be interesting. But I think KH Muniyappa will retain this seat.

BJP -15, Cong-7, JDS-1

Bengaluru - North

Veteran Cong leader and former Union Railway minister CK Jaffer Sharief takes on another veteran politician who recently joined BJP, DB Chandre Gowda.

Chandre Gowda is another of Ramakrishna Hegde man who moved out of JD to Cong and now to BJP. He is very articulate and was one of the intellectual faces of JD till the 90s. His moving to BJP recently is seen as a shot in the arm for the ruling party.

Sharief has been losing elections recently and this was not his preferred seat. Sharief's tantrums during ticket allocation for 2008 assembly elections would have not endeared him to a lot of Congressmen. There is quite some opposition to him. This area now has quite some Vokkaliga dominated rural segments which is what BJP is trying to break into by fielding Chandre Gowda.

It should succeed and Chandre Gowda to win this.

BJP -16, Cong-7, JDS-1

Bengaluru - South

This most high profile of contests in Karnataka! BJP national Gen Secrectary and 4-time MP Ananth Kumar takes on Youth Cong leader Krishna ByreGowda, Prof Radhakrishna of JDS and independent candidate Capt G R Gopinath, the founder of Air Deccan. This is tough to predict!

JDS is a minor player when it comes to urban seats and it won't change much here. Capt Gopinath has made some impression, with his symbol "a kite" but as usual an independent can only do so much. He could win but that would be a minor miracle and a real pleasant surprise for me!

Krishna is the son of former JD leader and speaker of assembly late C Byregowda but is contesting LS elections for the first time. Cong is leaving no stone unturned here and he apparently is attracting the young voters but it needs to be seen how many would vote for him. We have seen in numerous cases that good crowd turnout or people talking well of you during your campaigns are no guarantee of votes.

Ananth Kumar on the other hand is a veteran. Also he would have the full BJP machinery fighting for him. Some people think that given their internal rivalry BSY can scuttle Kumar's plans but I believe otherwise. If Kumar loses then he would concentrate on state politics which would be the one thing BSY would want to avoid. It works for both if Kumar wins! I think Ananth Kumar should just scrape through this time!

Kannada Chaluvali Vatal Paksha's Vatal Nagaraj has also entered the fray here. This should ensure good entertainment to the voters of the area due to his antics. But he won't be of more than nuisance value to the major candidates.

BJP -17, Cong-7, JDS-1

Bengaluru - Central

Former super-cop HT Sangliana of Cong (he was one of the BJP rebels during the trust vote over nuclear deal) takes on PC Mohan of BJP. JDS should be a comfortable third in this seat.

Jaffer Sharief wanted this seat but Sangliana was rewarded for helping the Govt during the confidence vote. He had defeated Sharief in the last elections. Cong is pretty strong in the area Apparently he has not done much on the ground but PC Mohan recently lost assembly elections and I think he will lose this as well. A lot of minority dominant areas under this constituency should also help Cong (a main reason why Sharief wanted to contest here).

Sangliana to win this seat!

BJP -17, Cong-8, JDS-1

Bengaluru - Rural

Another prestigious and high profile contest! This is the toughest to predict! Erstwhile Kanakapura has been rechristened ass Bangalore ' Rural. Also the nature of the seat has undergone a lot of changes with certain urban areas coming under it. Vokkaliga votes dominate the seat and all three parties are vying for it.

It is a three way fight with JDS state president and former CM HD Kumaraswamy taking on sitting MP, former journalist and host of Mukha-Mukhi Tejasvini Sriramesh of Cong and latest entrant into BJP, former actor and Channapatna MLA CP Yogeshwar!!

It was the surprise of 2004 elections that Tejasvini won. She was pitted against veteran BJP leader Ramachandre Gowda and JDS' HD Deve Gowda, yet she won! Deve Gowda was pushed to third here and all 3 candidates had secured 3+ lakh votes!! All three parties have strong base but Kumaraswamy has looked after Ramanagaram very well. He made it a district and that area should vote overwhelming for him. Yogeshwar is the dark horse and Tejasvini still has a lot to offer but Kumaraswamy should have the last laugh

BJP -17, Cong-8, JDS-2

Tumkur

Cong's P Kodandaramaiah takes on JDS' Muddahanume Gowda and BJP's GS Basavaraj in a three way fight. Tumkur is unique in the sense that it has almost equal number of voters from Vokkaligas, Lingayats and BCs. Each party is trying to win over one caste!

Kodandaramaiah is a former police commissioner of Bangalore and a first rate political traveler He was JD MP from Chitradurga in 1996, moved with RK Hegde to Lok Sakthi, then to Cong, then to JDS and back to Cong!!!!. He is known to be close to Siddaramaiah and has been given a ticket to win over the backward classes since they form a substantial number here. But Kodandaramaiah is going to be on a very sticky turf since he is an outsider and with numerous stories of how anti-Siddaramaiah camp in Cong is sabotaging his chances. I won't be surprised if he is third in this contest.

Both JDS' Muddahanume Gowda and BJP's GS Basavaraj were both veteran Congressmen with pretty good influence in the area. JDS controls 4 of the 8 assembly segments here and recently won a by poll (Turuvekere seat vacated by film actor Jaggesh when he moved from Cong to BJP).

Basavaraj was given a ticket over veteran BJP leader and sitting MP S Mallikarjuniah (who was also deputy speaker of LS during 91-96) apparently at the insistence of Siddganga Swamiji. He is a former MP having defeated Mallikarjuniah previously. This has obviously not gone down well with a lot of BJP folks.

It is too close to call but given the infighting in Cong and BJP and the concentration of Vokkaligas, I stick my head out and think Muddahanume Gowda might sail through but only just.

BJP -17, Cong-8, JDS-3

 

Overall I think BJP will retain its dominance of Karnataka politics for now with divided house Cong not doing as per potential. JDS will be marginal player and retain influence in the Vokkaliga dominated belts.

