I walked down the street today. There were no auto rickshaws, no taxis, and no cars. Shops were shut. Footpaths were deserted. The silence, so uncharacteristic of India, was almost eerie.
It wasn’t only my neighbourhood that was like this. The scene was replicated all over India. Hundreds of flights were cancelled, and trains and bus services were suspended.
Usually, India doesn’t stop for anyone. So, what could have possibly happened? A number of political parties united in India to enforce a Bharat Bandh — a nationwide strike — to protest against rising fuel prices. Activists blocked transport routes, and vandalism and violence ensured for those who didn’t comply. The situation in Mumbai was quite severe, despite the police taking the precaution of arresting 1,000 likely trouble makers days earlier. Around 100 buses were stoned and burned in Mumbai, and more in other parts of the country.
There are a number of things that bother me about the bandh. Firstly, it’s against the law but nothing is done about it. The Supreme Court declared this type of strike to be “illegal and unconstitutional” over a decade ago in India. But no one enforces the ruling! Secondly, it’s the “common man”, whose interests the strike is supposed to support, that suffers the most. Daily wage earners and people in small business received no income today. Thirdly, the disrespect for public property is appalling. Why is it that people meticulously care for what they own in this country, but have little regard for what’s not “theirs”?
But the real issue is whether the bandh will have any positive impact. The Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) has estimated that the bandh has caused a loss of around 3,000 crore rupees. And Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee has unquestioningly ruled out a roll back in fuel prices.
Really, what the Bharat Bandh is all about is a matter that has high importance in India — the pursuit and projection of power. The power game is being played. Politicians like to project that they seek power not for power itself, but for a cause separate from themselves. And as the saying goes… if you’ve got it, flaunt it. And in India, if you don’t, then acquiesce to it.
© 2010, Diary of a White Indian Housewife. All rights reserved. Do not copy and reproduce text or images without permission.
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@Mohit Gupta
Please do not litter the blog with your intellectual innocence.(If you do understand what that means, that is…I pray to God that you do).
If you cant comprehend the context of a debate, better stay out of it. The comments section of this blog was primarily created only to have such debates…..It wasnt intended for people to blindly nod their heads in agreement with each other. And if you have some problem with someone having a different (and also a tad more rational) opinion regarding movies, then please do state your case in a less laughable manner.
There some people on this planet, who cant see……Its not that they are blind, they just dont WANT to see the light. No matter how clear you make it for them, It’s always foggy to them. You fall into this category.
I dont indulge in chauvinism of any kind…never have never will. That also implies that I am not here to “blow trumpets” for Hollywood movies. I was merely calling a spade a spade. I do understand your discomfort at that, because to me, that’s no surprise…Because someone as used to delusions like yourself will find reality quite repulsive…The same way your great favorite Amitabh Bachchan reacted when Slumdog Millionaire won Oscars. Because he didnt quite like the murkier side of Mumbai being shows in the film !! Who’ll tell him that the rest of Mumbai isnt as FANCY as his own Bungalow?
And then this was the same Amitabh Bachchan who had signed up for a role in Mira Nair’s “Shantaraam” which would also focus on the sleazier and darker side of Mumbai. Someone ask him why did he do so if he so “hates” the Third World Underbelly being shown in filmS !!!! Where did all that vitriol against “poverty porn” go? 
And in case you didnt notice, I also highlighted the significance of other film festivals like Cannes, Berlin, Sundance, Moscow and the likes…..I also stated that by saying “West” I also intend to include countries like France, Italy and Germany. I cant help it if you cant read your compass correctly.
“It still goes in India tht knowing and speaking english automatically make u modern , intelligent and all that..”
It does take intelligence to grasp a subject….A quality that’s dangerously short in you — That often shows in your “brilliant” comprehension skills. No amount of education is enough when it comes to people like you because—
It also goes in India that “engineer” grooms charge extravagant dowries from the girl’s family in Bihar and UP? I know because I have seen quite a few over here! And all of them are “educated”. It also goes in India that young girls and boys are killed for marryng out of love…It also goes in India that foolish idealists like yourself dont forget to chant “Lalu Prasad ki Jai Ho!” as the prelude to your morning prayers…..
Those are very “intelligent” practices, isnt it son?
And learning a global language is perhaps a far better way of utlising your time than bleaching your teeth and lips with betel juice.
The focal point of the debate was the dearth of quality scripts in Bollywood and talented actors being wasted in unwatchable movies. True that Hollywood has it’s flops too, but at the same time can manage to dish out quality films with universal appeal like “Changeling” and “The Godfather”. In fact the very “Agneepath” that your Big B boasts to have acted in is a copy of the 1984 Hollywood film “Scarface” starring Al Pacino.
Being the frog-in-the-well that you are, I’d suggest you put your internet to better use than watching porn…dig up some info…learn about stuff….learn a thing or two about the world.
