April 5, 2014

"Rowdy" (Telugu film Review)

"Rowdy" (Telugu)

"Rowdy" is perhaps the finest moment of acting for Dr.Mohan Babu and a new high for Manchu Vishnu in acting without frills, dimples , warts and all. But for Ram Gopal Varma fans who have already seen "Sarkar" and "Sarkar Raj", the film is a blend of both the films that should give you some indication of the ending.

In order to nativise the original plot in "Sarkar", RGV chooses the factionist setting of Rayalseema to liken the main character "Anna" Mohan Babu to one you can relate with like, say, Paritala Ravi, Bal Thackaray, or a refined factionist in "Rakta Charitra". Anna and his wife Jayasudha are benign leaders with a mass following of their villagers. Eldest son is misguided in his imitation of "Rowdy" dad. Youngest son is Vishnu who is class apart, falls in love with Shanvi (last seen in "Prema Katha Chitram"). A gang of villains - including Tanikella Bharani, Jeeva, a baldie and a pineapple-cake-munching baddie plot the downfall of Anna who is their main obstacle in the kickacks that accrue from "Gangavaram" project. Then the usual twists of betrayal of trust, attempted murder and the climax as per the original versions. The producers must be really bold to ask RGV to remake his most successful brand of cinema into Telugu for an audience who are not alien to its memory.

But RGV has always been like that. The man loves to remake his own cinema. He made "Shiva" in 1989 with a blistering debut at the box office. He remade that film with his muse of the day in 2006. He made "Gaayam" in the 1990s. That film continues to be metastatized in many of his films including "Sarkar" series and "Rowdy". I firmly believe that RGV knows only five stories to tell on screen. One is the "Gayam" Godfather variety. Two, is the "Satya" gang-war story. Three, the "Kshana Kshanam" "Jungle" hit, heist and run to the forest variety. Four, the film-crazy, fan-obsessed story "Mast" "Appalaraju" variety. If he doesn't find new ideas from the four and a new producer to expend, he will make a film which will scare you with new camera angles  - the "Raat" "Deyyam" variety. Directors who came from the RGV school have been attempting bold and different cinema over the years - the likes of Shimit Amin and Anurag Kashyap but our man continues to cannibalise these five stories all his productive career. Despite knowing all the craft and specialist knowledge, RGV keeps assaulting us with films that keep him in the comfort zone.

Having said that, the film "Rowdy" is squeaky clean with arresting narration. If you have not seen the originals, you will feel the thrills of convincing characterisation and multiple twists. 121 minutes is a definite plus as there are no lagging sequences except at times when the gang of villains gag with citations from "Vedams" and all that. Mohan Babu comes out with a hurrah performance that comes but once in a lifetime. Acting without makeup and wig, he delivers dialogues differently and emotes well with a body language and a swagger that is apt and stylish. For an actor who has hit the limelight with garrulous dialogue delivery and idiosyncratic body language, this is crowning glory. Manchu Vishnu seems overawed by the presence of his dad in most frames directed by a veteran but he holds his own. He seems to get back to his median weighty body frame. Tanikella and Jeeva are over the top and could have been edited out except a few dialogues. Jayasudha is the only person who must have used makeup in the film but she gives a memorable performance. RGV used to mention that after Sridevi, he had a crush on Jayasudha after seeing "Adavi Ramudu". In this film, he had used her well to relay her strengths  in many emotions. Dialogues are sharp and uncinematic - a hallmark of RGV. BGM and music by Sai Karthik hit some good notes. Despite a deja vu plot, "Rowdy" is stylish and watchable and yes, neat for family viewing too.  I rate this 3/5 for the compactness, performances and telling a good story neatly for Telugu audiences. 

March 29, 2014

"Legend" (Telugu) Film Review



"Legend" is a mighty entertainer that is more intense than a T20 match and a perfect film for Balayya's aging persona which suits his films one way - the highway of high-octane action, violence, anti-gravity stunts and rabble-rousing and of course, sentiment. The film generated unprecedented buzz after its satellite rights were bought by Gemini for Rs.9 crores - that's the highest for any Telugu film. 

"Legend" is all about a 160 minute duel between the family of Balakrishna and Jagapathi Babu, a factionist who thrives on terrorising people and building capital. Jagapathi Babu sets foot on Vizag for a marriage alliance and runs into rough weather with Suman, father of Elder Balayya over a road accident. Jagapathi Babu is chastised by the folks and hauled up. Unrepentent Jagapathi Babu decides to make Vizag his new "adda" and systematically eliminates Balayya's mother and father Suman. Enraged, the young Balayya annihilates the brotherly gang of Jagapathi Babu. The never-ending saga of violence forces young Balayya's grandmother to isolate him into oblivion and pack off the younger one, again Balayya to Dubai. Destiny pulls both into finding their mojo in  aggrandizing weapons when confronted by Jagapathi & Co. On the whole, a regular fare but when you infuse this story with many layers of masala fare, glam dolls Sonal Chauhan and Radhika Apte to serenede the two Balayyas, an item song, bazooka violence, and  the tested  "Basha" flashback trick to elevate the character of the elder Balayya, the fans have got the feast of a lifetime from director Boyapati Seenu.

Performance-wise Balakrishna sizzles as the elder Balayya. He has the best dialogues in the film and delivered them with all the weighty modulations they deserve. His body language has shifted over the years with non-invasive hand-movements (unlike the late NTR) and that is working wonders for Balayya and getting scripts that dovetail.  The absence of other big stars in that space of godfatherly roles has increased the charishma of Balayya whenever he dons such roles. Boyapati Seenu's  strength in exploiting Balayya's strengths on screen once again creates a magical chord as the crowds erupt in joy and clap louder than the sounds spewed out of multiplex speakers. Dialogues by M Ratnam are some of the sharpest as the lines insinuate all glory of the Nandamuri lineage and take potshots at the new princes, submerged leaders and politics defining our age. 

The surprise packet in the film is Jagapathi Babu who reinvents himself as the salt-and-peppered hair villain with a million-buck beard and a baritone that haunts. It is not easy to flaunt an overnight body language for a villain when the opponent is a legend like Balayya. But with minimal dialogues and maximum eye-ball movement and subtle body language, Jagapathi hit a home run that will surely get him meaty roles. He has less than half page dialogue but registers his screen presence strongly against a verbose but imposing Balayya. 