Final tally makes it almost status quo from 2004 with BJP losing one seat to Cong! Given that I am no astrologer and just have put down what I feel, based on certain factors, it would be fair to say there could be a couple of seats going either way to change the overall numbers. I also don't think BJP would get more than 20 seats (forget 24 that BSY and his ministers have been tom-toming!)

In my view the seats which are toss up and really can go anyway are Tumkur, Raichur, Koppal, Bangalore 'Rural, Mangaluru and Bijapur Other seats if they dont go as per my analysis, then it could range from mild surprise to shockerJ

How people vote on April 23rd and 30th would be known only on May 16th. Irrespective of what you think of politics and whom you support but Please vote!

A lot of feedback where people wanted my views on how the Lok Sabha would eventually look like I don't think we will have a clear winner but you never know. Third part will be coming soon!

Posted in 2009 Lok Sabha Elections.

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By Sachin HC – April 18, 2009


Kanataka in 2009 Lok Sabha elections - Part 1

Elections round the corner mean endless TV watching, following news, endless predictions by all and sundry. In pre-voting machine days it also meant whole days devoted to catching up on trends and leads while following countingJMore so for people like me who do not abhor politics and take it very seriously. I have been an avid follower of Indian politics and more so of my home state Karnataka. I vividly remember VP Singh's Govt taking over in 1989 and also listening to the debate (when BJP withdrew support) on the floor of the house (mind you I was just into my teens back then). Of course the level of debates has consistently gone down and the 14th was the nadir till now.

From Karnataka perspective there is a lot at stake for all parties involved and it has been complicated by the delimitation exercise.

It is for the first time an election is being held with a BJP CM in saddle and they would want to prove they are here to stay. Deve Gowda would want some say in national politics and might be harboring hopes of being PM again (apparently his astrologer has predicted something similar!!), so JDS would be desperate to do well. Cong has been a divided house for some time now and they need a good showing to pave a path to return back to glory. Mind you Karnataka that even the 1977 elections, in the wake of emergency, Congress had romped home here. This time they have made most of their heavyweight leaders as candidates. There are 3 former CMs (Bangarappa, Moily, Singh) and 2 former PCC charimans (Poojary, Kharge) in the fray. They have tried to accommodate others like Siddramaiah by making him replace Kharge as leader of opposition in the assembly. You cannot accuse them of not trying hard this time around.

In recent times we have seen a huge number of leaders cross over party lines blurring ideological lines. Sitting BJP MPs and some leaders have crossed over to Cong, several Cong leaders and MLAs have crossed over to BJP to be their candidates. In some cases local politicians have crossed over to JDS especially in south Karnataka. These elections are an acid test for them. Overall I don't see Cong and JDS making much headway and BJP should sweep the coastal and northern parts whereas Cong and JDS would do relatively well in the central and southern parts.

In the first part I would put forth my analysis of how the pendulum might swing this time for North and Coastal Karnataka alongwith parts of Malenadu, covering 15 constituencies in all.

 

Let me start with my hometown i.e. Dharwad.

Dharwad

In Dharwad constituency, JDS is almost non-existent. Till Vijay Sankeshwar of BJP won it in 1996, Congress had never lost here what with Sarojini Mahishi and DK Naiker being elected, and since then BJP has not lost here.

Prahlad Joshi, is the sitting BJP MP and has a reputation of being a doer as well as being clean. Manjunath Kunnur, who hails from Shiggaon, was an MP from Dharwad South (now Haveri). He shifted to Dharwad after delimitation when Shiggaon became part of Dharwad and also shifted parties! He was one of the BJP rebels during the trust vote over Nuclear deal. Earlier to being in BJP he was Congress MLA from Shiggaon, so in a sense he is a political traveler.

Anyone who is not from Hubli-Dharwad starts off with a mountain to climb here and that is what Kunnur is trying to do. The folks from the twin cities do not know him and there are around 5 lakh voters there. On top of that there is lot of groupism in District unit and Kunnur is considered an outsider. Former minister Jabbarkhan Honnalli was one of the aspirants as well. Taking this and Joshi's reputation, I think will make sure Prahlad Joshi will retain this seat.

A round of appreciation is in order for Channabasappa Kusugal of Rayapur near HubliJ He is the "Dharti Pakkad" of Dharwad politics as he stands for all elections and never tires of loosing. In 2004 he outdid himself though by garnering around 8000 votes!!

BJP -1, Cong-0, JDS-0

Haveri

Formerly Dharwad- South, this one is a fight between two political green horns! Saleem Ahmed of Cong takes on Shivakumar Channabasappa Udasi of BJP. Saleem Ahmed is a youth congress leader while Udasi's father (Channabasappa M Udasi) is an important minister in the state cabinet. C M Udasi was a Ramakrishna Hegde-JH Patel man in JD who joined BJP from JDU when JDU pretty much went extinct in Karnataka. He has been associated with Hangal-Haveri politics for long and that should ensure a good number of votes for his son.

Given C M Udasi's hold and the fact that of the 8 assembly seats under this constituency BJP holds 7 (BC Patil of Cong holds the lone non-BJP seat in Hirekerur); I think it should be easy for Shivakumar to win this.

BJP -2, Cong-0, JDS-0

Bagalkot

Sitting MP BJP's P C Gaddigoudar takes on Jagadish T Patil of Cong. Bagalkot is another Cong bastion which has turned anti-Cong in recent years. It started with Ramakrishna Hegde whose name still evokes a groundswell of support here. Gaddigoudar is seen as quite inefficient and Patil being new could be his trump card. Bagalkot also has a history of big upsets. In 1991 Hegde himself was defeated here by an unknown newcomer SidduNyama Gouda. But given that BJP controls all 8 assembly segments and that P C Gaddigoudar won with a margin of over 1.5 lakh votes last time, he should retain the seat.

