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Bombay Velvet runs the risk of not making enough profit

For a movie made at a cost close to a whopping 100 crores, Bombay Velvet runs the risk of not making enough profit, given the non-mainstream music of the film.

Amit Trivedi has produced the 1960s Jazz era of Bollywood but then apart from a couple of songs, I doubt how much people can relate to the songs of the film, which always makes a huge difference to the fortune of a Bollywood movie in India.

In India, films with soothing, melancholic and hip-hop (read Honey Singh) music make it to the 100-crore bracket. I can't remember a film earning 100 crores without music or with non mainstream music.

There is no doubt, Bombay Velvet will surely set new standard for film making in India. It will bring spectators to the theatres because of the fan following of Ranbir Kapoor, Anushka Sharma and Karan Johar but will it go on to be a big hit, remains to be seen.

When the Himalayas sung a melancholic tune

                                                        Photograph: Omar Havana/Getty Images

Debris pile up each day,
Bricks and bones, buried under the rubble,
thousands of lives wiped out from the surface of earth with one sudden shy of mother earth.

A mother looks for her child in the remnants, 
couples wrapped in an eternal embrace waits under the debris,
friends hold hands,
life has left them behind for long now,
their stony gaze waiting to melt into dust.

The livings,
mourn the dead,
scream to the heavens in betrayal,
blame the gods for its wrath,
and then sob into submission.

Survival brings souls close to humanity,
erasing the lines of religion, race, creed & language.

Under the streetlights, they fight cold now,
hunger breaking their resolve a bit more with each inch of time.

Who will light candles in their dark sadden hearts,
who will heal their bruises,
who will teach them to hope?

Perhaps, its time we need to understand the futility of life itself or else tomorrow when the mountains roar, heavens bled and the ocean comes to our homes, the blame will still lie with Mother Earth.

From Bomkesh Bakshi to Detective Byomkesh Bakshy!!!

Many Many summers ago, I remember giving my lessons to my mother to earn a meeting with a dhoti-kurta clad man who called himself Byomkesh Bakshi. He came on Tv, solving difficult and complicated cases with his wit and intelligence. He seemed to be a simple man with a nice and warm personality. In no time, we became his biggest fans and he the hero of our childhood fantasy. Though a lot of it we hardly understood then, we still fantasied to be a detective.

But then we grew up and got busy with our lives. Lost in the hustle and bustle of life, intertwined with the complications which has slipped into our own lives we somehow had forgotten that dhoti-clad man. Sometimes when Rajat Kapoor popped up in the screen, he reminded us of Bomkesh. We saw Mr Kapoor in many shades after that but nothing could replace the dhoti-kurta clad man.

Even in this commotion of life, Bomkesh Bakshi sometimes peeped at us through some websites or newspaper articles or jumped into our discussions with friends.

So when Detective Byomkesh Bakshy was set to be made into a hindi bollywood movie I had doubts but when I heard it was Dibakar Banerjee, who would be at the helm, i wanted to give him a shot. Someone, who has directed four completely different films on four different subjects and treatment, he was definitely worth a shot.

When Sushant Rajput was cast as Byomkesh, my heart sank. A 2 and a half old film actor for such a celebrated character? I again had doubts and once again I placed my faith on Banerjee. I am glad that Banerjee didn't disappoint me.

He completely reinvented Bomkesh Bakshi without compromising on its soul. He made him a little grey, he made him a part of the mystery which he was trying to solve. Rajput brought a cookiness, innocence and intrepidness to the character. He was nothing like the dhoti-kurta clad man of my childhood fantasy but still he made me to stay with him, always apprehensive to trust him completely, but eventually accepting him as a new-age young Bomkesh, who probably would be more relatable to the kids of this generation and has the potential to grow into a fantasy of the new age India.

Banerjee has stamped his authority on the screenplay and the way he has created a Kolkata of 1940s, getting down to the last details, and shot it so beautifully through a tram journey at the start of the film, its simply commendable. The trash metal background score, the colour and texture of the film gives it a touch of a stylish and edgy political thriller.

But despite the films numerous positives, still there would be people, both bengalies and non-bengalies, who might stay away from the theaters for their own contrasting reasons. So to them, I would like to say: Bongs don't go looking for Bongness as you won't find one and non-bongs don't rule out the film because it might have bongness. You need to trust Banerjee here and see it just as another political crime thriller and you might just like it.

Go with an open mind, give this 'Detective Byomkesh' a chance and if you

are following closely, you will surely go on amazing ride. I had my ride. For

now, I am staying with this Byomkesh!!!

How do you want to be remembered Mr Kohli?

                                                                                 credit

A hero is someone who understands the responsibility that comes with his freedom. -- Bob Dylan.

We can choose a zillion superlatives to describe your cricketing exploits, but to give an honest account of your off field persona will mean my words have to stoop to a new low.

Ever since you burst into the scene as the young energetic captain of the victorious Indian team at the 2008 U-19 World Cup in Malaysia, you have mesmerised us with your on-field exploits. You always stood out with your record-breaking feats, making each of us proud of you as an Indian.