Or even better, go back and start learning ABC all over again.
@Mohit Gupta
Also….I am not “some” Doc. I am THE Doc. Just keeping you informed for your future references.
But given your penchant for “Mulayam Singh” culture, you are bound to goof things up.
@ THE DOC (am I right this time?)
You talked about all things starting from my lack of intelligence and comprehensive power , and UP and bihar and me beeing the followers of Lalu and Mulayam and me beeing a foolish idealist…. quite funny , still laughing ..
But nowhere is the discussion on the said matter Hollywood vs Bollywood..!!!
I like acting of Big B , Ajay devgan , Om puri , dilip kumar , Mohan Lal , Kamal hasan , Gurudatt , Al pacino , tom hanks , Samuel Jackson, Robert de nero,henry fonda, ben kingsley,rober duvail,paul newman.
But cant generalise hollywood or bollywood..
Simple thing is that a good movie is good irrespective of the country its made in.And a gud actor is a gud actor ,whether he is hollywood or bollywood.
Infact there is a dearth of good script in Hollywood too..they are picking up from Japaneese , korean , french , Italian movies..
Every other movie is about war, vampires, super-hero or super-cartoon..
“Being the frog-in-the-well that you are, I’d suggest you put your internet to better use than watching porn…dig up some info…learn about stuff….learn a thing or two about the world.”
Hahahahaha… thanks ..you reminded me .. ..its been long I have watched porn.. thanks
I think , I have known so much about the world that this world is like a well to me , now I am exploring the mars
About the dowry thing , and honour killings ..I am as much against these as you are and I am as open minded and an iconoclast as you think you are.
Really want to know , why are you making your predictions just because you think I am from some specific region and state.
Its better , if u blame me and abuse me for what I am , not where I am from.It will make more sense…isnt it??
Any way LALU KI JAI HO
East or Best , Big B is best..!!!!
That is what I was talking about. Hollywood films make your brain so addled that you start to believe whatever crap is thrown at you, including Hollywood History.
For the record was the Soviets who thwarted the Germans in World War 2, not Americans. The biggest blow to Nazism were the defeats in Stalingrad and Kursk, not Indiana Jones capturing the Cup of Christ or the Ark of Moses.
Hollywood films are very entertaining if you are closed to reality and can shut down your cognitive powers for as long as the movie runs. Once in a long while, you’d find a good one like Hotel Rwanda but that happens only after collaboration with a foreign studio, usually Canadian or British.
@Abdullah.K
Didn’t you forget D-day?
It’s quite amusing that every time I give an example of a good film, you happen to justify your stance by naming an action movie—a genre of which I have already disapproved of in my previous posts…Or maybe it’s just that you don’t want to acknowledge. People consider it an achievement to break the sound barrier, but it’s the ego barrier that’s the hardest to break.
And my comment about the US thwarting the Germans was about the core idea of the first two sequels of the Indiana Jones series. The third sequel has the cold war as the backdrop. And if according to you, there’s no room for fantasy in story-telling, then you should probably ask our Bollywood scriptwriters how a single song and dance sequence spans over 3 continents….Switzerland, Canada and Australia for the prelude, interlude and ending.
And my cognitive powers were quite intact while watching Changeling. So your claim is quite invalid.
@Mohit Gupta
“LALU PRASAD KI Jai Ho!”
Thank you for finally revealing that you worship a faggot clown. That makes your behaviour much more understandable. So when are you signing up for that dickido’s party?
No wonder, with help from people like you, that man was able to ravage the hell out of Bihar for 20 years….Probably also the reason why, you’re so full of mass amounts of bullshit.
“now I am exploring the mars ”
Phew! You’re finally out of this world….Good riddance. I pity the Martians because with you headed their way, they can kiss the good times goodbye. But who knows, with their advanced technologies, they might actually be able to knock some sense into you by sliding an integrated chip down your backside.
“But nowhere is the discussion on the said matter Hollywood vs Bollywood.”
See? Theres a reason why the doctor ordered you to go back to school. You missed the whole point of the debate again.
“Its better , if u blame me and abuse me for what I am , not where I am from”
It’d also have been better if you spare us your bouts of rural buffoonery.
“I think , I have known so much about the world that this world is like a well to me”
With smugs like you in this world nothing can be “well”. Good thing you took off to Mars. Didnt your worldly knowledge teach you that smugs are a universally despised species?
“East or Best , Big B is best”
Good. Then in your very own Big B’s words, this is what I have to say to you—-
“To Boo or not to Boo?”
I’d say Boooo!!!! with a Capital (Big) B!!
Ah! As unoriginal and unimaginative as they come! The Invasion of Normandy (D-Day) was in any way a decisive factor in the defeat of the Nazis.
I believe that it was you who picked up Indiana Jones, which I responded to. It is tragic that symptoms of dementia are manifesting at such a young age.
