"Vakeel Saab" (Telugu)

 

Worth the wait and an engaging comeback film for Pawan Kalyan. Not in the same intense class as the original “Pink” which was shorter by 25 mins, but well-adapted to suit the larger-than-life sensibilities of PK fans and his current political career’s work-in-progress. Director Sriram Venu drives the film in graded gears - establishing the plot of how working women land in distress and get out of it with belated but avuncular steering by Vakeel Saab Satyadev (PK), once he steps in rustic contrast, pitted against a sophisticated lawyer Nandagopal played by the mercurial Prakash Raj. Their rivalry, energy and sparring in the court, makes it the most riveting part of the film despite the strange goof-ups in cross-examination. Thaman’s melodious songs and his sonorous BGM score makes the narrative well-nuanced and memorable at times. Pawan Kalyan, undoubtedly, steals the show in the climax, aided by another famous performance by Prakash Raj, Anjali, Nivetha and a surprise cameo by Sharath Babu. Dialogues are sharp and contextually concise within the perimeter of the script. Proud memento film for producer Dil Raju to bring one of India’s most intense and meaningful film to the Telugu audiences, in reasonably entertaining and dumbed-down format about a film that redefined this generation how Indian society paints stereotypes of girls as “Pink” and boys as “Blue”. Watchable, though not with the toddlers - both for the theme and the expletives.

Rating: 3.5/5

#VakeelSaab #PawanKalyan #PinkRemake #PrakashRaj #SriramVenu #DilRaju #amazonprime #ThamanS

The Suez Canal Syndrome: A repeat of "Who Moved My Cheese?"

 

I have a different view of The Suez Canal ship incident. I am appalled at the indifference of the Egypt Govt. It again reflects the shoddy way in which a Canal which was the pride of British, an engineering marvel now faces lack of modernisation and efficiency. The Suez Canal became a reality with the efforts of Ferdinand de Lesseps. It became a symbol of the British Empire, it's opening - one of the 20th Century's biggest events. Then, the Suez blockage of 1969 - became a subject of the pride of British Empire. Eventually, the crisis got resolved by making Egypt the new national owner through The Suez Canal Company - through which 90% of the world's ships pass. 

But Egypt has done nothing to develop the Canal since which became one of its biggest revenue sources, fraught anyways with desert lands on one side and Pyramid tourism on the other hand. It is owned by Egypt - The Suel Canal Company with few other external shareholders representing British, French and German interests. The company collects around $150,000 per ship every day. So an average of 50 ships pass through the Canal every day. That means around $7.5 million per day. Works out to $2.7 billion per annum. With that kind of easy money just for collecting toll, Egypt could have done so much better in improving the dredging and automating the offloading practices at the Isthmus but no, the government didn't do much to improve upon their practices, still manual and ancient. The Evergreen type of incident will keep repeating unless the world finds other avenues of diverting traffic, or demands more accountability from Egypt. I call it the Suez Canal syndrome - it happens when you get lot of annuity revenue for doing nothing much new. It can happen to anybody and any entity - who cannot innovate and manure their portfolio of cash flows coming in for a good reason now, but do not know how long the good times last. Suez Canal Syndrome, I would call is that syndrome where you take your cashflows for granted without manuring the ground for earning cash flows enough. It can be Egypt today, or Saudi Arabia after 15 years etc. Reminds me of "Who moved my Cheese?" story. 

Moral of the Story: Never take your cash-flows for granted.

#SuezCanal #SuezCanalSyndrome

Scam 1992 - The Harshad Mehta Story Web Series Review

 

 

If you want to have a recap of all that happened during the unravelling of India's Greatest Financial Scam and re-live the 80s and 90s evolutionary phase of the Stock Market before it reached the heights of the Y2K boom, please watch "Scam 1992 -The Harshad Mehta Scam" on Sony Liv OTT. Ten hours of unalloyed, gripping story-telling, sincerely drawn and adapted from Sucheta Dalal and Debasis Basu's seminal book "The Scam". We cannot imagine the ease with which we trade in shares and government securities today if we watch that era when we had to endure transfer deeds and outcry times. When the Sensex base was so low that people panicked due to fall in number of points to what we now experience when we measure in percentage falls, its a long way we have come. 