BJP -3, Cong-0, JDS-0

Bijapur

Delimitation effect and Bijapur is now a reserved seat. Former Ranji cricketer Prakash Rathod  of Cong is pitted against Ramesh Jigajinagi of BJP. Jigajinagi is another of Hegde's protgs (Ramakrishna Hegde was an icon in the area ) and was the MP from Chikkodi (earlier from Lokshakti and later from BJP). He moved to adjoining Bijapur due to delimitation. He was born in Bijapur so in a sense he belongs here but Jigajinagi is not carrying good reports as he contested and lost assembly elections from Chikkodi in 2008.

Basavaraj Patil Yatnal, the current BJP MP and local strongman is quite disenchanted with BSY that could be a big spoiler here. As a counter BJP had even Advani canvass here but that might not be enough. Also Muslim voters normally do not vote for BJP so I think Prakash Rathod will wrest this seat for Cong.

BJP -3, Cong-1, JDS-0

Uttara Kannada

Three-time MP, Ananth Kumar Hegde (BJP) takes on Margaret Alva (Cong). The word on the ground is that though Hegde has not done much good but he has not done badly either. Also Alva was nowhere to be seen after her loss in 2004. Both parties have dissidence. Former minister Shivanand Naik is against Hegde but his influence is around the Bhatkal area. But that too has diminished a bit after he lost the assembly elections in 2008 (that was actually on expected lines as I personally know that people were not at all happy with his performance). Alva has to contend with a miffed RV Deshpande (another Hegde protg now with Cong), whose son was denied ticket. She has announced this will be her last elections but I think it will end in defeat. Ananth Kumar Hegde to retain the seat!

BJP -4, Cong-1, JDS-0

Udupi-Chikmagalur

Former minister Cong's Jayaprakash Hegde takes on BJP state president DV Sadanand Gowda. There has been a lot of churning in this area politics. Manorama Madhwaraj, the sitting BJP MP, rejoined Cong where as former Udupi Cong MLA and Bangarappa man in the area, U R Sabhapathi has resigned from Cong and might join BJP. Cong;s Vinay Kumar Sorake was the main aspirant and he might be the spoilsport for Hegde. The area, just like other parts of coastal belt, is a BJP stronghold where they have been performing better than other parts of the state for long. With VS Acharya, the senior BJP leader and home minister, also being from the area BJP should win this one but the fight should be closer than other seats in karavali. Sadanand Gowda to win!

BJP -5, Cong-1, JDS-0

Mangaluru

A BJP bastion to the core! It pits the old Cong warhorse Janardhan Poojary against relatively unknown, political greenhorn BJP's Nalin Kumar Katilu. Personally BJP's choice was a surprise since I didn't even know this name even though I have been in Mangaluru for past 8 years! Apparently he has been involved with BJP for a very long time and is very committed organizer for BJP. There is a lot of polarization of votes on religious lines here and the sangh parivar is very dominant. I personally think Poojary is a spent force and his "loan melas" which made him popular seem like belonging to a different era. Cong would have been better off having somebody else as candidate. I think Nalin Kumar Katilu will make it to LS.

BJP -6, Cong-1, JDS-0

Shimoga

This seat is now a prestigious one. Former CM Sarekoppa Bangarappa takes on BY Raghavendra (CM Yedyurappa's son). Normally it does not matter from which party Bangarappa stands, he just wins in Shimoga!!  He has won on a Cong, BJP and SP as well as his own parties Karnataka Congress Party and Karnataka Vikas Party tickets!! I don't know of any other politician in India who has managed such stuff!

Let me delve into a main reason for this. Bangarappa spearheaded a movement in the 60s which led to tribals, backwards and landless peasant of Shimoga being given land and employment oppurtunities. These people became his captive vote back. In fact it is very common to see Bangarappa's photo being displayed along with Gods in their homes! He is nothing short of that. He has done his bit but the new generation which does not revere him like their parents/grandparents expects more. This is where he fails. Admittedly Sorab is far better off than Jewargi (Dharam Singh's home) but is worse off than neighboring Shikaripur (BSY's home) or Ramanagara (Kumaraswamy's constituency).

But this time it is different he lost the assembly elections when he stood against Yedyurappa in Shikaripur instead of his pocket borough Sorab. His sons contested from Sorab and both of the lost!! It was the first time since 1967 that a Bangarappa was not representing Sorab in the assembly! This was such a shocker in Karnataka politics that the first time MLA BJP's Hartal Halappa was made a cabinet minister!

Bangarappa has lost his touch and Yedyurappa is riding a wave. BY Raghavendra to win this one.

BJP -7, Cong-1, JDS-0

Koppal

Former MP Basavaraj Rayareddy of Cong takes on JDS state president Iqbal Ansari and BJP's Shivarama Gouda in a three way fight, which is far too close that most anticipate. This is another traditional Cong seat which is now leaning towards BJP.  Sitting MP Virupakshappa has been denied ticket by Cong leading to him withdrawing from the scene. This is a setback for Rayareddy, a charismatic politician, another of Ramakrishna Hegde's protg and who joined Cong when Hedge was sent out of JD. Ansari has a good name in the area and is among the "winnable" JDS candidates but might struggle here. The adjoining districts of Gadag in the west and Bellary in the east are now BJP's bastions, if that wave percolates Gouda might win. My pick still is Basavaraj Rayareddy to make it to Lok Sabha yet again.

BJP -7, Cong-2, JDS-0

Bellary

Delimitation effect and Bellary is now a reserved seat. This is Reddy country! J Shanthi, who is the sister of minister Sriramulu is the BJP nominee and she takes on Justice Hanumantappa of Cong. Bellary was the biggest bastion of Cong in the state but now the mine-owning Reddy brothers have turned this completely saffron! I just don't see how BJP can lose this. J Shanthi to win this comfortably

BJP -8, Cong-2, JDS-0

Chikkodi

Chikkodi has been de-reserved, where Prakash Hukkeri of Cong takes on Ramesh Katti on BJP, who recently joined the party.  This could be a tough fight! But Jigajinagi the sitting MP could be the spoiler for BJP as he is not looked at having done well. Also anti-incumbency in the form that he was elected 4 times could be the spoiler for BJP. On the other side Ramesh Katti does not carry that baggage. He quit JDS to join BJP and was made minister as well. I would stick my neck out and predict Ramesh Katti to win this.

