March 22, 2011

Warrren Buffett in India Today

Warren Buffett may not be second-richest man on the planet but he has enough Ekalavya followers in India from RaamDeo Agarwal to Rakesh Jhunjhunwala and from Nilesh Shah to Prashant Jain. Not surprising his visit beginning today is generating blitzkreig publicity. Whatever he says - markets will gyrate in India interpreting madly like Wall Street. I hear people are getting re-born again to get themselves insured with Berkshire Insurance, some are buying hatchbacks to get new cars insured by Berkshire Insurance to grab a seat to hear the Sage of Omaha speak.
The demand for Buffett's books has always been good in India and I hear that sales of "The Collected Essays of Warren Buffett" has hit a four-year high in the last one month from publishers - a sign that Billionaires in India invited by the CII are ready to hear them so they can cut loose with their cheque books. But I guess many of them may be unfamiliar with Warren Buffett's methods of rewarding shareholders and transparency. Now, Buffett is going to talk about Charity (which already began at home for him and Gates) to Indian Billionaires. But I guess this is going to be a signature event - Indian Billionaires have made it big only in the last two decades after unshackling of the license Raj system. Its only now they are smelling the coffee - so to talk about pledging billions is not going to appeal to many. They will say they are generating employment already which has lifted many out of poverty. Besides, we have Tatas and Birlas used to doing philanthrophy in their own way - unassumingly and consistently. We must remember that Gates and Buffett have been icons of American capitalism who started pledging their billions only in the late nineties after decades of unbridled expansion and ambition. Indian businessesmen, on the other hand, do charity when they are growing as well - so this talk about cajoling them to pledge their millions is not impressive. At the end of Buffett's visit, I will not be surprised if a few more billion dollar deals are announced.
What is important, however, is that Buffett may be pleasantly surprised by the verve and vibrancy in the corridors of Indian Business, Polity and Parliament - if they keep their best foot forward as always happen. Buffett is himself a rank opportunist and he may not give anything away before he takes away more from India. In his annual letter to shareholders in 2011, I read that he was hopeful there will be no major catastrophe that will eat into his Reinsurance profits - and bingo, you had Japan catgastrophe which will nibble away some of the profits in Munich Re and other companies. He has never taken any exposure to India so far in underwriting of risk - so he and Ajit Jain, colleague are meeting IRDA chief J Harinarayan to assess whether Risk in India is profitable. Ask Indian businessmen on Risk, they can talk to Buffett on profiting from Risks here till the cows come home.

March 6, 2011

"Inside Job": Award-winning documentary on how Wall Street brought the world down to the Road

Now that the sub-prime crisis is well behind us, and we are not really looking forward to the next one sooner, public memory is as short-sighted as ever. In order to jog the public memory about the crisis that rattled governments, public and societies equally the world over, you have choices - of reading about the books that brought the worst crisis since '30s. In no pecking order of importance, you can read the books like "13 Bankers", "Too Big to Fail", "Two Trillion Dollar Meltdown", "Sub-prime Solution", "Fool's Gold", "The End of WalStreet as we know it", "Faultlines", "BlackSwan", "Crisis Economics", "A Colossal Failure of Common sense" or any other Wiley classics or Penguin books coming still by dime a dozen. I suggest a more time-saving choice - grab a seat to watch Charles Ferguson's "INSIDE JOB" which won the Oscar for the best documentary. The man has written, directed and produced a pulsatingly educative documentary which will break the glass ceiling of understanding the real issues that brought the world economies to a grinding halt during those years of 2007-2010 from US to Iceland to Greece to UK. Charles Ferguson gives in one hour forty eight minutes all the dope and lowdown that has led to the crisis of 2008 and gives a crisp background of the years leading to the fat years before greed, chicanery, and blatant selfishness of a few "bad" men of Wall Street colluding with Washington led to blood on the streets. The documentary is as gripping any movie because it uses narration and interview technique to give an overview of the nexus between few big banks and Government, between Academic Economists and their linkages with Hedge Funds, between Rating Agencies and the Ratees, between Fed and Other Bankers. Truth is tougher to tell and even tougher to swallow and they say pride goes before the fall  - but watching this documentary brought out the hard truth that Wall  Street and some of the biggest names riding on its masthead do not have the grace to accept what price the world has paid for their follies - in the testimony, in their brazen pursuit of profits and the shameless lack of guilt for taking compensation even when investor's monies have vaporised. The documentary shows during the narration that the following people have declined to give interviews for the film (which should tell all) - Goldman Sach's  Henry Paulson, Alan Greenspan, Lawrence Summers, Robert Rubin, Timothy Geitner, Glenn Hubbard and Ben Bernanke. Don't miss the film - INSIDE JOB - its more than a documentary.