 

Hansal Mehta has captured the essence of the scam in a riveting narrative that will not quench your thirst until you finish all the ten episodes streaming live. Handled with lot of objectivity and commentary underpinned to current happenings - it connects the transitory phase with deftness and maturity - that a three-hour Bollywood movie cannot capture. It is the best OTT output of 2020 and something that is worth all of your ten hours of time - whether you want to re-explain it to your non-savvy mother or driver, or to the Robinhood Investors who haven't yet experienced the kind of "animal spirits", hubris and nemesis that Harshad Mehta once made us experience - when there was no whatsapp and online trading and mutual funds meant only US 64 and PMS. Anshal Thakkar's piercing BGM score only enhances the seriousness of this magnificent film that will soon become a DVD classic. Pratheek Gandhi as Harshad Mehta and Shreya Dhanwantaray as Sucheta Dalal give the performance of their lives. Because it is a retelling that shook the faith in India's nascent capital markets - it deserves wide viewing and patronage - because history keeps rhyming again and again. 

 

My rating: 4.5/5

 

 

#TheHarshadMehtaScam #SonyLiv #OTT #Scam1992

Covid Lessons From "Sankarabharanam" Movie

 

Just watched "Sankarabharanam" for the umpteenth time on Gemini TV (A week's fest of K Viswanath's films starts today every day). An eternal classic, the film always gives you a message for every season. This time, as my parents, my wife and I were in a trance watching each scene with rapt attention, I noticed a message for the Covid times in "Sankarabharanam". In the pre-climax, as an impoverished Sankara Sastry (JV Somayajulu) walks past the house of his once-upon-a-time percussionist Gopalam (Sakshi Ranga Rao), the former notices the latter trying to tune his Mridangam. Sankara Sastry mildly remarks to Gopalam that his Mridangam is missing a beat. Gopalam then bares out his heart that he has long missed the beat when he deserted the Great Sankara Sastry when he walked out of his "kacheri" in a hasty move - only to regret for the last 12 years. Sastry then consoles Gopalam that it is not Gopalam's fault nor his flaw but the times are such that the crowds can't hear great Indian Classical music. But times won't be so desolate for long, and very soon, good times will roll on and the public will usher in a golden era of good melodious music. Sastry had undying optimism more than the despondent Gopalam about the bad times that will soon be enveloped by sunshine days. And he also gives part of his borrowed surplus to Gopalam to tide over the tough times, even if he himself is struggling to have two square meals a day. Thats the spirit of Optimism and large-heartedness which is needed for Covid times. Be generous in giving to those who are less fortunate than you and never doubt whether good times will come back. 

 

And in the climax, Madhava Rao (Allu Ramalingayya) re-introduces to the audience who have come to hear Sankara Sastry's public recital for the first time in 12 years (which ironically turns out to be his last hurrah). And he says, even in stark poverty and darkest times, Sastry continued to practice his classical music as a maestro will and didn't mind the absence of audience. Instead, Madhava Rao adds, Sastry actually confined himself to the four walls of his house and made all the unseen parasites and viruses and invisible insects and pests his target audience for rehearsing and practicing his performance. Well, that's how Maestros and professionals adapt to tough times. Like the four seasons, the Covid times will be gone before you realize but we must do what we are good at, and take the tidal wave of Covid Scarcity and negativity with a pinch of salt and overcome with optimism. It will then arm us for a better tomorrow - which is just round the corner. Even after forty years, "Sankarabharanam" has a message to be hopeful, optimistic about the future and never waste a good crisis brooding with inaction. Make it count - in ways you become stronger, better and brighter.

 

#Sankarabharanam #SankarabharanamForCovidTimes #KViswanath #LegendsOfTeluguCinema #TollywoodClassics