Of course there is. But it is no justification for you to delude yourself that Hollywood gives you a realistic depiction of World War 2.
THE DOC KI JAI HO !!!!!!
He just dont agree to anyone , just blow himself and cant really distinguish a joke, a sarcastic comments or reality.
Get well soon…!!!!!
Earlier, I was getting unsolicited certificate of achievement and now I am getting the domicile certificates of the states where I have never been to.India is really great
And I have also been awarded the title of followers of Mulayam and Lalu, out of two gross generalistaion first is that every Mohit or Gupta belongs to UP or BIHAR and second is that Every person from UP or BIHAR is follower of LALU or MULAYAM(even when both are not in power,that means majority of people of these states dont like them)..
It is irony that Indians dicriminate between themselve because of region and language.I dont know if its because of strong disliking of people from this perticular state or it is the effect of MNS philosophy.
And most surprising is the way ,people react ,infact over-react , if somebody disagrees to them and the decay of the standard of a discussion reach at the highest point when it become subjective and not objective.
People arbitarily start commenting in a personal and abusing way and throw derogatory assumption to make their point of degrading someone.
I really would not like to have any discussion with someone ,who is preoccupied with such ideas of selective hatred,doesnt matter how rich someone is , culturally , politically ,intellectually , literally or financially.
I know I will get some smart comments after this , so I already post mirror to show them , which says , SAME TO YOU.
@ Abdullah “You are right, I cannot understand the concept of “will power” in a culture that would rather submit to survive, than fight off a foreign invasion.”
I will give it another try..lol….Indians are pretty good at not “submitting” and “fighting off” foreign invasions at an intellectual level (which I think you lack tbh!!)..go back to my earlier posts and explain why persians and pakistanis submitted so easily to invading foreign ideas (both gave up their civilizational/spiritual heritage and religion!!)..this is what is submission.
Rahul, you are right. The most impressive thing about India is how it has held onto it’s ancient cultures, traditions and religions. Even Africa has almost completely become Christianized or Islamicized. Europe as lost all but a superficial connection to it’s pre-Christian cultures, traditions and religions.
India has carried on unbroken it’s pre-Abrahamic cultural and religious indentities.
Not only that – Indians have exported some of those spiritual traditions around the world, and Indian expats have taken them with them when they move around the globe.
Very impressive.
@ Sharrell’s Celebrity Doppleganger, “…India has carried on unbroken it’s pre-Abrahamic cultural and religious indentities…”
What does Abraham have to do with India, especially pre-Abrahamic traditions?
@Abdullah K.
“As unoriginal and unimaginative as they come! The Invasion of Normandy (D-Day) was in any way a decisive factor in the defeat of the Nazis.”
Not wanting to be a history teacher here, but it did because it forced Germany to fight a war on two fronts instead of the lone Eastern front. For which they had to mobilise troops from the Eastern front to the Western front too. And not to mention the Allied invasion of Sicily (which included USA too) which knocked Italy out of the war, thereby isolating the Germans. Remember the Gustav line?
“no justification for you to delude yourself that Hollywood gives you a realistic depiction of World War 2.”
So films and documentaries about the Pacific campaign and about the Pearl Harbor bombings are also a delusional. Great.
“It is tragic that symptoms of dementia are manifesting at such a young age.”
But Glaucoma isnt good at any age my friend.
A pity that you fail to see that the names of the films that I gave you are examples of scriptwriting at its best. But who can help you if you have had a bad experience with Keanu Reeves. After all, who hasnt?
MeThinks, the whoe point of the debate was the lack of quality, research and originality in Bollywood movies and good films being ignored by the audiences, unless they happen to feature a superstar. Also the disparity in the treatment of actors and actresses. Whilst actors continue way into their 40s and even 50s, actresses are mostly dumped for Page 3 parties after stepping into their 30s. Not so the case with the west, which has the guts to recognise good acting and give a best actress award to a 63 year old woman (Read Helen Mirren). And over here, all KAtrina KAif has to do is do a belly dance to win the Best Actress award.
And all SRK has to do is build a 6 pack and bingo! the film is a hit. Speaks volumes about the maturity of the audiences and the directors. Men with impressive “packages” are found dime a dozen around the globe. 
@Mohit Gupta
“He just dont agree to anyone , just blow himself and cant really distinguish a joke, a sarcastic comments or reality. ”
First off, I’d suggest you look up the more widely accepted meaning of “blow”. I’ll make it easier. It has something to do with porn….And kid, no man can actually “blow” himself. Unless his copulatory organ is as big as that of a whale. Thats why men have women. In case you could “blow” yourself, I wont deny you credit. Such feats are rare among dimwits.
“Get well soon…!!!!!”
Oh how affectionate. I am feeling considerably well, now that you are not on Earth anymore…..The same applies for the entire human race.