BJP -9, Cong-2, JDS-0

Belgaum

Sitting MP Suresh Angadi of BJP takes on AB Patil of JDS and Amar Singh Patil of Cong in a three cornered fight. MES the local party which wants merger with Maharashtra is not fielding a candidate and have said they would oppose BJP. But the catch is their say is only in Belgaum city to an extent and rural areas are different.  Not many know that only Belgaum city (and to an extent Khanapur) has significant Marathi population but the rest of the district is not so. Though he will face a tough fight Suresh Angadi should retain the seat.

BJP -10, Cong-2, JDS-0

Gulbarga

Gulbarga is now a reserved seat. BJP minister Revu Nayak Belamagi takes on Cong stalwart Mallikarjun Kharge in what promises to be huge fight. This is one to watch out for. Both hail from the area and are fighting LS elections for the first time and for Kharge this is the ticket to move onto national scene. Apparently only reason Belamagi is contesting here is to tie down Kharge in the area and to embarrass Cong, if he is defeated. Kharge won a record 7 times from Gurmitkal and recently won from Chittapur. Also Dharam Singh's Jewargi is another Cong stronghold. Belamagi candidature has made this a tough contest else it might have been a cake walk for Kharge. I do feel BJP will succeed in having him tied down for canvassing for himself but will not be able to stop him from winning. Mallikarjun Kharge to win this one!

BJP -10, Cong-3, JDS-0

 

Raichur

Another newly reserved seat pitches local MLA Raja Venkatesha Naik of Cong against Fakeerappa of BJP. There was a lot of drama since Raja Amareshwar Naik of BJP was the official candidate and when doubts were raised over his caste certificate BJP changed its candidate to the rebel i.e. Fakeerappa. It also helped that Fakeerappa is kin of Sriramulu. I feel this one could be the surprise BJP win with Fakeerappa winning it.

PS: Actually I didn't know much about this constituency but my father, who follows politics far more than I do, thinks this is what will happen and I would defer to him in this case (and stick to my stand for Gulbarga)J

BJP -11, Cong-3, JDS-0

Bidar

Bidar was de-reserved after delimitation. BJP's Ramachandra Veerappa represented it from 1991 till his death in 2004. In fact he was the oldest parliamentarian when he won the 2004 election at the age of 91!

Coming to the present contest it pits Cong's former CM Dharam Singh against BJP's Gurupadappa Nagamarpalli.

Ironically Nagamarpalli was a minister in Dharam's cabinet and recently quit Cong to join BJP! He is the local strongman and Aurad assembly segment is his strong hold once that was reserved, he moved to Bidar city and won from there also. Now in the bypoll (he resigned to join BJP), his son contests from Bidar city and he tries to move to Lok Sabha.

Dharam Singh comes from the neighboring Gulbarga district's Jewargi where he lost the last elections after 7 wins! I firmly believe he was the most inefficient CM in Karnataka's history and maybe one of the most inefficient MLA as well. He represented Jewargi for 30+ years, was an important minister and also a CM but still it is one of the most backward areas in the state! This is one man I would love to see defeated and retire from politics (2008 assembly elections were supposed to be his lastJ).

JDS has fielded a Pune businessman Subhash Negle who would take away some votes but could end up hurting Cong rather than win. This is more so given JDS strongman and MLA from the region, Subhash Guttedar who can definitely swing some votes.

It could be a tight contest but Gurupadappa Nagamarpalli of BJP to win this one.

BJP -12, Cong-3, JDS-0

Second Part Coming Soon….

Posted in 2009 Lok Sabha Elections.

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By Sachin HC – April 13, 2009


Thoughts from the experience of Delhi Blasts!

Life@epicenter of blasts '

Sep 16th 2008

Sep 13th 2008 will be forever etched in my mind. On that day Delhi was rocked by a series of blasts. Mostly in crowded market places. I was in Delhi during that time sight-seeing, visiting places just like any other tourist would do. I am just trying to pen the thoughts that have crossed my mind since!

We read about such stuff in papers or see it on TV and the effect on us is that we think these terrorists need to be punished (or what the hell is the Govt doing!!) but we never understand the panic or fear or anger that residents there who are near the epicenter of such events feel. I got first hand experience of this over the weekend. At first you panic, then fear takes over for your near and dear ones and for your fellow citizens and then this turns to anger on how this is being allowed to fester!

Panic:

It was the first time that I was in a city where blasts had occurred and that too, visiting places that was earmarked for the blasts. At the time of the blasts we were enjoying the evening at India Gate and roaming on Rajpath, not knowing the havoc that was being caused elsewhere in the city. While returning from there, we were found out about the incidents and rushed to Gurgaon (where we are put up) before roads were blocked or mobile signals jammed. It turned out later that a live bomb was diffused at the exact location where we were roaming @ India gate.. I shudder to think if like the other bombs this one too had gone off at that time between 6 to 7 in the evening!!!

Fear:

In the afternoon we were in a very crowded Chandni Chowk area where business was as usual on a busy Saturday with hundreds of thousands of innocent market-goers. It must have been the same in Karol Bagh and Greater Kailash where the blasts took place. There was nothing that would have stopped them from planting one in Chandni Chowk as well! If they had done so I just cannot imagine the havoc that would have caused. This is fear that we would not experience sitting far away watching the coverage of the blasts as a TV spectacle!

