Ram Gopal Varma is well and truly lost in the woods. A gifted film-maker, his self-belief quickly turned into arrogance and over the years, he has bombarded us with abomination after abomination. Rann, unsurprisingly, doesn’t buck the trend. It’s a patchy, hollow effort that jars from the beginning and bores to the end.
But why go any further? Suffice it to say that whatever I said about Dil Bole Hadippa applies equally to Rann.
*
But the weekend wasn’t a total write-off. Abhishek Chaubey ensured that. For once, the glowing reviews weren’t too far off the mark. A brilliant debut and I have to say this – Ishqiya is definitely worth a watch. A decent script, competent direction, good music and some great acting make for a wonderful package.
While all the actors have done well – yes, even Vidya Balan, despite her sometimes stilted dialogue delivery – Arshad Warsi is outstanding.
Sure, Abhishek makes the same mistake that Vishal Bharadwaj made in Kaminey. (Though I must say that on the whole, Kaminey was a much weaker film) Which is to say that the ending unravels a lot of the good work that goes before it. The end does leave a lot to be desired. But you still leave the theatre satisfied. I do hope Abhishek lives up to the expectations set by his promising debut.
By the way, for those who have seen the film, did the end leave you with the feeling that a sequel is a very real possibility?
*
It’s a little ironic that a politician talks about not tolerating “a single instance of graft in the army”. Don’t get me wrong, the sentiment is unexceptionable, and, while rumour has it that the person who made the statement has retained his integrity despite being a politician, the fact remains that politicians talking like that about anyone at all simply brings to mind the words “pot-kettle-black”.
And why is it that we, the citizens of India, expect members of the judiciary and the armed forces to adhere to a higher standard of morals and accountability than the politicians who sit at the top of the pecking order? Why must the cross of honesty and the burden of integrity be borne by everyone but the politicians?
We have enough instances of politicians abusing their power and position. I don’t remember seeing any politician being held accountable. But when it comes to any other occupation or profession, we set the bar very high. So you cannot become a clerk in a government department if you have a criminal record of any kind against your name. But you can become a Chief Minister even if you have been convicted of murder. You can continue as Minister even if the actions of your ministry have allegedly resulted in the government losing thousands of crores. Yet we are ready with the tar and feathers when it is an army officer that has committed a misdemeanour.
None of this is to say that all members of the armed forces or the judiciary are above board, untouched by scandal and uninfected by the rot that is the hallmark of Indian public life. None of this is to exculpate the officer in question. If he is guilty, he should be punished. I just wish that our political leaders show the same zeal in their quest for justice and ‘cleaning the system’ when it comes to one of their own.
As long as we allow men of dubious merit and questionable integrity to crowd the ranks of our elected representatives, it is hypocritical of us to expect anything but the same from any other branch of government.
*
On the other hand, isn’t Lt. Gen. Prakash now eligible for a Padma Bhushan?
February 1, 2010 at 3:09 pm
Havent seen Rann, but would love to watch Ishqiya. I have great faith in Vishal Bharadwaj and his school of cinema.
The reason why our politicians get away with murder is simply because we let them. Look at the number of morons who support Modi, Sajjan kumar, jagdish tytler, thuggerays, advani, lalooo, koda, mulayam, mayawati etc. Even thought there are clear evidence available that they have broken the laws of the land, there are enough morons to support them.
Precisely why they turn around and screw us.
February 1, 2010 at 4:39 pm
Oh! and I thought Rann was a good movie!! Anyways staying away from it!! But yes I feel sad with the way RGV has destroyed himself!!!
As far as Ishqiya is concerned I liked it but for me it wasn’t a mindblowing movie as is said by many ppl. I specially connected with the accent & the fact that Gorakhpur is my birth city gave me a different kind of connect with the movie 😉 (though am sure they haven’t really shot in Gkp)!!! I loved Naseerudin Shah & yes Arshad too was v.good. The dialgoues take the cake!!!
The end does make u feel short changed but somehow afetr reading the reviews I wasn’t expecting much from the climax so wasn’t that disappointed!!! & yes it does look like that there wud be a sequel and I am for sure waiting for it 😉
****
Though we are proud to call ourselves democratic but we hardly prove it through all means! Same rules for all is never applied specially when it comes to politicians!!! They have never been made accountable & lets see if it ever happens!! Till then we have to live with their ways!!
February 1, 2010 at 5:55 pm
In my observation all people in India set the bar to morality higher for professions other than the ones they pursue. I do not mean this as a joke at all. Rather, this is the fundamental reason for rot in our country (and possibly, world). I consider rationality, objectivity (and consequent impartiality) and honesty strongly interrelated. One cannot exist without the other. Without rationality, honesty is merely wishful thinking. Without objectivity, thinking is biased. And without honesty (a desire to know and acknowledge the truth), thinking is pointless. Yes, my comment is pretty generic, only partly applicable to your post. And I hope you won’t mind. If you find time, I would like your views on my recent post, ‘why morality is indispensable to a social life’. It ventures into a bit more hardcore sociology and philosophy, something which I have not seen you try to tackle in your posts/comments, but I hope, you will find of interest. 🙂
TC.