“People arbitarily start commenting in a personal and abusing way and throw derogatory assumption to make their point of degrading someone.”
Even a blind man can see that you totally missed the point of the debate and started accusing me of cultural chauvinism. Who’s MNS now?
“I really would not like to have any discussion with someone ,who is preoccupied with such ideas of selective hatred”
And I dont see why a nitwit with such shallow perceptions should preoccupy himself in a discussion that he cant and will never be able to fathom. And when he cant fathom, he’ll drag in some pile of BS like “Law of Diminishing Utility” and type it in block letters as if he’s the only ne that knows it. Sorry, we’re not impressed.
“SAME TO YOU”
Try to come up with something better next time. Even kindergarten girls dont go Boo Hoo at a taunt as lame as that.
@ Doctor Death, “…And over here, all KAtrina KAif has to do is do a belly dance to win the Best Actress award…”
In India, a film is generally a form of a (cheap) entertainment. In the West or Hollywood, it’s a form of an art.
Having said that, Hollywood still compromises its art. One example is the poor Indian Dog from the Slum who won 8 Oscar awards. Poor me, I had to take a dump in the slum 8 times (due to the slum-shock)…One slum-dump for each Oscar. Hollywood is poorly grr-8!!!
A good choice. Considering your ‘knowledge’ of World War 2, the idea that you could ‘teach’ me anything on the subject is laughable.
Starting June 1940, the Nazis have been fighting the Western front for three years before the D-Day invasion took place. So your claim that the US ‘forced’ Hitler to fight the western front is utterly absurd. But again, I can expect only so much from someone who takes his history education from Hollywood ‘patriotic’ fairytales.
The Pacific front has nothing to do with thwarting the Nazis in Europe and hence, no relevance to what we are discussing.
I am afraid, I don’t quite swing that way.
Now lets get to the point. The whole discussion was about the quality of Bollywood films vis. a vis. Hollywood. If Bollywood were in the league of Hollywood, you’d have watched films on how Indian soldiers liberated South East Asia from the Japanese invasion. The Battles in Kohima and Imphal would have been the decisive factors to the Japanese surrender. And if the Indian audience were as ‘mature’ and ‘classy’ as Americans, they’d have been telling the Americans “we saved your asses from the Japs”.
50 % of Hollywood is made up of WE RULE AND SAVE THE WORLD types flicks , 20% are WE HAVE ALL THE GUNS ,SHIPS AND CARS type action movies, 20% of Hollywood is made up of Typical ROM-COM, CARTOON, VAMPIRES, HOUNTED HOUSE, IMAGINARY ISLAND type flicks and the remaing 10 % is what actually Define why Hollywood has been so talked about in world..In that 10 % are really some thought provoking(based on social and political issues) , emotionally touching , thrilling suspese and drama ,and amazingly cinematographed movies like God Father , Cast away , Forest Gump…A beautifull Mind. .etc etc..
At the same time Indian Cinema is also full of classics like Pather Panchali (I would recommend everyone to see it), It won the award of BEST HUMAN DOCUMENT at cannes.
Pyasa , Teesri Manzil , Apu trilogy , Do aankehin Barah Hath, Kanoon,Dosti,Aan , Do beegha Zameen,Jagte Raho , Sujata, Anndhi,Meri Awaz suno, Arth,Pushpak,Hum, Damini,Bombay , roza,Satya , Bhoot ,DCH , RDB ..DDLJ , are all classic in their own time..
Apart from Hindi movies , there are many regional movies in Bangla , Malyalam , marathi and tamil , which are real classic..
The choice of audience always changes with time.But people are atleast so wise that most of the Non-so-good movies dont ftech money at BO.
This is a reality that all the copy-cat movies in India have performed badly except a few.Still original and meaningfull work is what is appreciated ..
Amitabh Bacchan is not considered, one of the greatest actor of the millenium for No reason.
His work speaks for himself. Not only India but International Motion Picture Industry recognise his talent and treat him one of the greatest actor of the comtemporary world.
US , Uk , France , Russia have appreciated him for his work in the field of Cinema and given him some of the most prestigious award like “de la Legion d’Honneur ” from FRANCE ,Greatest Star of the Millennium by BBC online poll,”Most powerful actor in Bollywood” by the American publishing and media company Forbes,Star of the Century award at the Alexandria International Film Festival,honorary citizenship of the French town of Deauville at the fifth edition of the Asian film festival,An honour earlier bestowed on only two people, Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom and the Soviet space hero, Yuri Gagarin. The Sunday Times has described Bachchan as “Tom Cruise, Sean Connery and Clint Eastwood rolled into one. And many more…Space Constraint..!!