Anger:

The bombs don’t discriminate based on caste, creed, gender, age etc while ripping apart lives. The bomb @India Gate was found in a children’s park. In Ahmedabad they targeted a hospital so that the people coming over there for treatment and the doctors/nurses treating them are killed. Now that shows the kind of people these terrorists are…. I think categorizing them as people itself is wrong!! And is it wrong if there are stricter laws to apprehend these people. Absolutely Not! I now believe that if due to some strict law (I couldn't care less what it is called) some innocent people end up doing jail time, so be it. Isn't it better than some innocent men, women and children dying a violent death? To hell with all the human rights advocates who are against such laws (there are tons of them in India). Will they be there to support a family whose bread-winner dies in such attacks? No! They will shed some crocodile tears for the dead and get on with their "bashan baazi" and placard waving. Maybe they will understand the emotions better if they are the target of the attacks by these demons!!

There was a Congress party meeting of some sort taking place near India gate which the President of India was supposed to attend on Saturday evening. She didn't make it to the function but the terrorists got there without being detected. India Gate is a couple of Kms away from Rastrapathi Bhavan, Parliament house and all such important offices. What did we learn from the Parliament attack some years back? I don't think much!! Our intelligence agencies, I believe, are caught up in their own red-tape to be efficient and effective!

I now also fully support that we should have a uniform federal law and agency to tackle this menace and all the perpetrators charged with waging war against the nation and maybe even treated as PoW. After all it is a war they are waging against innocent, unarmed Indians and we should hit back at them with all our might. If this entails attacking targets within our neighbouring countries, so be it and to hell with pacifists (same argument as for rights activists)!! What's the use of spending billions of dollars on defence if that money cannot guarantee safety for us at our homes, offices and markets?

Coming to the man in charge of internal security in India i.e. India’s Home Minister Shivraj Patil — I have always maintained that Shivraj Patil is not the right person to be Home Minister, but this incident has made up my mind that he is the most incompetent and useless Home minister we have ever had!! In fact it might not be very far off target, if we categorize him as the most ineffectual Cabinet minister since VK Krishna Menon (China attacked India when this defence minister was busy arguing in UN for China’s inclusion and to be made permanent member of security council)! What does this guy do that evening (apart from changing his dress thrice, as various channels pointed out) is that he gives another of his useless, pathetic statement but where is the action against the perpetrtors of the blasts, this year we have had it in Jaipur, Bengaluru, Ahmedabad and now Delhi. All statements made by him for every blast in the country since 2005 sound same (check out today’s Times of India, front page for verification of his various statements). The situation be it in Naxalite infested areas or the North-east or this global phenomenon called terrorism has gotten so bad during his reign that it sickens you. And what has he to show for the actions he took ..absolutely zilch!! My hope is that Dr. Manmohan Singh will now sack this guy immediately and restore some kind of parity to the office of Home Minister.

PS: Though it is too early to pass judgments, but I hope Karnataka's Home Minister, VS Acharya, would not be known as Karnataka’s Shivraj Patil and handles the current communal situation in Mangaluru in a tough, efficient and non-partisan manner.

The above are strictly my personal views and not intended against anyone specific (except for Shivraj PatilJ).

~ Sachin

Posted in Current Affairs.

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By Sachin HC – September 17, 2008


Shammi Kapoor turns 75!

A couple of weeks ago, Oct 21st to be precise, Shammi Kapoor turned 75. Shammi Kapoor is and always will be my all-time favourite, so what if he had long moved into character roles by the time I was born! There are others whom I like a lot be it Amitabh or Dharmendra or Sunny Deol or Govinda or Aamir or Hrithik but no one comes even near to him. Shammi Kapoor is 1 to 10 on my scale all others are after himJ


 


There has been an article published on Screen to commemorate his birthday. You can view the article at:


http://www.screenindia.com/fullstory.php?content_id=13953


 


Now, for the most part I completely agree with the article, though there is an amazing blooper (Prince was not a disaster but a hit!). I would prefer to see some changes in the songs mentioned. For a fan like me, my list would also have included songs like '


 


'Tumne Mujhe Dekha' (Teesri Manzil)


'Muqabla Humse Na Karo' (Prince)


'Tumne Pukaara Aur Hum Chale Aaye' (Rajkumar)


'Aasmanwale Teri Duniya Se' (Laila Majnu)


'Mujhe Apna Yaar Banalo' (BoyFriend)


'Dheere Chal Dheere Chal' (BoyFriend)


'Chali Chali Aisi Hawa Yeh Chali' (Bluff Master)


'Jab Mohabbat Jawan Hoti Hai' (Jawan Mohabbat)


'Ya Dilruba Ya Dilruba' (China Town)


'Subanallah' (Kashmir Ki Kali)


'Singapore' (Singapore)


 


& a lot more'.basically it might have included all the songs picturised on himJ what songs, what movies and what a star! There is none like him and none will ever be, though there have been wannabes trying to ape him!

Currently, like every year, I am waiting for his reply to the wishes that I sent him. Signing off in Shammi kapoor style………

Tally Ho!

Posted in Movies, Shammi Kapoor.

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By Sachin HC – November 2, 2006


What ails DON!!

As mentioned in my previous post, here is why I would avoid this movie:

 

Farhan Akhtar's Don releases this Friday in what is expected to be the highest grossing weekend ever in the history of Hindi cinema. This is due to the fact that another highly anticipated movie, with top stars like Akshay / Salman is also releasing on the same day. There are already reports of some amazing advance bookings for both movies. I am definitely not one of the people waiting to see DON. Naturally the question, why? Here are my purely personal reasons and is not a movie review as I haven't seen itJ:

 

Remake: The movie is a remake of a classic. A classic that has ruled our hearts for a long time! Agreed even Don was not an original (I doubt anyone knows thisJ), it was inspired by the Shammi Kapoor starrer China Town (with famous song "Baar Baar Dekho"). Getting inspired is one thing and remaking as is, is another. As a rule I am against remakes (remixes also!) as I feel they mean that the person associated with it does not have enough creativity to create his/her own thing and is using something created by others. Farhan Akhtar lets down after giving us such classy original movies like Dil Chahta Hai and Lakshya. A classic like Don should be enjoyed as the original. SRK/Farhan have consistently said this is a tribute to the original, but as a tribute they shouldn't spoil the fun of the original. They say the current generation hasn't seen Don, which should officially be categorized as the biggest joke of the year. Come on, in the last month the original has been on Set Max Channel a couple of times and is again scheduled this Sunday! Just watch the original and see the impact!