Katha -Screenplay-Darsakatvam-Appalraju - Telugu Movie Review

KSDA by Ram Gopal Varma is an epic commentary on Tollywood's ways and means and can rattle many heads. Apart from taking potshots at himself, Varma gives exaggerated insinuations at  everybody who is somebody  - nobrain.com (idle brain), gurram awards (nandi awards), kanishka-babu (anushka-nag affair), ANR-Chiru-Allu-NTR everyone. Movie jibes at every star, how movies are made, canned or distributed, how ganging happens- with perversive humor. It is RGV's take on the creative crisis in Tollywood and almost entertains with comedy gang but washing dirty linen is not fun watching. It felt longer and definitely not RGV's best ( I suspect it is directed by his friend called "Appalraju"). No  wonder, idlebrain.com didn't even cover the film. First half is more fun.

Gaganam - Telugu Movie Review

Saw "Gaganam" expecting to watch another " Ragadam"  - item songs with six heroines, lewd jokes and crass commercial stunts, and visa-on-arrival location songs. Surprise, surprise - nothing of that sort in Nagarjuna's new movie, not one song. Its clean, wholesome fare with low-tension hijack drama and high comedy performances. No heavy emotion, in-your-face dialogues and pacy direction. Radhamohan delivers high-quality again, though with logic gaps. Eight-hundred calorie consuming Nag gives knock-out performance. Highly watchable.

Ala Modalaindi - Telugu Movie Review

"Ala Modalaindi" is a cute, refreshing and evocative love story made for gen-next with enough nuggets of wisdom from elders as  well as youngsters on managing life and relationships. Nandini Reddy makes a silent but successful debt - her screenplay, characterisation and direction stand out - without fuss. Cast is cool, and Nitya Menon is a star to watch. Rohini yesterday's teenybopper gives a "wow" mom performance. Though slow, movie will cut ice with all audiences. Naani looks good. Music by Kalyan Mallik is pleasant.

Golconda High School - Telugu Movie Review

GHS is worth the wait - its a movie you will like anyways - if you love your school memories. Mohan Krishna delivers an honest movie based on Harimohan Paruvu's novel "The Men Within"  and drives home a point thats missed out by parents who push their wards into academics even postpone their vacations or clubs which withdraw game courts for real estate profits. "Follow your heart, love your game or hobby and focus and fame will automatically follow" is the message of the movie. Sumanth suits the subdued role. A good experiment in a season of story-starved hits. Immensely watchable, five songs, no fights, no manhood-proving dialogues, no skin show and only thirteen reels. Is industry listening?

Anaga Anaga Oka Dheerudu - Telugu Movie Review

Walt Disney pictures hasn't had a mega hit for years; unlikely that their first Telugu movie will deliver. "Anaga Anagaa Oka Dheerudu" has few pluses - simply fairy tale with extra-ordinary sfx, one memorable song, and a cute, demure Shruti Hasan  paired with every youthful Siddharth. Even Lakshmi Manchu looks good. What's missing? There's little soul when 75 mins of effects takes over screen. prakash K - director fails to connect well with kids or adults. He shows clean hand in directing and crafts but in pursuit of creativity, which is a high for Tollywood, he missed the wood for the trees - the Disney magic- which tells a good story while moving you to bits in joy and laughter. Good Disney bore only 30 per cent of the cost - so they' ll be back.