I think all people who recognised the talent of bacchan , are sensible person atleast. So how could a person , who is applauded all over the world can be termed as mediocre…
Alright, I think we’re getting WAY off topic here. So I’m going to direct it back to what it’s supposed to be: the bandh. I like what this guy has to say, and he very intelligently distinguishes the difference (and usefulness) between a true “strike” and a bandh.
http://blogs.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Citycitybangbang/entry/the-bandh-protest-at-its
Amit, my point was that while the rest of the world as succumbed to the invasion of Abrahamic religions and reconstruction, India has not.
@ Sharrell’s Celebrity Doppleganger:
The thing both you and Rahul seem to miss is that religion does not define culture for the rest of the world. Religion does not even factor majorly into the lifestyle. It is just a personal trifle, like the choice of eating aloo paratha or omelette for breakfast.
In India or the Arab world, religion defines what you eat, what you drink, what you wear, how you cut your hair, who you marry, how you treat your relatives and even who you socialise with. Religion is something you inherit at birth and a part of identity that you are supposed to defend till you die.
Now if you were to come across a group of ethnic Russians (or French or Poles), you cannot tell the Atheist from the Orthodox, the Muslim or the Catholic. We eat the same things, we wear similar clothes, we drink the same liquor and our social etiquette are pretty much the same. We sleep with, date or marry across religions, without anyone raising their shackles over it. Cultures like that are so mature and stable that they are unaffected by the religious adherence of the people. Now Rahul and Doppleganger, is there anything like that in your culture(s)?
@Abdullah K
“The Pacific front has nothing to do with thwarting the Nazis in Europe and hence, no relevance to what we are discussing.”
Oooh..Pardon me Mr. Know-it-all, but didnt you say that all material about the Second World War from Hollywood is “delusional”?
“Considering your ‘knowledge’ of World War 2, the idea that you could ‘teach’ me anything on the subject is laughable”
Yeah, right. Your brain bulges out of your head like the Mojo Jojo monkey from the Powerpuff Girls…We can see it from here.
“So your claim that the US ‘forced’ Hitler to fight the western front is utterly absurd”
There was practically no activity on the Western front after the Dunkirk debacle and the failed invasion of Britain…Barring small commando raids, SOE,OSS and the Dieppe raid which was a total failure thanks to German fortifications on the Atlantic wall. All these barely made Hitler lose his scowl. These minor attacks were repelled wtihout breaking a drop of sweat.
The major invasion in 1944 saw the German’s running out of options…. And thats what had Hitler losing sleep over…apart from so many other issues.
“I can expect only so much from someone who takes his history education from Hollywood ‘patriotic’ fairytales.”
I never intended to ignore contributions from other countries including your’s or mine. I only gave credit to film-making brilliance, which, somehow you find hard to digest. Thats your problem, not mine. It clearly shows who’s hallucinating and who’s not…..Cutback on the acids, if you can.
And I am not in any way, praising celebrites for their lifestyle or whatever. I am only concerned about the acting…the movie theatre is all I have in common to them.
“If Bollywood were in the league of Hollywood, you’d have watched films on how Indian soldiers liberated South East Asia from the Japanese invasion”
What-the-f___-ever….If Indian film-makers cant think of anything else apart from chiffon clad ladies drenched in the rain in gay-dancing sequences, who is to blame. Good films are hard to come by. Directors like Anurag Kashyap are trying to do the industry some good…..but in vain….Blame it on all those “parivaar camps” that thirve in this industry for whom artistic collaboration is a distant second to bitching, unprofessinalism and back biting.
And any country can only state its case…..If Indian filmmakers havent highlighted the contribution of Indian soldiers in the Second World War, It isnt America’s or Russia’s fault.
@Mohit Gupta
“50 % of Hollywood is made up of WE RULE AND SAVE THE WORLD types flicks , 20% are WE HAVE ALL THE GUNS ,SHIPS AND CARS type action movies, 20% of Hollywood is made up of Typical ROM-COM, CARTOON, VAMPIRES, HOUNTED HOUSE, IMAGINARY ISLAND type flicks ”
And 98% of all Bollywood movies in the past 60 years are also made up of the same family drama and flambouyant gay dancing crap…..Only the early experiments from filmmakers like Bimal Roy, Guru Dutt and the recent implementation of diverse themes in the last 3 years, although only in select films, is what WE have to be proud of.
The thing is Mr.Gupta, credit goes to Hollywood that it CAN actually MAKE that “different” 10% account for its reputation worldwide. We cant even do that.
“WE HAVE ALL THE GUNS ,SHIPS AND CARS type action movies,”
If USA has an enviable arsenal, why should they not talk about it. Wait for MAhindra to make a Humvee-esque car and see how thats flaunted in Bollywood movies. Havent flaunted our “things” like Holi and Taj Mahal in our films countless times?
And perhaps you should listen to the media hype that follows whenever a new warship or missile is inducted into the Indian army….tell me, do you really really hate it??
@Mohit Gupta
Acting talent is not the topic of debate. Its the filmmaking that is. ANd when you keep doing the same thing over and over again for years, till you become an oldie, you’ll definitely be defending what you have been doing all these years, no matter how substandard the whole thing is.