There are weaknesses in the film, though. Story is the biggest letdown. Boyapati has picked two mighty stars in hero-antihero roles but hasn't concentrated on giving their confrontations the mileage it deserves. There is no variety, creativity or chutzpah to underscore the duel between the two. By choosing a story that just shows Jagapathi spitting venom all the time against Balayya's family and about four not-so-strong scenes of confrontation, director lost a golden opportunity. Even in Mahabharata, the story between two families had unprecedented twists but this one is just a tailfish story with grotesque violence upon grotesque violence. Boyapati concentrated on showing Jagapathi in one way throughout the film but it must be said that that may work wonders for his career because Jagapathi can save his new tricks for a pronounced career as a villain.

Incredulity is another weakness. So much anarchy happens in mainstream Vizag and the police is shown hand-in-gloves with wilful criminals vandalizing people and properties. Violence also grates. More people are routinely killed, shot dead or butchered in this film than all the people who died for the cause of Telangana. By showing a juvenile Balakrishna (son of Balakrishna?) who kills thirty people in 12 seconds, Boyapati Seenu had shown children can get glorified in their violence - a shameful feat that will remain unparalleled. No wonder, the film got A certificate. Films like this may even become blockbuster films but the atavaism they promote will come back to haunt our society more.

Music wise DSP gives a different twist to the tunes- they are catchy and peppy and a few songs stand out in melody and rhythms. Radhika Apte, the girl who acted in "Rakta Charitra" sizzles in the film better than Sonal Chauhan. Brahmanandam is actually a bore in the film, don't take him seriously. The one who steals her share of limelight is the lady who plays Balayya's grandmother - watch out for her as the new maternal mom, last seen in "English Vinglish". The scene where a set of MLAs discuss what the voter wants in today's democracy is the most telling commentary on the state of affairs - that is itself a paisa vasool sequence.  On the whole, a comprehensive masala film with an overdose of violence. It deserves 3 out of 5. But don't go near it if you hate violence.


March 21, 2014

Khushwant Singh - the man with the pen which didn't have a condom!


At 99, Khushwant Singh would have been the oldest Indian writer of pre-Independence era to vote in the ensuing elections but death bowled him out before he could turn 100. For millions of Indians, Khushwant Singh has democratised writing in ways that even his peers and legends who followed him, couldn't. His writing unlike some of his Nobel Prize co...ntemporaries had a magical mixture of elegance, simplicity, information, amusement and food for thought.

It will take many biographers, maybe the likes of Humra Quereshi and Shobhaa De to cover his majestic sweep of works in prose, poetry, fiction, non-fiction, travelogues, histories and biographies, edited anthologies, letters, reviews, essays, obits, profiles and of course, those jokes on everything the Indians love and abhor. You can take "Train to Pakistan" as a moving novel that's semi-autobiographical. Or, you can discuss his stamp of authority in volumes on "The History of Sikhs" (which can be compared in affections and passion for one's homeland with Winston Churchill's body of work in "The History of the English-speaking people"). The man has written about thirty two books and nearly a dozen short stories. He has edited such diverse newspapers and periodicals like "Yojana" (a neat journal on economic issues) and "Hindustan Times" and "National Herald". And he has edited a periodical which fired a generation of readers, including my father, who were trying to unshackle the colonial pangs. Known as the "Illustrated Weekly of India", Khushwant Singh made it a national rage covering topics from economics, politics, art and religion to buxom beauties and saffron swamijis. That it sold over four lakh copies at its peak should tell you how reader-centric Khushwant Singh was. He wrote on sex and sublime matters with ease and always cared for the reader who read his writings with respect, humility and time-sense. You could measure each piece of his for the insights per page; if there was no insight it humored you well with low-downs on people that entertained you.

I got introduced to Khushwant Singh's writings by my father - that propelled me to take up atleast part-time writing, it spruced up my life in ways I cannot imagine. My father used to read out loud his column "With Malice towards One and All", make me underline crafty expressions and turns of phrase and fetch their meanings. Just his range of writing is enough to inspire many writers into the profession of reporting and writing. It is inconceivable he had an opinion on so many aspects of our culture, literature, polity and socio-economic situations.

I still bump into many strangers and acquaintances who bond me with in their love for Khushwant's writing style. While I have followed most of his writings and books, it is the step-up in the pace of his writing during the last ten years that amazes me. In this period, he penned his autobiography "Truth, Love and a little malice" which summed his life in the most honest manner including his foibles and false loyalties with fallen angels like Indira Gandhi and her son Sanjay Gandhi. He wrote a few more pieces of fiction: "The Sunset Club", "Burial At Sea" and "The portrait of a lady". He encouraged more compilations of his pieces including those that hijacked his tranquility (as he was forced to respond more cheekily and non-chalantly): titles like "The End of India', "Inside the Great Indian Circus", "Book of Unforgettable Women", "Why I supported the Emergency", "Death at my doorstep." and more books on malice, jokes and gossip.

Three books stand out for those who love to read more of the humanist and the freethinker he was till the very end. One is "The Khushwant Singh treasury" which includes his favorite prayers, poems, proverbs and profanities for each of day of the year. An entry for 18 November reads thus: "Work is worship, worship is not work". For 19 March: "The one commodity we Indians are never short of - natural gas".

Two, a book of profiles compiled with Humra Quraishi "The Good, The Bad and the Ridiculous" which gives a peep into his lust for painting even the drabbest personality with colors an spice. You could read just two profiles on Dhirendra Brahmachari and Giani Zail Singh to get the money's worth but there's more to it than the two much-maligned people.


Three, the last of his books published by Penguin India in 2013 called "Khushwantnama: The Lessons of my life" - an abridged autobiography for those who dont' have patience for reading all his life's labor, it contains the right chapters about the man's life along with his views that will bone you up with stuff to get inspired. The chapters have so much of wisdom that it can be an epiphany for those who share his interests in the state of the nation, the state of writing in India, what it takes to be a writer, the twelve rules to live long and happy, use of humor as a lethal weapon, state of journalism in India, dealing with death and the importance of Gandhi.


While I regret I haven't been been able to meet or exchange a word with him, I feel connected with him through his writing like millions of readers. Reading his concise writing pulls you into a fellowship of articulateness that speaks much about the man and his values- on how to be a good Indian, a tolerant Indian, an Indian who loves the roots but is truly secular, doesn't put religion before humanism, loves life, celebrates controversy and good sex in utmost loyalty, get disciplined about lifestyle, laughs at self more often and develop good humor and helping nature at all times. Khushwant Singh has achieved every award in India - from Sahitya Akademi Award to Rockfeller Grant and the coveted Padma Bhushan and Padma Vibhushan in time unlike writers like Anita Desai and Ruskin Bond who only got Padma Shri late. He lived a life rich with action throughout -whether as a diplomat, lawyer, teacher, editor or a writer. He was not the craftiest writer who wins Pulitzers and Nobels but he carried himself well right through his innings.