You took the fight to the rival camp, stood up against sledging and we thought you are someone who wears his heart on his sleeve. But then your history of run-ins became more disturbingly regular with each passing day. 

Whether it was the spat with colleague Gautam Gambhir at Wankhede stadium, or the flashing of the middle finger to the Australian crowd or the hurling of verbal abuses at rival teams, it all kept adding up. Most times we smiled it off considering your extraordinary on-field exploits. 

But the recent verbal abuse hurled at a respectable newspaper journalist without provocation at Perth after a mistaken identity and your arrogance of not even apologising to him in person even after realising your mistake justifies the 'spoil brat' tag which has been hanging on you for some time.

According to reports, your invective was triggered by a report by another Indian journalist who had apparently written about your personal life. Well, the reporter had written: "In a departure from the past, Virat Kohli has been allowed to have girlfriend Anushka Sharma around" during last year's England tour.

Is writing about personal life of cricketers banned in India? Does it justify the volley of expletives, Mr Kohli? Okay, anyone can lose his/her cool, after all you are just a human being but to have the arrogance to not even apologise directly to the person who you just blasted in front of many, shows your aggression is misplaced and you actually are quite weak inside because it takes a lot of courage to admit, acknowledge, accept and apologize.

Indian team has seen many talents becoming legends. Whether it is Sachin Tendulkar, Saurav Ganguly or Rahul Dravid, each of them had to face intense media scrutiny but they never ever engaged in a behaviour which was unbecoming of them as Indian icons.
Even Mahendra Singh Dhoni, who is the best captain India ever had, despite his of late cold attitude towards Indian media, has never give us a reason to doubt his human qualities. Even if Dhoni weren't the best captain, he would have been remembered as someone who gave respect to seniors and juniors alike and earned respect equally. His demeanour earned him the title of 'captain cool'. However, looking at the way you are going, it would be from captain cool to 'captain namakool' for India in the coming days.

At a time when each person is clinging to his piece of debris, fighting own battles, it is paramount to strive for appropriate behaviour even in the face of extreme hazards. One who can do that becomes a true leader, who is rewarded and remembered for his action.

'Sachin! Sachin!' - The world cheered,
A billion prayed, a billion wishes unheard,
nothing could change the day all fans feared.
Its here, its here; fans murmured at last.
And then in chocked voices and crimson eyes,
The world bade you Good bye.

We long for the days,
when your sweet sound of the willow,
lulled all heartbreaks to sleep,
with each of your boundaries,
our youthful spirits ran high and free.

You gave us so much to live for,
The on-field and off-field lessons,
A guide for the new and old.

Sachin, in memories you live now,
in dreamy by lanes of childhood, you play,
in our smiles and tears, you stay,
in statistics and in voices of the worlds,
your legend grows old.

When Tendulkar walks into the fading sun

The Masterblaster finally walks into the fading sun, a world sighs in pain. we could see it coming but there was a sense of suspended disbelief and we wanted to avoid this moment. We wanted to play along and avoid topics of your retirement.

Sometimes we switched off the TV when the anchors discussed your future with so much seriousness. We often cursed those anchors and sometimes even swore at them: 'why can't they just leave him alone', we would say. 


But its time now and no matter how much we try, the moment of truth has arrived. Probably someone like me would tell myself that it has not arrived yet. Still the 200th test is due, still that day is due, still that moment has not arrived when the stadium stands up on its feet and bows to you for one last moment. 

You know, Sachin, when you hanged your boots in the one-dayer, I felt cheated because you didn't give me and zillions like me a chance to say goodbye but this time, at least the fans will have enough time to pacify their sobbing heart and hold their breath and surrender to that moment of truth and smile faintly but proudly when you raise your bat and walk out of the battle field, where you scripted so many memorable wins. 

I had so much to say to you but I could never tel you that. Even when I had the 
opportunity of talking to you over the phone once, I could barely speak my heart 
out to you. It was the highlight of my short sport journalism career. I, however, 
did tel you that I belong to a place called 'Silchar' and I could not hide my excitement and happiness when you mentioned about your innings which you played at the DSA ground in the 1990s. It was a rare moment for me.

I was happy because, I could tell you that your fans are not only in the metros but also in the far-fetched land of the northeastern corner of the country. Like me, there were thousands and lakhs here in my small town, who revered you and worshiped you like God, who picked up the cricket bat because they saw you on the TV one day in their childhood, playing that perfect cover drive or pull shot or your trademark straight drive.

Now when I sit down and think about you, there is another moment that comes flashing in my mind's eyes. It was first and the only time when I had seen you, sitting less than 10 feet from me, addressing a press conference during the Indian premier League at the ferozshah kotla ground. I had to get over my amazement to 
listen to what you were saying because I had a job to do. But to be frank, I didn't remember anything after that because all that I could remember was the feeling when the GOD brushed aside me and standing there less than one feet away from you, I had already frozen in time. I could feel how time slowed down at that moment and I could actually gauge your height.

I had so much to write but even now words doesn't come easy, it never does when it is about the God of cricket. It won't be an exaggeration to say that when you go, the game will lose its soul for many, cricket will lose many fans and for me, with you a little bit of me wil also lose its identity that day on your 200th test.