February 1, 2010 at 8:20 pm
This isn’t fair..three posts in one? Anyway, can give Rann a skip now. As for Ishqiya, I didn’t know what to expect, but I guess, if Quirky has approved of it, it must be worthwhile watching 🙂
And..er..did you say ‘politicians’ and ‘accountable’ in the same breath? Too bad, Quirky, that you, of all people/species, would make such a big mistake! We live in India, Ok? The land of Mai-Baap and Sarkar Raj! Period.
February 2, 2010 at 9:09 am
Been wanting to see Ishqiya ever since I saw the trailers.
Politicians, bureaucrats and govt. officials seem to have a separate code of of conduct. It is accepted and even expected that they will be corrupt. These people need to set their house in order first.
February 2, 2010 at 2:34 pm
Bal Thackeray wants to watch Rann – maybe he’ll die of boredom…
February 3, 2010 at 7:12 am
If that happens the theatre would be destroyed and also some public transport. Though seeing their waning popularity not as much as it would have a few years ago.
February 3, 2010 at 12:30 am
I had a feeling that Ishqiya would be good. Waiting to see it.
As for politicians, absolutely. As long as we have corrupt, unaccountable politicians leading our country, the rot will continue to spread. If only we could get that sorted. I really feel that half of our problems will get sorted out if we can tackle corruption at the highest levels.
February 3, 2010 at 1:54 am
What’s such pressing need to sum up all in single post…? I hoped to read more on each one….
Never was a fan of Vidya but she did do some good here. Arshad’s best for me (more than his Circuit act) and Naseer will always be the finest actor on Indian Soil…
Yet to see Rann.. (Btw, M fan of RGV’s despite Aag)…
February 3, 2010 at 7:19 am
I loved the promos of Ishqiya, and hope to watch it next week 🙂 I don’t like RGV anyway…
About our politicians and their hypocrisy!! We (and even they) have got so used to it that now they don’t remember that they can be held accountable for anything.
February 4, 2010 at 10:20 am
I am not planning to watch either any time soon.
Love Ishqiya songs esp. dil to bachcha hai ji. May be I will watch it in couple of months on DVD. Rann will most probably come on Bachchan’s apna channel Colors on his birthday. 😀
Aah! our politicians..less said the better.
February 8, 2010 at 12:46 pm
@Liju: Have you seen Ishqiya yet? It’ll be good to know what you thought of the film.
@Smita: Rann was terrible, though some people have liked it. What’s your take on My Name is Khan?
@Ketan: I agree, we expect everyone to be moral but ourselves. But let me play Devil’s Advocate when it comes to rationality. Aren’t rationality and honesty negatively co-related? It seems to me that our self-serving politicians are the most rational people around. In my personal experience, honesty and rationality – rationality defined in the sense of players choosing options and acting to maximise payoffs – don’t go together. Cynical? That’s my middle name. 🙂
@Pal: C’mon, give a monkey a break, willya? I slip up now and again. I’m almost human after all!
@Dreamer: You should watch it. And once you do, please let me know what your views are!
@Bones: I thought Rann is bakwas …..Indyeah liked it though…
@Smitha: Did you finally watch Ishqiya? Liked it?
@Vee: Are you still missing in action? 🙂 RGV is a talented guy but he’s lost it now….
@IHM: What did you think? And did you catch Rann?
@Solilo: That’s a good idea….wait for rann to come on TV!
February 9, 2010 at 4:06 pm
I am staying away from it!! I regret watching 3 Idiots!! Not that I didn’t like the movie but I hated the stupid publicity stunt!
February 13, 2010 at 11:02 am
hehe! I saw Rann and liked the story if not the movie.
As for Ishqiya yes sequel seems a real possibility..infact the way it ended I think the director/producer have the same thoughts.
Didnt think Ishqiya was very good, maybe coz as Smita says I am familiar with those parts of UP too..and was trying to find some authenticity in the movie.
Though the actors were good in their roles:)
Dil toh Bachcha hai Ji is just so Raj Kapoor-ish 50’s track:)
PS:-Yes,if anyone deserves that Padma Bhushan its Lt Gen Prakash.
No better candidate from the forces can be found.
February 14, 2010 at 6:03 pm
Saw Ishqiya and I thought the ending was much tighter than Kaminey. But I thought overall, Kaminey was a lot more enjoyable because of the sequences and characters.
And you saw Rann as well? Hats off to you 😛
About your third observation, I guess this is because defence is a much more important profession and a lapse there could be horrendous. Ruling a country is not such an important function since the country does chug along by itself as it has been doing so all these years 🙂