As for all those accolades you mentioned, those are awarded dime a dozen to various imprtant and non-important people…Even Mallika Sherawat was offered an honorary citizenship of Los Angeles…….And what is her acting acumen?
“At the same time Indian Cinema is also full of classics like Pather Panchali (I would recommend everyone to see it), It won the award of BEST HUMAN DOCUMENT at cannes.
Pyasa , Teesri Manzil , Apu trilogy ”
THATS where you missed my point. What I wanted to say was that, the filmmaking trend set by greats like Bimal Roy, Satyajit ray, Mrinal Sen and the likes got lost somewhere along the way….and filmmaking mediocrity also badly influenced the audience mentality….By the 1990′s it came to a point where a film without a song couldnt lure the audience….That no matter how shoddy the script is, if the songs are good, the people are gonna rush to the theatres and Lo! the film is a hit. Ramgopal Verma himself admitted i n a recent documentary about his film Satya, that they had trouble promoting the film because it didnt have any songs..So they added the songs later…And yet if you remove all the songs that are there in that film, theres hardly any change in quality.
Even today, good films like Rock On!!, MNIK, A Wednesday etc are hard to come by…..And before you trash Hollywood rom-coms, remember that Akshay Kumar and Katrina KAif are superstars ALSO because of trashy rom-coms and some insanely expressionless acting/lip synching from the latter…….At least, you can bear to watch Hollywood rom-coms like “The Holiday” for a little while. Not so the case with us.
And the very Satyajit Ray that you mentioned was ridiclued by Neetu Singh (Ranbir Kapoor’s Mom) during the 1970s…..She called his work “boring”. Also speaks volumes about Bollywood’s artistic maturity.
“Apart from Hindi movies , there are many regional movies in Bangla , Malyalam , marathi and tamil , which are real classic..”
True. Also true that most of them are ignored. When it comes to nominating movies for international film festivals and awards, our Bolly masters send films as bad as Amol Palekar’s Paheli, when there are films in other languages that can easily bring truckloads of quality to the table. they made an exception to that last year by sending Harishchandrachi Factory.
Another joke is that films like Harishchandrachi Factory taht are considerd good enough to be sent for an Oscar are barely known and seen by the masses. And language is definitely not a barrier to that.
@Mohit Gupta
Wait till “Hissss” becomes a hit. And you people yourselves will marvel at the “acting talent” of Mallika Sherawat and have her all over our newspapers and news channels.
So your dissing of Hollywood action/thriller/fantasy moviesis just temporary. Good Luck.
Since your topic of discussion was “thwarting of Nazis” it is silly to bring in the Japs.
Nothing like that. World War 2 happens to be an intricate part of my national and family history. Because of this legacy, I am inclined to know more about World War 2 than you possibly could from all your Hollywood ‘sources’.
With the demise of Hitler and the fall of Third Reichstag in the hands of the Red Army, the SS Panzer would have no chance anyway. They were nothing more than heavily armed “Hitler Youth” infantrymen, whose only strength lay in youthful zeal.
Hitler started losing major sleep right after the Battle of Stalingrad till the day of his demise under Russian occupation. While D-Day was a significant development, Hitler was more concerned about the Red Army advancing towards in his capital. Over six highly trained SS divisions were created to defend the city of Berlin from Soviet forces. With the demise of Hitler, there was a pandemonium of mass surrender.
I was simply trying to correct your misconceptions, about the quality of films in Hollywood. But since your experience in films is too one sided, I might as well be trying to explain wine tasting to the Taliban.
Oh please, go ahead, complete it. That must have been a burst of Made-in-Hollywood classiness.
@Abdullah K
“With the demise of Hitler and the fall of Third Reichstag in the hands of the Red Army, the SS Panzer would have no chan…..”
Hitler didnt die between 1940-1943..Or do you say taht his ghost was commanding the armies?…If you see or lets say…you WANT your eyes to see, I was referring to that period in-between the Dunkirk debacle and the Normandy Invasions in the paragraph that you qouted for that response of yours…..I hope you are aware of the fact, given your “intimate” realtionship with the war and your “trustworthy sources”.
Pfffff…..
“While D-Day was a significant development,”
Kudos for finally showing some effing respect….and giving the troops their due credit….The whole world was/is grateful to them, except one individual who was living in denial.
And as I have already mentioned in my previous post, unlike you, I never intended belittling any country’s role in WW II. Because it takes a lotta guts to take a hit in your ass for you country.
“I might as well be trying to explain wine tasting to the Taliban.”
MY experiences with Hollywood films are quite pleasant and there for all to see in my previous post. And I know how to be judging films….Thats the reason why I dont end up watching “XXX” (not porn, a crappy action movie) like you. And I dont find it worthwhile to be explaining it a third time to a Glaucoma patient living-in-denial. Time to give the Opthalmologist a call. We dont want to be seeing you bumping into us.