Someone asked Khushwant Singh his comment about being a prolific writer. His response: "No one has yet invented a condom for the pen." Long live the pen in its modern format. Long live Khushwant Singh - the man who erased his original date of birth, 2nd February and celebrates his birthday on the 15th of August. R.I.P.KS.

March 3, 2014

And the Oscar doesn't go to...


And the Oscar doesn't go to...

So even the Oscars couldn't defy "Gravity" its anti-gravity moment. The mexican director would have lived out his space in  trance as his film bagged seven oscars out of ten. Predictable? Not so much. Or maybe. Because over the years, the awards have a degree of giving out max to those films which generate the maximum adulation from the global audience. This could be because the Hollywood Studios and their gargantuan think-tanks are hitting  a dry run when it comes to big markets like China, HongKong, India, and the MiddleEast where cultural dissimilarities are making their films come a cropper. "Gravity" collected Rs.62 crores in Indian theatres despite the hoopla. "Dookudu" and "Gabbar Singh" generated a higher RoI than that film.

On that count, you can see why films like "Slumdog Millionaire" and "Gravity" sweep the awards even if with  diluted standards and dumbing down of English for the global audience. It is like a Miss World contest or Miss Universe contest - Hollywood which represents the apogee of American Culture wants  and crowns film-makers who strike gold with more eyeballs rather than film-makers who are altruistic (Oliver Stone), brazenly American (Martin Sorcerese), uncompromising (Steven Spielberg) or self-obsessed and controversial (Woody Allen).

 If the trend continues, 20 years down the lane, I think there will be more foreign language films competing for the Oscars or film-makers with the American sensibilities but a global pulse like Eduardo. That leaves the Indians with a terrific opportunity - don't make films for the Oscars, try to beat them in sensibilities and cultural opulence and larger-than-life sliceness. One day, with SFX a "Bahubali" or a "Hanuman" or a "Mahabharat" will gross as much as a Spidey or a Batman. Americans have killed more film industries since the 1920s by their clinical imperialism of the culture of Americana which has a distinct closeness with most Western cultures except the Koreans, the Chinese and the Indians. Watching the Oscars this time became more boring than a Pogo channel where the anchor hustles with a masked face. No wonder, the Oscars are now looked down by those who covet the BAFTAs, the Golden Globes, the Cannes or now the Sundance where unconventional yardsticks of measuring success are bringing out such exciting films like "Boyhood" and "Wajdah" (2012). 

On the contrary, Oscars are still stuck on  criteria that the critics and the audiences don't seem to agree often but are determined by quixotic whims and messages from the masters who call the shots at the industry. Any idea why Sandra Bullock didn't get the best actress award? Any thoughts why Leonardo Dicaprio continues to be at the non-receiving end of the awards? Despite a uni-dimensional way of judging the films, the Oscars get the maximum mileage but still lesser than what the Superbowl or FIFA World Cup command. 

Today, close to seven billion people are watching films and a fraction of them are wanting to make films in as many unique way as their sensibilities and paradigms motivate them to. The Oscars can go to anybody who is trained to give a well-rehearsed elevator speech. But lets not think that their success is a benchmark - don't be misled by the UNESCO heritage-type statements going out when the Oscar goes to a film that talks about slavery in Africa, a war waged in Afghanistan or Iraq or a legend in South Africa. There are more ways to watch a film, make a film and even review a film. Remember tonite that Oscars may be more anti-diluvian in ways you haven't  yet realised.

February 25, 2014

"Highway" (Hindi) Film Review



“Highway” is a surprisingly pleasant and at one level a bold film by Imtiaz Ali. Pleasant because he breaks the mould of regular commercial fare with an irregular theme that will stop you on your tracks. Bold because there are more than one or two messages that run undercurrent to the main narrative which are disturbing in the pace of modern life. I am taken in by the titles of Imitiaz Ali always because he is one of the few directors who hits the bull’s eye on putting titles that sum it up while conveying motifs that he wants to linger on you long after you left the movie hall. Look at his previous films – “Jab We met” , “Love Aaj Kal” and “Rockstar” and you will find one main theme but also many subtexts embedded. Likewise, “Highway” is a motif for what happens when a contract killer kidnaps a girl about to enter an arranged wedlock and both of them hit the highway of life as they are compelled by circumstances to travel together across the “roadiest” surfaces of North India.

In 133 minutes, Imtiaz Ali transports us to a world of rich visuals of snowy peaks and sylvan surroundings, rough roads and dingy corners but the perimeter for everything remains the highway where in a truck Randip Hooda drives down without knowing where the destination is in order to escort away Alia Bhatt (debutante) from police interception before deciding to leave her, because he realizes he had actually kidnapped a rich girl of mighty surname of a biggie –“Tripathi”.

The story moves, layer by layer with the girl actually feeling more comfortable with the kidnappers and enjoying the ride as one helluva ride of a lifetime, away from the suffocations of air, life and outlook that are common in affluent households. Aliah is the girl who shows maximum variation in her characterization as she moves from being terrified to diffident to curious to comfortable to confident in her interactions with the kidnappers. As she opens up to the largeness of life in the open, she realizes these kidnappers are a lot less harmful than the people of her cocooned life at home, where there are insensitive parents and predators like her uncle. In one scene, she blurts out about the same uncle who used to haul her up physically while tempting her with imported chocolates since the age of nine.



Randip Hooda is a hardened criminal who melts with Alia’s childlike innocence and frankness. He also opens up gradually and becomes someone the girl begins to develop more than a trusting relationship before the dramatic end. Watch that end because it has the same quirk that marks all the climaxes of Imtiaz Ali’s films - something out of everybody’s comfort zone. I don’t agree that the film looks like a documentary at all because a documentary cannot bring life into a narrative without a voiceover.