There are people who say enjoy this movie as is but don't compare with the original. This might have been possible if not for all the talk mentioned above.

 

The main reasons one watches a movie could be for its casting or songs or dialogues. Let us dissect them here:

 

Casting: The most important reason for not watching the movie is its cast. This movie has the most absurd casting under the sun (apart from the crap that RGV is about to throw on us, which is a separate topic altogether). This is so bad that you want to tell Farhan to go to Agra! Let us dissect them one by one '

    1. SRK as Don/Vijay (Amitabh in the original): SRK is a good actor, no doubt about that. But he has his limitations. He is good in the romantic movie genre but not in action movies. Anyone who does not agree with this can be broadly slotted into one of the two categories ' an ardent SRK fan or people who haven't seen his "action" movies. The ex-pressions that SRK has come up with in this movie remind you of those utter disasters of a movie watching experience called "Duplicate" and "Ram Jaane". Just watch them! Also SRK's role is somewhat similar to the one in Duplicate which also had a similar double role. His dialogue delivery is not what the public call "dum daar" and without that how do you expect the immortal lines from the original to be replicated. Already the one about "gyarah mulkon ki pulis" is on TV and is bad!
    2. Arjun Rampal as Jasjit (Pran in the original): Actually this is more shocking. Pran was an accomplished and proven actor, a legend in his own lifetime but Arjun is nothing of that sort. Agreed he is a good looker but his acting hmmm. Let me not even get into dissecting it!
    3. Kareena Kapoor as Kamini (Helen in the original): Anyone who knows Hindi movies can be as disenchanted as I am when you plan to replace the incomparable Helen. Agreed Kareena looks good but dancing to "Yeh mera dil" ala Helen! She also tries to ape Helen's movements which make her look stupid. There are some dance steps which should be left to the maestros and not be tried by novices. On top of this her statement was "People will associate this song with me in future, after this film" (the second best joke of the year!). The only reason this song picturisation is not the worst of the movie is that "Khaike" is hopelessly bad!
    4. Priyanka Chopra as Roma (Zeenat Aman in the original): Zeenat was anyway not a great actress and Roma's character needs to be shown sexy and flamboyant which Priyanka hopefully can pull off.
    5. Other castings like Boman Irani as DCP Dsilva and Om Puri as Malik are actually good. Iftekar and Om Shivpuri (in the original) were not great shakes as actors but were ones who held their own. But these two are in a separate league.
    6. No idea who all would play the roles of Deepu, Munni, Inspector Verma, Narang, Shetty etc all characters which are etched in movie buffs memory!

 Songs: As already mentioned they are bad! The only decent song is the "Main Hoon Don" which has been done quite well. Udit Narayan tries to inject life into blasphemously pathetic re-mix of the classic song "khaike paan banaraswala" with his energetic rendering of the song but there is only so much a singer can do. The song reminds us of the "Jhakaar Beats" phenomenon that ailed the music industry in the 90s. Also point to note is the "dancing". What on earth was Saroj Khan thinking about (maybe the judging in the reality show "Nach Baliye" has had an effect here!) while choreographing this one. Others are also bad.

 

Like somebody put it, "It seems casting people were on a holiday. SRK should have been in Jaaneman and Akshay in Don as the roles would have suited them better". The movie will be having strong Pro or Anti sentiments also. Some people are watching it, just to see what has been screwed up, if at all. My take is that people who go to see what it is all about and come back saying it was as bad as expected are actually encouraging such movie makers. The makers just need people to watch it once and their box office collections zoom, which in turn mean that other film makers will try such stupidity. I for one don't want to contribute to Ritesh Sidwani's coffers (Producer of the new Don).

 

One thing for sure that the movie will be definitely good in, is the technicality. It would be amazingly shot for sure. It will also have a big opening weekend and maybe break records. But that is no substitute for a good movie watching experience.

Posted in Movies.

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By Sachin HC – October 19, 2006


My Most awaited movies for the remainder of 2006

This year has been amazing for Hindi film lovers. There have been numerous different movies hitting the marquee and they have made their mark. There have been movies which wowed the critics, movies which wowed the masses and movies which managed both.

Box office has never been this big. Movies touching 40 crore (Rs 400 million) net gross in India alone was a rarity, which occurred mostly once a year. This year we have had movies like Krrish (Rs 650 million), Fanna (Rs 530 million), Rang De Basanti (Rs 510 million), Kabhi Alvida Na Kehna (Rs 450 million) and Phir Hera Pheri (Rs 400 million) and the latest which is sure to break a lot of records Lage Raho Munnabhai (Rs 350 million in 2 weeks and running very strong).

With all this happening, the remainder of the year looks very promising indeed. Here I list the movies which I am eagerly awaiting:

1. Dhoom 2: This is definitely the movie that I am very curious about. The first part was different from the run of the mill and bought the biker movies to Indian films. This one is supposed to take it to the next level. With Hrithik Roshan as the baddie for the first time with the gorgeous Aishwarya Rai by his side and the news of some amazing stunts picturized for the movie. It doesn't get bigger than this and this movie is surely HOT!
2. Guru: Mani Ratnam, arguably one of the best directors of India, returns to Hindi cinema with this movie. With Abhishek Bachchan, Aishwarya Rai and Mithun Chakraborthy, the expectations are high!
3. Bhagam Bhag: Govinda returns to the silver screen after a hiatus in a comedy (that itself is enough for meJ). The best part is that he returns in a movie directed by the current king of comedy Priyadarshan and also has Akshay Kumar in the lead. Akshay has been amazing in the last couple of years and this makes the movie worth the wait.
4. Kaafila: Sunny Deol in an out and out actioner (what more do I needJ)with a different patriotic mode and the movie to be directed by Amtoje Mann whose movie about the 1984 riots “Hawaayein” was very well received by the critics.