“That must have been a burst of Made-in-Hollywood classiness.Oh please, go ahead, complete ”
ooh…I was expecting you to lead by example…as you always do in the process of belittlement of fellow commenters.
As far as the F word, I doubt wether its origins are in Hollywood….In fact, its origins are closer to your land. It traces its origins from English and Latin….I thought you’d know, given your formidable acumen of vulgarity.
No, not the whole world. Most people outside the Anglo-US world get a balanced perspective on the World War 2 in their high school history education. Apparently, thats not the case for your run-of-the-mill Amerikos.
In “Hollywood History” version of WW2, D-Day was the turning point in the battle against Nazis. The Battles of Stalingrad, Kursk or Berlin never happened. As soon as the great ‘merkins landed in Normandy, the Nazis fought for maybe two hours after which they dropped their arms and started chorusing “We love Amerikka!”. The sight of the formidable Tom Hanks outside his bunker led Hitler to commit suicide, after which General Zeeman handed his surrender to Jon Bonjovi. Finally, the Pussycat Dolls planted the stars and stripes on the Reichstag. Right, doctor?
The poorest choice of insult you could have picked up. I served four and a half years in the military, flying Mi-8 and Mi-24 helicopters. I also hold a pilot’s license. If Hollywood didn’t tell you yet, that requires a perfect 20/20 eyesight.
Well, I am afraid, the origin of Latin languages is nowhere close to my land.
@Abdullah K
“In “Hollywood History” version of WW2, D-Day was the turning point in the battle against Nazis. The Battles of Stalingrad, Kursk or Berlin never happened……”
So Holllywood directors are to blame for not showing enough on the Eastern Front.You despise a country for telling stories about it’s role in the war, however trivial according to you. Thats as nonsensical as infantspeak.
“Well, I am afraid, the origin of Latin languages is nowhere close to my land.”
Still, relatively closer than “eevvvil” and “trashy” Hollywood of course.
“The sight of the formidable Tom Hanks outside his bunker led Hitler to commit suicide, after which General Zeeman handed his surrender to Jon Bonjovi. Finally, the Pussycat Dolls planted the stars and stripes on the Reichstag. Right, doctor? ”
Yeah..And also told the Russian escorts to get a life !…..At least thats a tad more believable than Hitler dying in 1943 according to your previous post!! So much for 20/20 eyesight!!
As far as Hitler’s suicide and the Flag above the Reichstag is concerned, the whole world knows that both happened because the Soviets beat the Americans to Berlin….Its a well documented fact with photographic evidence. Even the American audience wont buy that. So, when it comes to denial, even the American audience cant beat the erstwhile USSR, which denied the Katyn Massacre for 47 years. “Proud” n “Patriotic” Russian WW II history eh?
“If Hollywood didn’t tell you yet, that requires a perfect 20/20 eyesight”
But of course !!…You’re so used to seeing evrything sooooo liiittle from above that you couldnt see the part of my post about “not intenfing to belittlle any country’s role in the war because it takes guts to take a hit in your ass”……Hover a little closer to your land if you can…Ooooh ! careful!! careful !! Dont land thud on your ass !! Gee….Whats the big deal about that 20/20 eyesight when you cant see shit?
Anyway mate, I’m enjoying this. Keep ‘em coming.
After all how many people in the world can have the priviledge of having shit served on a platter without even having to order it? That too, with LOVE from Russia.
Talking to you helps me in dealing with sarcastic fools like my father, who, just like you, is in the habit of belittling everyone around him, even his son….for something as trivial as his son’s signature….because it’s not as “classy” as his own. Quite frankly he cant tell the difference between his subordinates at office and his family. So theres no difference in his treatment to either. But I can deal with him better now, thanks to the tongue sharpening routines over here.
Oh…and I forgot. My mother thanks you too. First time in many years, she’s been able to feel good about me for having brushed some of the shit thrown at me back on my father’s sparkling clean shirt. Dude, you’re getting popular. Octopus PAul has predicted the next president of Russia. You might as well give it a try after your brush with “international fame”.
Nehru would be proud of the both of us for keeping the Indo-Russian bonhomie alive !
I cant wait for more after I return after a few days on the 24th from Pune…. :LOL:
And IN case I dont, just take it taht I died in the ensuing plane crash.
I find the attempt of a country to pretend that its single handedly defeated the Nazis, utterly distasteful. I guess I’ll take that infantspeak course, so that I can rephrase the sentence better for you to understand.
I didn’t say anything of the sort. Since I can’t lower my arguments to your level, I might as well give up and let you win. Congratulations on your victory and have a safe flight!