In “Highway”, Imtiaz Ali uses two instruments to bring that narrative to bear pristinely – cinematography and music. Anil Mehta gives a stunning output in his picture frames, of course aided by the eye for detail of the director who revels in novel stuff. Eating on top of ant-hills, sky-kissing your way to see the clouds fritter away, keeping your head at the edge of the highway road while the vehicles speed in and out or dripping your hands into the swirling water currents meant for water-rafting – Anil Mehta gives us spectacular visuals. AR Rahman, of course, gives an original score that is in sync with the moods. Compared with his previous films, Rahman uses good pauses at times to sometimes use silence to elevate the impact of the scene – like when the girl speaks out against sexual abuse or when Randip and Alia interact. Rahman also uses some folk songs and a famous beat of “Wanna Mash up?” as a necessary interlude in the film, to show the contrast between his music and somebody else’s composition. A sporting move which other legends hardly attempt. In a collaboration of such fine talent, a worthy addition indeed is Rasool Polakutty’s diligent sound design – you can know every sound has a meaning and a context to why you hear.

Even if humor is subtle and unsubstantial, you have some laughs here and there, and that comes between the two main characters. The only gaps in the film are the establishment of the motives of the gang that originally kidnaps the girl and characterization that throws little light on them. It could have elevated Randip Hooda’s role better. Despite all of that, he emotes well. One can attribute this film to be an attempt by Imtiaz Ali to bring different and meaningful cinema to the urban folks. Are today’s girls more safer outside of homes than people at home – that’s a strong message. Are mothers and fathers playing their roles as parents well in giving the kids everything they need but not enough time and attention – that’s the underlying message. And finally, the broad message is that when the rubber hits the road, you might realize that the destination is less important than the journey and often goodness can come from people you dislike at first – almost like an Austen sensibility.

It is unlikely this film will boil well at the kettle of box office but it leaves you with a good impression and a lasting message. For that, I rate it 3.75 on 5 and take away points for the bits that didn’t add up.

February 22, 2014

"Aaha Kalyanam" Telugu Film Review



"Aaha Kalyanam" is the second film of Nani to release in a fortnight. After the debacle of "Paisa", expectations were high for this film because it is coming from the second-most powerful production house in the country - Yash Raj Films  - with interests in home videos, music, domestic and overseas distribution rights etc. Yash Raj Films has produced this film as a bilingual in Telugu and Tamil with the same starcast  - Nani and Vani Kapoor playing the lead pair played in the original "Band Baaja Baaraat" by Ranveer Singh and Anushka Sharma. The original was a sensation that created stars out of both the Hindi actors. This film is Yash Raj Films' first foray into Telugu and Tamil. 

Story
The story is replicated without a frame being altered: Shakti (Nani) bumps into Shruti Subramanyam (Vani Kapoor) at a wedding reception. Shruti is keen to learn the trade of wedding planner and in a tiff with market leader (Simran) starts her own firm focusing on wedding plans called "Gatti Melam". She admits Shakti as a partner on condition that they do not mix romance with finance. However, one fine night, in a frenzy of success celebrations, passions flare up with both as they end up cosying in bed. Their attitudes change afterwards and soon they split to start individual agencies. Business suffers as their complementary skill sets no longer support each other. In the grand finale, both of them team up again for a wedding  on the insistence of a client who knows them since inception. They succeed in making the wedding a success and make a hard stop at expressing their love for each other. Happy ending for a couple who look good on screen - both Vani Kapoor and Nani.

Performances
Nani as the guy who runs through a roller-coaster of emotions delivers well with his effortless acting and high-variety voice modulation. As a former World Space radio jockey, he is one of the few actors who embellishes his characterisation with exceptional dubbing that gives depth to his voice.  His performance in the climax scene is worth the wait as he mixes it up with emotions and jokes well. 

Vani Kapoor is quite a glamorous find who is at ease in her role even if she lacks the vivacity of Anushka Sharma. She looks good in all the costumes but evidently has a typical North-Indian appeal. Her face resembles strikingly with Meenakshi Seshadri and Ankita in one face. At times, she dominates Nani which is a rare thing because Nani steals the show with heroines most. Simran as the industry leader makes a good comeback in a cameo. The rest of the starcast is nondescript and unknown - YRF has picked  anonymous actors which might have made the film less dramatic.

How Good is the film?
"Aaha Kalyanam" despite a rich baggage, banner pedigree, tested story that aced up the box office in the original and a lead pair that sizzles is a big dud and having seen the original, the fault may lie entirely on the YRF banner besides the lack of chemistry between Nani and Vani Kapoor. Firstly, the original storyline had lot of sizzle in typical Punjabi language which got lost in translation by dialogue writer Sashank Vennelakanti. The dialogues are  insipid,  written with military precision not emotional value that appeals to masses. Often, the editing of the film is flaky and at crucial scenes like Simran provoking Nani and Vani or when they take up assignments or separate into different units, the narrative turns abrupt.  

Two, entire sequences of the film have Tamil flavor rather than a Telugu touch. If this film is a remake of BBB, why couldn't YRF make a remake in Telugu instead of dubbing the film from Tamil? This is a big mistake because at several places, you don't get a feeling of involvement because everybody is a Tamil except the lead pair. There were four weddings or wedding receptions shown in the film and not one of them is a Telugu wedding. Infact, one gets a feeling there are two Tamil weddings, a muslim wedding (which was interesting and well-shot) and a Malayalam wedding but not a single Telugu attire is shown. At another place, where the families are visiting the wedding planner firm, there are four couples all of them wearing traditional Tamil or Kerala dress. With two assistant directors helping him,  director A Gokul Krishna could have done better in adaptation. Simply changing the registration plates of vehicles plying on the scene is not enough dubbing, YRF should have take better care. 

Three, YRF has been distributing Hindi films in AP as Vandana Films for the past 30 years. It would have understood the pulse of the local market better because in the past films like "Chandni" and "DDLJ" and "Dil to Pagal Hai" have been dubbed into Telugu with mixed success. Proper dubbing would have ensured the film registers well with the masses and the classes. Even the name of "Gatti Melam" appears as "Getti Melam" a couple of times.

Four, except for the climax song which mixes up the mannerisms and dialogues of three superstars  - Mahesh Babu, Prabhas and Rajinikanth, the film moves with a routine straight-lift of the Hindi original giving sometimes predictability in the second half. Hindi sensibilities are quite different from those of Telugu and the production team should have reflected them. 