5. Kabul Express: The promos look very promising and with Arshad Warsi and John Abraham expect a breezy adventure.

6. Jaaneman: The Akshay-Salman combo reminds you of the good time you had in "Mujhse Shaadi Karogi". The promos are good and songs hummable.


Apart from the above there are the following movies which rate high for some people but they don't as of now for me.

  1. The promos of Vivah have just started and the music sounds very soothing, this movie might move up my ladder once full-fledged promos start and I hear the songs.
  2. Babul I am not sure what to expect as I mostly stay clear of tear-jerkers.
  3. As for Umrao Jaan, I don't wait for remakes as a rule and the original was boring for me. This one does have Aishwarya who is looking absolutely stunning but am not sure whether I would even see this.
  4. Then there is Don. Some people are really waiting for this and I am not one bit curious to see this one. Why would be question? I will list the reasons in a separate postingJ

Posted in Movies.

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By Sachin HC – September 21, 2006


Naksha - Movie Review

Naksha ' Unlock the mystery!

This is the latest movie to hit the screen and again I could not help but end up among the folks lining up to watch the preview. The trailers promised a good time and promotions hinged on this being a "different masala" kind of movie. This also marked the return of Sunny Deol after quite a hiatus.

First the story ' Two archeologists, one good and one bad i.e. Bali (Jackie Shroff), are on a quest for a supernatural power. The good guy dies in order to avoid the map falling into the bad guy's hand. 20 years down the line the son of the good guy Vicky (Viveik Oberoi) inadvertently gets the map. Realizing that this was his father's dream he sets out to fulfill it. On the way, he gets into trouble as Jackie's men attack and kidnap him for the map. His elder step-brother Veer (Sunny Deol) comes to his rescue. Veer has come to take him back home and Vicky is in no mood to relent. Vicky manages to convince Veer that this was their father's dream and they ought to realize it. On the way, they realize that their father was not killed in an accident but by Bali who by now has managed to lay his hands on the map. Then starts a roller coaster ride to the destination and in the end the good triumphs over evil.

This film boasts of a very interesting concept. Such films are rarely made in India (the last such movie that you can think of is the Mackenna's gold inspired Zalzala in the 80s). Just like you have seen/read concepts like Da Vinci Code/National Treasure which deal with mythology/history; the film successfully uses mythology (read Mahabharatha). But, interesting concept needs to be in efficient hands to make it into a good film. Such movies (maybe view might have been affected by watching similar kind of Hollywood movies) need to be going at breakneck speed, make your adrenaline pump; basically make you hooked onto the proceedings. This is where Naksha falters.

Notable scenes in the movie are:

  1. The clues are well thought out and filmed
  2. The chase through water is good
  3. The final climax and especially the way they ended was good.

The director being a first timer could be a reason for this. Though some scenes have been handled well, Sachin Bajaj needs to improve on his story telling abilities. Editing doesn't help its cause either. Looks like the editor took leave or fell in love with the visuals. The first half really tests your patience. All the songs prove to be speed breakers and should be chopped off as songs don't have a place in such movies. Also, quite a number of scenes can be trimmed.

Technically the film is far above the "run of the mill" movies. The camerawork is just splendid. The picturesque locations in New Zealand have been captured vividly. Action, by Allan Amin, is another area which has some fantastic work. Some of the action sequences have been directly "inspired" by the Rock movie "Welcome to the Jungle" as also quite a number of scenes. No harm in that as long as you do justice to that and Allan Amin does do justice.

Background score by Salim-Suleiman is also very good. Music by Pritam is decent. The “U & I” number during the end titles stands out.

On the acting front, Sunny Deol is likeable as Veer. Given that his role is that of a strong guy, cant imagine others carrying it off convincingly. After a long time we see him in a non-patriotic/non-preachy kind of role and is a welcome change. He was his usual self in bashing up people, like only he can. His dancing was surprise though and looked like he thoroughly enjoyed himself in the "Jat Yamla" song, a far cry from his days of exercising in the name of dance (remember "Yaara O Yaara" from JeetJ).

Viveik Anand Oberoi, that's what he calls himself now, might need to reevaluate his profession. The first 15-20 mins when he was showing himself as cool guy was irritating to say the least and the audience was praying for Sunny Deol to appear on screen (Actually the cheers were pretty loud when Sunny entered). Viveik was better off in the later parts but could have been better. No idea what happened to the promise he showed in his debut movie "Company".

Sameera Reddy does not have anything to do and only once or twice mentions she was a journalist that's it. Just there for singing and dancing.

Jackie is good as the villanious Bali and he does look sinister enough. A talented actor who nowadays does not do good enough movies shines here.

Mridula Chandrashekhar marks her debut as a moll and is utterly wooden. She does nothing noteworthy except bare her body which she does effectively. Others like Suhashini Mulay, Navni Parihar, Lilliput are all wasted in inconsequential roles.

Overall Naksha has an interesting, different plot and has its moments but makes you wonder how good it would have been with a compentent director and and some editor

Rating — 2.5/5 (0.5 star for the plot/camerawork/action)

Posted in Movies.

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By Sachin HC – September 8, 2006


Movie Review — Darwaza Bandh Rakho

Darwaza Bandh Rakho was touted as a comedy coming from RGV's factory after a string on action/scary movies. Chekravarthy directs this movie and considering his previous ventures (anyone unfortunate enough to view Durga would agree) and the star cast of this one, the expectations were zilch. After watching a lacklustre Anthony you anyway don't want to have many expectations from a movie. 