Mirapakaay - Telugu Movie Review

"Mirapakaay" has no different storyline than any of his recent movies but Ravi Teja carries the day firmly on his shoulders with great performance - the plot is loose but director Harish Shankar makes decent debut thats overall neat even if 16 reels is a bit long. Richa gives lifetime exposure and Thaman scores smashing music. No  doubt, Ravi is a rockstar of megawatt entertainment - he drips Redbull energy every frame. First round of Sankranti movies to "Mirapakaay".

Sri Krishna Commission Report - Good Read

If the last time  you read about AP (like me) was in 8th grade social studies text book, gift yourself a reading of 505 pages of Sri Krishna  report for a 360 degrees view of one of most vibrant states - its a definitive, staggering report with appealing statistics,  insights on some of the basic curiosities and inquiries we keep having on Hyderabad, AP or Telangana - its a socio-politico-economic commentary - unbiased and readable. You can finish it in less than four hours.

Manmadha-Baanam - Telugu Movie Review

"Manmadha  Baanam" starring Kalam Hasan, Madhavan and Trisha, directed by Ravikumar gives a tour of Rome, Venice and Barcelona, brings back fun of "Sati Lilavati" and pun of "Panchatantram". It is watchable once but has some patchy and dull and yet some dazzling reels of standards you expect from Kamal's team. Second half is better but all lead actors compete well. Trisha looks gorgeous and Kamal still coming good. No kisses between them, surprise. Devisri Prasadd scores good music.

"Naagavalli" - Telugu Movie Review

"Naagavalli" is perceptively linked up with the storyline of "Chandramukhi" and puts Venky in dual role - one in negative role for first time. It seems to have diluted  the scary contents of original "Aapta Rakshaka" which ran for 200 days and so the film moves in a trajectory of "Chandramukhi" punctuated by the same moments of fear, discovery, and laughter that made "Chandramukhi" so endearing. NV is not your dad's movie to send shivers and thrills because of dangerous verisimillitude to CM. Its watchable but no surprises, except Venky chopping body partsof good men. The heroines are the real heroes but  Anushka really lets down. Funny, Venky gets five  heroines but not even one to woo.

Kathi Kanta Rao - Telugu Movie Review

"Kathi Kantha Rao" is one of those exaggerated comedy fares you want to watch after a week of lavish smattering from sensex falls. It has brisk screenplay, AVM studio-style story and comedy gang thats surprisingly controlled in performance. Everybody packs a punch sometime. Dialogues and direction are typical EVV-style but raunchy at times. With Allari Naresh and Kaamna and Kota and Venu Madhav-the film will connect with masses. It is above-average entertainment. 

The Social Network - English Movie Review

"The Social Network"  is one incredible movie on the life and times of facebook founder - Mark Zuckerberg. It shows how melancholic, egoistic, workaholic Zuckerberg, who can't stay close to anyone, starts facebook accidentally, and later pulls the rug on his real pal and co-founder. David Fincher directs awesomely and uses some dramatic narrative techniques seldom seen in Hollywood movies - flashback and forth. He paces the movie with extreme  delicacy and precision and is helped by Sorkin's swift dialogue and some great music. Justin Timberlake as the candyman and Andrew Garfield as co-founder of facebook besides the Harvard twins and Zuckerberg's only girl-friend all stand out. Inspite of some pusating courtroom dramat that forms the backbone of the movie, the movie shows the many faces of human behaviour that nudged facebook into a $25 Billioon (now$60 Billion) company. Even if you are not facebook user, you will  get curiouser. Well worth watching.

Kalyanram Kathi - Telugu Movie Review

"KK" is like Damocles' sword hanging over the career of Kalyanram in the form of violence he continues to unleash with dad's money and grand-dad's name.  It tries to fiit brother-sister sentiment in a new age format with multiple twists that can sometimes numb you, but the overall impact despite director Mallikarjun's best efforts is mixed and unhealthy for family viewing. Even as the producer brands a new name like NKR, NKR is not mightier than sword.