Five, in 143 minutes, there is no comic relief as it is the story that sucks you in, no punchlines or typical adaptations that would have enhanced the cinematic experience for the mass Telugu viewer. It may be pertinent to note that an year back, Nandini Reddy made a film starring Siddharth and Samantha "Jabardast" which liberally borrowed the basic concept of BBB and made it into a loud entertaining film, which failed to click at the box office. This film by YRF, however, does justice to the basic plot but fails to hold the attention of the viewer with a non-native touch that is insensitive to the demands of two Telugu states who eat, drink and sleep entertaining movies. 

Lastly, Nani is a talented actor who seem to have been stopped by the iron-clad rules of YRF when they make films. Because of the loyalty to the script and story by Maneesh Sharma, Nani was not given much leeway in improvising his performance to get a few good laughs. His potential got capped in this film which could undermine its reception at the BO.

What's good
Technically, the film has outstanding production values. Cinematography is brilliant and captures the mood of the weddings in colorful variety with minimal deviations - the camera is faithful to the narrative and characterisations of the  principal  characters in the film and delivers a visual feast. Music by Dharani Kumar is another high. While the original score of BBB was composed by Salim- Suleiman, Kumar composes a few hummable songs that stand out, especially "No one dancing here" which was also choreographed well by Brinda. BGM by Kumar also shows command over instrumentation and rhythm. Director A Gokul Krishna extracts decent output from all the sundry cast and presents a blockbuster story in its most faithful format, perhaps insisted by a production house which is testing waters in the South but some dilution in the plot to accomodate Telugu nativities would have worked wonders in this clean film which brings a breath of fresh air for its contemporary plot, decent fare, rich production values, family fare without an iota of lewdity, violence and intimacy (except in one crucial pre-interval scene of passion). There is no villain, no stunts, no item dance and no multiple-meaning dialogues. For the quality of the film and the message of being positive and being entrepreneurial, the film deserves atleast an average rating of 2.5 on 5. Because of the ineptness of adapting it locally to the vernacular sensibilities, the film fails to rise above that. If you have seen the original, you needn't miss this one. But for those who have not seen the original, you will be drawn to the film.

February 17, 2014

Why Penguin ban of Wendy Doniger is justified




Let me disclaim at the outset (I am not a Hindu in a fundamentalist sense, I am liberal and respect all religions and keep my faith as private as possible except on select festival days, when I erupt in joy on facebook).

I would like to break this long piece into four parts: First part, I will talk about the phenomena like Wendy Doniger who are creating careers out of midwifing the Hindu scriptures in ways that she and her non-Hindu readers like. Second part, I will talk about the amusing manner in which the web and authors imprinted by Penguin have got into a mindless crusade of supporting Wendy (I bet most of them haven't read the book) for the sake of supporting free speech (which itself is unclear to many who advocate for it). In the third part, I will discuss what may have led Chikki Sarkar's bosses at Penguin to withdraw the book; I will also put forth the economics of publishing writers like Wendy and the burdens of cross-subsidising her irreverence for Hinduism  with best-selling writers of dissimilar baggage like say, Dr.Devdutt Pattnaik or Anita Nair (not the Padmashri author, the one who writes on Indian Mythology for kids under Puffin). Lastly, I will offer my two cents on whether such bans are justified and whether such bans are endorsed by Hindus and also whether Hinduism will outlast such ill-informed writers.

First Part
Wendy Doniger is not the first nor will be the last author to claim superior scholarship over Indology (the Study of India) or Hinduism. Throughout history, there were Indologists who learnt Sanskrit and made intellectual and financial capital out of interpreting the vast body of Hindu literature from the Laws of Manu to the Rig Veda to the Ramayana and the Mahabharata and the Bhagwad Gita. These include in no certain order: Max Muller, William Jones, Philip Goldberg, Gavin Flood, Klaus Klostermaier, Asko Parpola, TJ Hopkins, Brian K Smith, AL Basham, M Stutley, John Stratton Hawley, Richard Burghart, Raymond Brady Williams, George Michell, Alistair Shearer, Madeleine Biardeau, DF Pocock, Ken Wilber, Alduous Huxley,  Ralph Waldo Emerson, Arnold Toynbee and even Sir Richard Burton. There were also many writers-philosophers originating from the Indian subcontinent who have steered Hinduism into streams of clear interpretations. Most notable among them include writers like S Radhakrishnan, C Rajagopalachari, RK Narayan, Bibek Debroy, Jawaharlal Nehru, Bankimchandra Chatterji, Anand Coomaraswamy, Raja Rammohan Roy, Nirad C Chaudhuri, Osho, Makarand Paranjapee, TN Madan, KM Munshi, KM Panikkar, VD Savarkar,  Mahadev Desai, Mahatma Gandh, RC Dutti and philosopher saints like Swami Vivekananda, Aurobindo Ghosh, Swami Abhedananda, Swami Ranganathananda, Dayanand Saraswati, Paramhamsa Yogananda, Maharshi Mahesh Yogi, Swami Hariharananda. Many living saints continue to re-interpret wiser and modernly relevant insights in Hinduism through their discourses like Sri Sri Ravi Shankar, Sadguru Jaggi Vasudev, Swami Prajnananda and Swami Sukhbodhananda. If you do not like to read in English, there's greater talent in verbal discourses albeit with sometimes faulty logic people like Chaganti Koteswara Rao, Swami Paripoornananda and countless others in Indian vernacular language. These are writers who respected the original works, translated them with the diligence of a Checklist-driven surgeon, honored the spirit and philosophy of the original letters that carried the messages through the ages and sanctified and enriched the body of works that are enshrined in the hearts of billions of Hindus who are traditionally not self-conscious about religion as an isolable component or aspect of their world-view and their way of life. 

Having said that there have been genuinely agitated writer-scholars who have taken up crusades against the banalities that created stress to those oppressed under the onslaught of traditions that smack of inhumanity - the caste system, the enfeeblement and disempowerment of women, notions of untouchability and brahminism as being superior to other castes - which kept more people in shackles of poverty, illteracy and regress. Into these categories fall some notable writers of Indian origin, namely, Dr.BR Ambedkar, AK Ramanujan, Kancha Ilaiah, Sir Tej Bahadur Sapru, Swami Dharma Theertha (a.k.a Parameswara Menon). These writers had genuine points to make about the forces that are eroding faith in Hinduism  because of a class-perpetration of Brahmins or male bastion preachers who bind women and lower-caste sections into bleak submission and duress. 