The movie is about a gang of four Ajay (Aftab Shivdasani), Goga (Snehal Dabhi), Raghu(Chunky Pandey) and Abbas (Zakir Hussain) who want to make a quick buck. They kidnap a construction magnate's spoilt daughter Isha (Isha Sharvani) and end up in a now-broke Guajarati household taking the family of Kantilal Shah (Ishrat Ali) as hostages. As Isha's father is in US they have to keep put up in the same house. As time passes quite a few characters like a pizza delivery boy Mugale Azam (Nitin Raikwar), shampoo sales girl Julie (Manisha Koirala), money lender Shetty (Jeeva), real estate agent Mehta(Goga Kapoor), constable Ganpat(Ravi Kale), a veterinary doctor (Kota Srinivas Rao) etc turn up and are promptly taken in as hostages. The kidnappers have to keep up with the idiosyncrasies of the hostages till they get the money. In the meanwhile the pizza boy wants to cozy up to them as he always wanted to be in underworld; Raghu takes a liking to Julie whereas Isha takes a liking to Ajay. The kidnappers then try to outsmart one another to get the money for themselves. There is lots of confusion and finally the police arrives to finish the matters.

The story has enough in it to be turned into a laugh riot. Does it succeed in doing so? Yes and No. There are some fantastic one-liners and the acting is good.
Some dialogues that stand out '

  1. Only incoming, outgoing cut
  2. Only cats, dogs cows no mans and a couple of others.  

But, the cohesiveness in the film is missing. There are so many things that can be done with such a story line and that's where you feel let down. The pace of the movie never slackens. Dialogues are good and have mass appeal. Cinematography is also good.

Acting is one area where there are some revelations. Ishrat Ali is undoubtedly the star of the movie. I have always held that he cannot deliver dialogues but he screams them but here it works and how! This is the best I have seen him perform in spite of seeing him in dozens of movies. Fantastic!  

Isha Sharvani is another revelation. Seeing her in Kisna I had remarked she is good for doing mallahkambh maybe and not actingJ Here she does really well as a kid who is excited about being kidnapped.

Aftab is lacklustre, Chunky and Snehal are ok whereas Manisha looks uninterested in the going on. Zakir is good. Divya Dutta as the maid is as usual.Among the supporting cast Kota Srinivas Rao stands out.

Chekravarthy's direction shows improvement over his debut film. He has handled some scenes well but has still a long way to go.

Overall the movie is timepass if you go with less expectation. After all movie-watching is a matter of managing your expectations. I think here also you are better off waiting for a few months by when this should be coming on channels. 

PS: The movie was touted as 35 people under one roof, believe it or not I counted the number of people in the house and they never reached 35J In the climax when a gang of people reach the house and following them is a police team it might have neared 35 that's it and for most of the movie it is 15 peopleJ

Rating?2/5

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By Sachin HC – August 8, 2006


Movie Review — Anthony Kaun Hai?

The trailers promised a good time what with a tried and tested Sanjay Dutt and Arshad Warsi combination. The expectations were built up with the sleek promos and some good (now mandatory) Himesh numbers. The movie being inspired by an English movie and being directed by a guy who has given only duds in the past were the dampeners which reduced expectations.

Anthony Kaun Hai? This is the question uppermost in the viewer's mind while venturing into a Cineplex to view this movie. Does the movie answer this question? No! Till the end Anthony is not really shown though he is shown in shadows and it is mentioned he was a journalist.

The movie is about a hitman Madan (Sanjay Dutt) out to kill Anthony. He picks up Champ (Arshad Warsi) who is masquerading as Anthony. Champ tells Madan his story about stolen diamonds, which he had come to know while in jail and how he ended up being Anthony. This is the crux of the story.

Now when you have such a story the drama should be gripping. That is what is missing. Editing is not good. There is lot of things which could have been avoided. The entire Rosa (Anusha) track could have been avoided as also a couple of songs removed from the narrative as they act as speed breakers. The screenplay is the culprit here. The movie is slickly shot though. Bangkok is captured well and gives the film a glossy look.

On the acting front, the movie basically rests on Arshad's shoulders and he delivers. You can make out he has put in a lot of effort and he makes some tepid scenes also work. He is definitely one of the most underrated actors around. Another big plus is the chemistry between Arshad and Sanjay Dutt. The amazing chemistry promises a lot when Lage Raho Munnabhai comes in a couple of week's time. The music is decent but what was it that made the director to put two songs back-to-back at the end!!

People out to see Sanjay Dutt will be disappointed as he hardly has 25-30 mins of screen time. His role is nothing but an extended guest appearance, though he is good as the stylish hitman. The style statement coming out by the Ferrari that he drives! More scenes of Sanjay Dutt would have been better

Minissha Lamba needs to look pretty and does that. In fact she is better than the miniscule role she portrayed in Corporate. She has a long way to go to be taken seriously. Raghuvir Yadav is a disappointment. Ravi Baswani as the doc brings some smiles. Gulshan Grover is ok. Anusha Dandekar does a lot of swimwear ads, so to say, in the movie. She is better off being a VJ where her dress sense and giggles might be appreciated but not on big screen.

Raj Koushal has shown improvement, but not in story telling which is the hallmark of a good director. He has taken care of aesthetics but forgets that it is the story that takes a film forward. His good luck charm i.e. his wife Mandira Bedi, in a walk in part also does not seem to work for the movie.

The movie can be termed thriller which has comic situations but is definitely not an edge of seat thriller nor is a comedy! Overall a disappointing movie which has its moments and you can watch if you have time on your hands and have lesser expectations. I think you are better off waiting for a few months by when this should be coming on channels.

PS: Though it was touted that the hitman character is a bollywood buff, there are only 2 instances when this is shownL. Once when he mentions Andaz (Mehboob Khan's 1949 movie) and once when he says the story should be like Yash Chopra movie.

Rating ' 1.5/5

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By Sachin HC – August 8, 2006