@Abdullah K
” didn’t say anything of the sort”
“With the demise of Hitler and the fall of Third Reichstag in the hands of the Red Army, the SS Panzer would have no chan…..” I’ll take it then that these are not your words. Try putting that 20/20 eyesight to better use.
“Since I can’t lower my arguments…”
Well in case you didnt notice with your 20/20 eyesight, you already have. Happy Civilising !!
“I find the attempt of a country to pretend that its single handedly defeated the Nazis, utterly distasteful”
Like I said, one country can only state it’s case, because in case it didnt occur to you it takes money to make a movie and then cut it to a minimum of 2 1/2 hours flat.
And a film deals with a particular incident, not the whole war. And most Holly films have dealt with the Pacific campaign, barring a few that have dealt with the Normandy landings—-which are in minority.
You might as well take that infantspeak course….Good Idea…Coz you need to learn how to talk sense all over again.
I guess I didn’t get my point across, so I’ll clarify. My point was that the demise of Hitler was inevitable which makes the D-Day inessential to the war against Nazis, since the Soviet forces would have done it eventually. With Hitler gone in 1945, the SS Panzer forces in the western front would have been overcome without too much resistance. Of course, the gesture of D-Day was helpful to the West Europeans, who’d rather have Americans liberating them, than the Soviets.
Anyway, the discussion is way off topic since I am sure Sharell never intended it to be about the virtues of Hollywood or the history of World War 2. My intention was never to belittle you, so you can rest easy, without any hard feelings.
Dr. Death
“The bottomline remains that Bollywood fails to make meaningful movies, with impressive storylines. ”
“Hollywood movies is where you find class….Although its quite useless telling you that, because you’re content with the plagiarised no-brainers dished out to the audiences as good films.”
————————————————————————-
Pfffffffffft!
That “Hollywood movies is where you find class” just made be crack up. What a hilarious and clueless statement.
This weeks top grossing movie from Hollywood is “Jackass 3″. LOL
I have a collection of 800 Hollywood movies on DVD. I don’t understand Hindi so I never used to watch Bollywood movies. But thanks to DVD and English subs, I started watching Bollygood movies and I can’t get enough of it. I am unable to watch Hollywood movies.
Here is an American’s discovery of Bollywood.
Quote
“My discovery of Indian cinema has been almost a spiritual experience. It’s like going from black and white to color for the first time. Compared to a movie like this, American and European films have no heart, no vitality, no color, and no passion. And I’ve never seen any love story that could compare to the one in this film. I’ve never seen the true definition of love expressed as deeply as it is here – and it is love in its purest form. I know I’m old-fashioned, but, for me, Hollywood ruins every good love story it manages to produce by making everything about sex. You don’t have that in India cinema – you don’t even have kissing; what you do have, though, are the depths and power of love expressed in ways Hollywood can’t even comprehend.
Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam (Straight From the Heart) has everything you could want in a movie – romance; comedy; fantastic music, singing, and dancing; elaborate set designs and magnificent locations; stellar performances; and, of course, the most beautiful woman in the world, Aishwarya Rai. I’m trying to get my hands on all of her movies as quickly as I can. She’s incredible in this 1999 classic, as are the two leading men who form the other two sides of the most poignant of love triangles. Salman Khan plays Sameer, a free spirit who comes to India from Italy to study music under Nandini’s father. Nandini (Rai) isn’t happy about this at all, but she and Sameer are soon engaged in some serious flirting. A strong love grows up between the two, only to be torn asunder by Nandini’s father, who sends Sameer away with a promise to never meet his daughter again. A heartbroken Nandini is compelled to marry a young lawyer named Vanraj (Ajay Devgan). She doesn’t love Vanraj, but he is an exceedingly good man who loves her dearly. For all her continued grieving over Sameer, it is Vanraj who eventually shows her what true love really is. The ending is just exquisite, a true emotional climax that brings both pain and joy to your heart at the same time.
The movie runs a little over three hours (which is pretty much the norm in India), but it is in no way too long. If you have a heart, it will be swept away during the second half of the film. The story and the passionate performances by Rai, Khan, and Devgan would be more than enough on their own to make this a stellar film – but Indian cinema gives you so much more than that. Music plays an integral part in the film, and every single musical scene is amazing (and, besides chapters, you can also jump directly to any musical number on the DVD). The one performance that really stands out, for me, is Nimbooda, which features Rai in a beguiling song and dance routine. Subtitles are always an issue with a foreign language film, but the English subtitles here are really rather good and certainly allow you to follow the film closely.
I’m having a hard time trying to convey the sheer magic of this incredible film. The love story puts Hollywood romances to shame, the performances are heart-felt and virtually guaranteed to make you laugh and cry, the cinematography is extraordinarily vivid, and I just can’t get over how powerfully the film conveys the essence of true love. And even if you took all of that away, the mere opportunity to watch Aishwarya Rai for over three hours makes the DVD well worth the price. She is as talented as she is gorgeous. “
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