How is Wendy Doniger different? She is an Indologist who has had numerous books on Hinduism in sole and co-authorships. She is an influential professor in an American University whose scholarship has reached peak recognition. She has been both persuasive and persistent with her theses on writing as the sole arbiter of myths about Hindusim. It is another matter that she also writes profusely about ancient and modern myths that accost civilizations that survived or surround us today. She writes brilliantly with luminous prose and imaginative prowess about the myths of Hercules, the myths of super-heroes (of Warner Bros. creation) and the myth of Harry Potter (which will also enter the next generation of modern myths that are welded into world consciousness). But it is the current book "The Hindus: An Alternative History" that is caught in the eye of the storm five years after its publication.  

By her own admission in her latest book "On Hinduism", Doniger writes why the book withdrawn by Penguin should be a non-issue for Hindus. And I quote: "I had written all my other books for an American audience, primarily for my students. That was one reason why I was totally blindsided by the passionate Hindu response to my book "The Hindus: An Alternative history". It hadn't occured to me that Hindus would read it. I had figured, the Hindus already knew all about their own religion, or at least knew as much as they wanted to know, or in any case didn't want to learn anything more from an American woman (I was right about that last point, but in ways I had not foreseen). I was therefore pleasantly surprised, at first, that Hindus read "The Hindus", but then appalled that some of them read it so confrontationally, or did not read it at all but just parroted what others are saying about it." So, you see, even Doniger never had an iota of the tumultous response her book got until one gentleman from Shiksha Bachao Andolan took her on and filed a quiet litigation against the author and the publishers for the umbrageous litany of liberal and factually incorrect interpretations of Hindu Gods and Goddesses. 

If you surf the Amazon reader reviews, you will see a six page summary of all the erroneous points of the book "The Hindus" by one Vishal Agarwal. These are mis-representations in Wendy's book  about the chronological dates, events and people ranging from Lord Ram, Mahakavi Kshetrayya, Guru Gobind Singh, Saint Chaitanya, Saint Kabir, Adi Sankaracharya, Hakka and Bukka of the Vijaynagar empire etc. For example, in the case of Adi Sankara's debate with Bharti, wife of Mandan Mishra, when the latter questioned Adi Sankara on issues related to conjugal responsibilities, Adi Sankara requests a month's time to imbibe the experiences of a householder. He then enters the body of a king who is dead, experiences the physical pleasures and responsibilities, comes back to the debate and wins against Bharti. This episode is twisted by Doniger to imply that Adi Sankara, alongwith the king  had mated with hundreds of women  by turns and even experienced conjugal pleasures with the debater's wife Bharti. Blasphemy! The litany of such erroneous facts and sensational twists are available as a document in scribd for download. 

Besides, there are upending narratives that border on sexual fantasies about the pantheon of Hindu Gods and Goddesses -  which strike at the very roots of our sacred beliefs. For example, Ganesha, the Elephant God is assumed to have a trunk and an over-grown body in order to have oral sex.  Doniger even suggests an oedipal complex and possibilities of the unthinkable relationship between Parvathi and her son. Shiva is portrayed as an erotic ascetic, and tales of Anasuya and Shakuntala are sprinked with dosages of narratives usually found in the books of  sleaze. With all this utter nonsense, no wonder Wendy Doniger had met her match in an undeserving work, that was never intended to be read by Hindus by her own admission, in a defamatory suit filed by the plaintiff. The forum filed it invoking two powerful sections of the Indian Penal Code especially section 295A which invokes criminal liability when you write stuff that can insult relilgious sentiments. This section, even if purposively introduced by the British to protect Islam from being victimised by vagrant Hindus had unleashed unintended consequences that may check scurrilous writing masquerading as free speech. Some of the most learned legal experts in their commentary on the section opine that this was introduced by the British with a view to preserve the fabric of the society of a particular religion in its bare essentials, which if allowed to be insulted can lead to catastrophic consequences including the dissolution of the society of the said religion. 

I think Penguin has feared the invocation of this section more than the garble around free speech that can technically put it out of business when it recalled the book of Wendy Doniger to be pulped. This incident may not be the only one in a trend of growing pespectives that distort religion by either oversexualizing or overpoliticising the subject. In 1995, another professor, Jeffrey Kripal who was mentored by Wendy Doniger wrote a book "Kali's Child: The Mystical and the Erotic in the life and teachings of Ramakrishna". The book won awards in the US but was condemned by Hindus especially the Ramakrishna Monk order for suggesting erotic overtones in the life of revered Ramakrishna. Two monks of the said order - Swami Tyagananda and Pravrajika Vrajaprana have rebutted Kripal's insinuations most methodically in a book "Interpreting Ramakrishna: Kali's Child Revisited." published by Motilal Banarsidas. But that was published 15 years after the publication of Kripal's book. In case of Wendy's works she has been rightfully getting brickbats for her irresponsible and shoddy authorship. She once had eggs thrown at her at a conference even if her book was one of the five finalists for the National Book Critics Circle Prize in nonfiction (it did not win). 

It is evident that Wendy Doniger's book is ill-conceived, full of half-baked knowledge about how to interpret an ancient religion from the lens of a 21st century perspective, and grossly inappropriate, containing salicious interpretations of a religion that can never be exhaustively explained by either perspective or modernity. But Hinduism has always withstood the onslaught of time, the invasions of three fourths of mankind including the Greeks, the Ottomans, the Mughals, the British and now the many forces that are breaking up India. 

There is an opinion amongst the activists that there will be more likes of Wendy Doniger and Jeffrey Kripal as long as there is a dearth of native Hindus in religious studies departments outside India. In most academic departments studying the theological foundations of the great religions of the world, there is ample representation from Christians, Jews and Muslims to counter distortions of those traditions but Hinduism, it is averred, lacks protection. Except for scholars like TN Madan, Arvind Sharma, Vasudha Narayanan and now the fiercest of them all, Rajiv Malhotra, most misbegotten interpretations tend to be perpetuated unless outsiders come to the rescue or as in this case, the law has forced the hand of imbecile writers like Wendy to commit hara-kiri.