Mahesh Khaleja - Telugu Movie Review

In "Mahesh Khaleja", director Trivikram tries to broadcast the mystic star's box-office appeal with a medley of multi-film plots (from Dev Anand's "Guide" to "Athadu" again). He is good at weaving romance with violence and almost succeeds unless you expect a lifetime of entertainment in one movie - he gets unprecedented output from Mahesh who excels in all emotions - he dominates Sunil, Brahmanandam and Ali in comedy and sometimes over-does. But he looks more leaner, fitter and watchable than Anushka who fails to sizzle. Trivikram's dialogues are turning more censorable aned less sensible. But as long as he makes watchable films like this, he will draw audiences. Mani's music is average. 

"Robot" Telugu Movie Review or "Enthiran" Tamil Movie Revieww

"Robot" starring Rajnikanth and Aiswarya is a director's (Shankar) film about a scientist and his creation- Robot. The movie thrills you to bits in first half with a lovable superman  "Robot" and his astonishing range of powers - the best part of the movie ends in first half. Except somee pulsating songs and one eye-popping stunt, the second half drags. There are more animatronics than Rajni-style histrionics. But the movie's fortune spent on special effects make it world-class and you have to see once to believe it. Its a giant leap for Indian cinema. Length - 3 hrs.

Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps - English Movie Review

"Wall Street: Money Never sleeps" by Oliver Stone is a forensic examination of the favorite money game in the world - shows through characters including Michael Doughlas and Shia Lebouef how unchecked ambition, egos, speculation and commonsense failures have wreaked havoc. The script with its magnificent casting of characters makes a point about all the turmoil that shook the world than just what the prequel touched upon, including how the house of cards collapsed. As a sequel, this one will be nonpareil - for the flamboyant lines, living commentary on fat bonuses, BRIC rise and the Chinese juggernaut, derivatives...the English sub-titles will make the idiom of Wall Street easy to follow for everybody. Powering performances by main leads and worth watching.

Dabangg - Hindi Movie Review

"Dabangg" is one of the most audaciously-entertaining movies. It shows Salman Khan as a supercop who bashes up baddies with uncharacteristic humor, style and defiance - he impresses with his histrionics and pulls off magical punches with incredible stunts, one-liners and hit songs. You may disagree with the ways cop Salman deals with society-good and bad, but treatment of an average story with comic sense elevates entertainment value. Lot of josh in 120 mins and Salman show all the way. Sonakshi Sinha looks cute. Plot is strictly south-style.

Gaayam-2 - Telugu Movie review

Agreed "Gaayam" is not "Sholay" but enjoys a cult following. PraveenSri tries to recreate the magic in sequel "Gaayam - 2". He shows enormous promise and weaves a solid script that extends the feel and thread of the original classic. Both Jagapathi Babu and Kota Srinivasa Rao show sizzling form, infact, Kota steals the thunder and draws applause in every shot. Dialogues and screenplay ooze out contemporary class and the movie may be a surprise hit. Ilayaraja scores good music  but ferociously loud BGM.After 17 yrs, its rare to find a movie create encore like this.

Don Seenu - Telugu Movie Review

"Don Seen" puts the ageing but antics-rich Ravi Teja in stylised role of an improbable don with enough references to Amitabh Bacchan. It is entertaining no doubt and adds the glamour touch with Shriya, comedy with Brahmanandam and Venu but the story is bunkum - and  your head aches after one hour with predictable nonsense. The movie is longer by atleast two reels but what more to expect in a formula film for a hero who is good entertainer but drags his feet on precarious scripts.  Music is average.

"Jailor" (Telugu/Tamil) Movie Review: Electrifying!

        "Jailer" is an electrifying entertainer in commercial format by Nelson who always builds a complex web of crime and police...