20 - 20

Doordarshan should try reviving its lost glory by doing stuff the same spirit that it did in in the past.

For example, *no one* does mythology, historicals, documentaries, quizzing shows the way Doordarshan did in the late '80s and the early to mid '90s. *None* even comes close. Look around!

To begin with, if they had to reimagine stuff like Bharat Ek Khoj by giving it a progressively modern sheen without losing any of its glory, grace, relevance and class, it should rope in people like Jaideep Sahni / Prasoon Joshi / Javed Akhtar to write, Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy to score music, Shimit Amin / Vishal Bhardwaj to direct series' of episodes.

If it wants to target the right demographics from the late teens to 60s, and appear credible (up the TRPs incidentally), attract big sponsors, it shouldn't look beyond and hedge bets on Farhan Akhtar to do voice-overs, present the episodes. Few blokes in contemporary media typify "balance" in a manner Farhan Akhtar does.

I may be woefully ignorant of all those serious academics whose contribution would be definitive. Then let it be a healthy mix of scholars and celebs. Content and commerce will be in good marriage. Like any marriage, with healthy compromises.

People like these will ensure that pleasant attention to detail without losing out on the bigger picture. Realism, even if selective, will never appeal more. We have done it unconsciously in the past (apparently so). It could be very well done again. We have been primed enough for that.

The young generation needs it badly and none better than these people to pull back viewers into the right kind of television. For all the monetary success these people have had, they can only pay back this way. This will be their social service. It's about time.

That's far sightedness. That will be true to its name.

what's in a word?

To me people who suffix all forms of their communication with -andi, -garu (as in avunandi, ledandi, kadandi, Rao garu, Silk Smitha garu) with folded arms and bent backs *and* yet slight others, belittle others' small yet personal and significant achievements, dismiss others' importance, believe in social hierarchies, who swear by slander are infinitely more violent, uncouth than those gentlemen who indulge in sister, mother (and all familial) profanities *and* still respect others in totality, believe in equality, harmony, peace, contentment (almost, always coming from internal strengths than external validations).

There are people who display remarkable sophistication in thought and idea despite being unable to put them succinctly, or in the so called polished way. I love them instantly. An idea, if big and important, takes care of its own travel to the listener. Words, and other tools could go to hell. Nice words are only a cherry on a perfectly baked cake.

Beautiful thoughts have helped man grow. Beautiful thoughts, despite all, run this world. Perversion comes from thought, not from words. The actual act is not perverse, the thought is.

Likewise, violence and the absence thereof comes from thought, not just words. Words are mere tools. Why blame the tools?

On a slight tangent, the idea of people indulging in something they don't preach just to subtly or overtly underline the importance of what they preach excites me tremendously.

It is like Mahatma Gandhi taking to a stick and spanking the motherfucking ass of someone disrupting the harmony in society. It is like a hooligan, a rowdy almost pulping someone who refuses to see the good intent, nice thought of a good samaritan.

"Adopt violence to reinforce the spirit of non-violence." WOW, what a sexy idea!

For a society, such as India, where ironically subtlety is recognized only when underlined, italicized, and in bold, it's what the doctor might just order for.

iSore

If you claim to be a priest where Steve Jobs is a deity, are mourning his absence, want his ghost to *really* settle down (going by your r.i.p.ping social network diarrhoea), then please to remember

it is not IPHONE, IPAD, Ipad, IPod, ipod, iphone, iPAD.

Promise, it will make him roll in his grave. Apart from *everything* else, he has helped establish a culture where god doesn't lie in details, god is detail. It doesn't come easy, it didn't come easy. It is not trivial.

For heaven's sake (depending on which side of karma you are on), it is

iPod, iPhone, iPad, MacBook.


For Steve's sake.

mac ka lal

Steve Jobs' contracted line of design-smugness?

Jonathan I've

organic chemistry

“When I envisioned a rock music score, I didn’t want a copy of western rock. I wanted music that adhered to the principles of rock but originated from our land and from our realities.”

imtiaz ali

“We didn’t have to make four rock songs, a sad song and an item song. Each song carried a different expression. So I kept the sound organic - less synthesizers, less effects, more acoustic guitar and bass. The gypsy song (Hawa hawa) was the most difficult to compose as it had so many layers, styles and instruments woven in.”


“We had to make his character friendly to all kinds of audience and not just rock music aficionados. I didn’t want to tread that spaced-out, dope and booze-filled rock music scene (smiles). I have seen young people acting all rebellious, playing underground metal and trying to be cool (mocks an air guitar and laughs). When I was 11 or 12, I would set up keyboards for some local rock bands. They would go up on stage, going wild on their guitars. I would be like - the plug will get pulled out!”

a r rahman

anand holla . mumbai mirror

so be it

rocktoberfest it is by imtiaz ali . mohit chauhan . a r rahman . irshad kamil



words fail me. fair enough. god bless these souls. really!