Second Part
Let's leave Wendy for the time being. I wonder what is happening to some of the renowned writers who are on the rolls of Penguin India to take up matters with them as if the heavens are falling and their brains are beaten out of bounds. Without picking on all of them, as I still respect some of them, I will pick only a few of them to highlight my points of view. Let me start with Arundhati Roy, the favorite pin-up girl of uncle Vinod Mehta who writes on everything from hydroelectric projects to the tribal displacement to leftist evangelism, who thinks she has the combined intellect of Noam Chomsky and Naomi Klein and can write better than both of them and also Ernest Hemingway. Her flip-flop on various issues makes her one of India's most over-rated intellectual with the exception of P Chidambaram! All she knows is to write verbosely, use high-falutin phrases, hyperbola most of them newly minted from the Sub-editor's desk and figments of imagination far removed from the world of Economics and Reality. If the centre-rightists have also listened to the gist of her epic essays by now, India would have been the poorest SAARC nation on earth by now. So much for development from Arundhati Roy, now what do we expect anything less from her on free speech and the attempt to sensationalize religion! I guess she wants Penguin to publish all books without fact-checking, without de-composing for authenticity, without editing - like her own essays. About Siddharth Varadarajan, the less said the better. Here is an ex-editor of "The Hindu" who has been kicked out of the paper for gross violation of financial and editorial responsibilities.

I would like all the authors who are rushing to drop out of Penguin's pedigree to think twice before taking an impulsive decision. A few unsolicited tips for them: One, please read Wendy Doniger's book in full and decide whether it is a worthy book to give company as a Penguin author. Two, understand that a Publisher is like a producer of a films: they have the choice of casting and hence a publisher will decide what to publish. An author will get his or her 10-15 per cent royalty and remain catalogued as long as the publisher gets a good night's sleep. No publisher feels comfortable with thoughts of vicarious and criminal liability sitting on their reserves. In case of Wendy Doniger's book, the petitioner moved court that required Penguin to demonstrate whether "it respects all religions worldwide." Clearly, the book's contents prove they don't. Thirdly, if you are prepared to walk out of Penguin, please remember there are options outside the world's largest publisher: you can go to  rivals like Harper Collins or Hatchette or Rupa (No, no, Rupa Publishers is next: They are raking it in with Wendy Doniger's book "On Hinduism") or better still, Self-publishing. But do not sensationalise more than what is unwarranted. Remember: even in films, actors like Amitabh Bachan or Salman Khan or Shah Rukh Khan or Aamir Khan have said "NO" when it comes to scenes that might upset millions of fans who know are not just watching a movie. Remember, when Star TV took a decision in circa 1990s to cut out every scene that shows explicit kissing or sexual intimacy, it was a decision taken in the interests of the culture of the largest TV country in the world where even a grown-up son doesn't touch his mother. When the decision was taken, nobody threw tantrums that,"We are quitting". Know when to fight, and know when to quit but if you don't know the difference between the two, stay calm and let the wind blow.

Third Part

It is important to understand there could be more than the eye why Penguin has taken a decision to withdraw a popular book in America. It is easy to say that this could be because of an upsurge in a Modi wave that Penguin fears might make it face greater trouble. There are more reasons than that and it could be pure economics at play here thats outside the reaches of the "Free Speech" experts.

One, Penguin India is a crucial wing of the Penguin Random House - which after the recent merger has become the world's biggest publishing combine. The company which owns Penguin Random House, Pearson plc is a phenomenal media giant that publishes, inter alia, the world's leading business newspaper "The Financial Times" besides an imprint which is exploding with opportunities in print everywhere, especially in South Asia. Pearson is also a leading academic publisher with growing interests in India, they are are closer to inching to the top spot in educational catalogues and worthy of meatier assignments in vernacular languages with academic boards and universities that design the curriculum. They cannot risk the millions of profits that can accrue if they stay in the reckoning in India for the sake of a reckless author's title. "Financial Times" is a moderate but intensely focused business newspaper that has been fighting to get a foothold in Indian newspaper industry for decades. They probably know that erring on the side of Wendy may bring more trouble from established centre-right newspapers like the Times of India (which publishes The Economic Times) and the Indian Express (which publishes The Financial Express). The numbers are too staggering for Penguin to lose sight of: 60% of the total market is the Education market, 42 million students in 50,000 private schools studying and learning English, schoolbook market of around Rs.3500 crores, with 343 public-funded universities, 15000 colleges. All this in a country where a third of the population is still illiterate and the 21 official languages excluding English makes for a dispersed education system and  book marketplace which no sane businessman publisher will let go of. Again, remember India's per capita annual spending on books is still low - about $1.50 compared with China's $3 and USA's $60 and UK's $58.

Two, in a market where 16,000 publishers exist, and Rs.70 billion of turnover is counted by the publication of 70,000 titles annually, India is the third biggest Engish-speaking market outside of the US and the UK. Too much at stake again for Penguin to turn a nelson's eye to the foibles of  one writer.

Three, Penguin's own imprint in India and its various incarnations  - Puffin, Penguin portfolio, Viking, etc. are all carrying interesting titles by Indian writers who are rooted in Indian traditions and values but breaking new ground in narratives about Indian epics and folk tales which form the bedrock of Hinduism. Gurucharan Das writes on Mahabharata's continuing relevance. Dr. Devdutt Pattanaik writes most profoundly on Indian mythology. Anita Nair writes the best-known tales of Hinduism for children. Sanjeev Sanyal writes on India's lesser known stories about history that defines today's geography. Bibek Debroy has just completed eighty per cent work of translating into English the most original version of the Mahabharata yet attempted by any scholar, vetted by the Bhandarkar Oriental Institute. Besides the above, a galaxy of writers like Arundhati Subramanyam, Makarand Paranjapee, Tirthankar Roy, Pankaj Mishra, VS Naipaul (who gives out inconsistent views on India),Mark Tully and authors like Ruskin Bond, RK Narayan who wrote on the Indian folk tales still form a huge backprint, whose genuine adherence to Indian values, culture, religious diversity and ethos cannot co-habit the work of a shallow writer of the kind that Wendy Doniger is. Put simply, Penguin cannot afford to have one writer who contradicts everything else that readers like of the books written by its other writers.I am sure these would have got  weighed in before Penguin took the decision to pulp her book. 

Four, the founder of Penguin paperbacks Allen Lane was once travelling to India for three months to see why Pelican books were selling more than  the Penguins in India. He travelled extensively by train, visiting kings and politicians, called on Nehru and admitted to the "pitiful conditions" endured by the great mass of Indians. He was surprised why Indian students don't buy enough of Penguin books. Reason: the Indian student was more interested in saving money to secure an education and "he was not inclined to waste his time on poor escapist literature, he wished to use his new knowledge to the full by reading such books as might make him fitted for a better job, a higher rank in the Civil service." The thought stayed with Allen Lane for a long time as he decided what books to publish in a poor country. I suspect somewhere, this is what may have prompted Penguin to publish a number of titles in basic English. Allen Lane also told someone that his travels in India had made him realize that "one of the greatest needs was for a book on Comparative Religion." I wonder if this was a tipping point for Penguin owners to realise they didn't want anything to upset a religious community or a section. 

Five, there is a difference between the books that were withdrawn of late and books that were banned in recent times and the book that is now withdrawn now. Amongst the books that were withdrawn, of late, most of the books except one are books about businessmen or politicians. "Red Sari" is about Sonia Gandhi. "Beautiful Forevers" has a chapter that unfolds the saga of the money-spinning educational group of Arindham Chaudhary. "The Descent of Air India" is about the role of politicians in running Air India to ground. A new book by Jaico Publishers seeks to unravel the mysteries of the Sahara Group, again banned before release. Years back, Hamish McDonald's book "The Polyster Prince" was withdrawn well before the release because of the all-pervading influence of Mukesh Ambani and his father late Dhirubhai Ambani. The book was sold on the streets of Mumbai and Bengaluru before its contents got incorporated in a bigger book "Ambani & Co." by the same author. Point is, these are books which are being withdrawn not because of fears of a backlash of public opinion or intolerance of Indians but due to the all-powerful influence of a few mighty businesspeople or empire-builders. This trend is definitely disturbing for those who want to find out the truth. They are, however, different from the books banned for religious reasons, say, "Satanic Verses" or books which were written without historical evidence but speculative imagination like say, "The Great Soul" the book about Mahatma Gandhi which was banned in Gujarat because the writer speculated on the homosexuality of the father of the nation. Please note that I am not against the ban of books which rip off the truths about the cookie that crumbled - a Sahara or a Reliance or an IIPM notwithstanding. But I certainly think books on religious matters need a different paradigm of scrutiny and evaluation of the wider repurcussions because it is a matter of faith. If you say that Ram's father is a sex-addict because he had three wives or that Jesus of Nazarath had intercourse with several women or Prophet Mohammed was a cunning businessman, I surely have a problem because one should respect all religions. In that sense, a publisher's job is to promote religious harmony, not promote one upmanship of one religion over another. Penguin is in that sense, mature and truest in its intentions of recalling  a folly that could sink a business empire built on decades of loyal readership world-wise.

Fourth Part
Where does this leave the debate on Hinduism being under a cloud due to mischievous writers casting aspersions and twisting tales to suit their or others' hidden agendas? Nothing happens. 

Hinduism has had a history of productive interaction with three other religious traditions that originally arrived here from abroad, and have had their own Indian histories, namely Christianity, Islam and Zoroastrianism. With the Portugese in India came the linkages between Christianity. With Islamic invasions from the Ottomans and the invasions of Nadir Shah, Islamic heritage and the Zoroastrian faith have also entered the Hindu consiousness. After four hundred years of the Moghal Rule and three hundred years of the British rule, Indian Hinduism has become entwined with the traditions followed by the other two great religions. You will find therefore, Sufi infuences on Indian music, symphonic melodies on Karnatik music and vedic chants in Medak Churches besides an inseparable interplay of architectural, economic and societal practices (will talk more on this later). India is also home to three other great religions of the world - Buddhism, Jainism and Sikhism. Understanding this is the crux of the greatness of the way of life that our heritage has given. 

Hinduism has also never ceased to change and grow and remains a world religion attempting to cope with the challenges of modernisation and secularization and of the diaspora. Anthropologists and sociologists, historians and scholars who are fascinated by the inclusive aspects of Hinduism  have wasted no time except for the likes of Wendy Doniger in understanding and unleashing a considerable body of published work on the models of empirically-grounded holistic description of a Hindu community. Successive reformers throughout history have been chipping away the undesirable elements that are holding back a nation on the move - Dalitisation, women stereotyping and untouchability and ushering in elements that helped Hinduism survive in its many avatars - life-cycle rituals, domestic and temple worship, seasonal festivals, pilgrimages, values of auspicousness and purity, world affirmation and renunciation, strategies of coping with life, death and suffering and the role of charishmatic precepters and the institutionalisation of religious activity, preservation of the tradition and innovation. 

By that count, most Hindus will be least interested in reading Wendy Doniger's book (and by her own confession as pointed at the outset) because a Hindu is just what a Hindu does - meaning all of the above activities in the previous para and are also unified by a set of metaphysical beliefs about god, nature and human beings that are distinctively Hindu. For all those who try to challenge these beliefs because of a lineage and tradition that is beyond just one holy book, as in the case of Hinduism, by distortions and over-analysis, Wendy Doniger's book withdrawal should serve a right dose. But even if it doesn't, it  matters an ant's ass for the Hindus. They will still build temples for monkey gods and elephant gods, they will still fast and stay up all night for the upcoming Mahasivarathri festival even if  worshipping a phallic symbol and they will still be religious about our faith. That is the right thing to do. But it is wrong thing to let this Pyrrhic victory of book withdrawal go into the credit of hard-liner, right-wing Hindus, RSS-style Hindus who are intolerant of other faiths. It is important to note that at a time, when most of the Western countries are witnessing an increase of nonbelievers - that number just doubled over the last decade to 15 per cent of the population - in India, the most prosperous and the and the poor are becoming "faithful" God-believers. What we should ensure, if we can is to ensure that secularism should mean equal distance between the state and all the various religions of Indian people and not by giving exemptions to one religion and partiality to one religion. 

The future of Hinduism is brighter than before and that holds good whether a bigot storms into power or not because the Hindus are tolerant, inclusive, and patient with the ingots of naughtiness that non-Hindus throw at them.

Lastly about free speech, I quote Nigel Warburton in response to what others say about allowing Wendy Doniger's book: In Ray Bradbury's dystopian "Fahrenheit 451", a novel in part inspired by the Nazi book burnings of the 1930s, the central character's job is destroying books. The title refers to the temperature at which paper combusts. Getting rid of awkward thoughts simplifies life - in this imagined future anything that could interfere with mindless happiness is incinerate; anything that anyone finds offensive ends up in ashes. In the end the people are scarcely aware that they have lost anything. That is another possible future." Yes, that is a possible future but reserve it for those that lampoon your faith not otherwise. But if Penguin had actually not withdrawn the book even that would have been alright for the Hindus because it wouldn't have got read anyways. As someone says, "even B-grade authors should be published because how else will you know they are B-grade?".


 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 




"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...