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This poster has been done by my colleagues and me, in Rediffusion (Delhi)
Copywriters - Joybrato Dutta, Shatrughan Tripathi and Utsav Khare
Art Director - Arijit Adhikari
Monday, October 26, 2009
International Literacy Day
This poster has been done by my colleagues and me, in Rediffusion (Delhi)
Copywriters - Joybrato Dutta, Shatrughan Tripathi and Utsav Khare
Art Director - Arijit Adhikari
Wednesday, October 14, 2009
Baaton ki phooljhadi
Train wo jagah hai jahan aapki mulakat kuch anokhe praniyo se hoti hai. Train jitna zyaada ghatiya hoga, anokhapan utna hi badhta jaayega (basically, uniqueness of the characters is inversely proportional to the speed of the train). Muri Express, Dilli se Jamshedpur jaane ke liye sabse ghatiya train. Jahan Rajdhani keval satrah ghante leti hai, yeh train tees ghante leti hai.
Subah ke paanch baje meri yatra shuru hui. Do din se sharer ko neend kam sharab zyaada mili thi. Iss wajah se apna suitcase seat ke neeche lock kar ke main upper-berth par chadne laga. Tabhi atthawan number ke Jha Ji bol pade, “ Aaj ke genarasion ko to jaise deemak kha gayi hai”, phir mere taraf dekh ke bole, “kyun babua, thik bole na hum”? Humne bhi palat ke jawab diya “Ab ka kare uncle ji, aajkal deemak bhi padhne-likhne lagi hai, jiss saaman ka expiry date nazdeek ho, usey muh nahin lagati”.
Mere khopche mein chaar log the, Jha Ji, aur mere alawa do IBM ke launde the. Dono ke hrishpusht sharer dekh ke Jha Ji unhe yoga ke baare samjhaane lage. Humare shareer ne jawab de diya.
Aankhe dopahar ke ek baje khuli. Tab tak Jha Ji aur IBM ke laundo mein achchi dosti ho gayi thi. Woh kuch politics ki baatien kar rahe the. Main bhi neeche utar ke unke saath baith gaya. IBM ke launde ko jaise hi maine bataya ki main advertising mein hun, to woh bade uttejit ho gaye. Sawalon ki goli-baadi shuri hui – Prasoon Joshi Piyush Pandey ka student tha na? Idea ke ‘Bacho ki padhai’ waale ad ko award mila na? Aap sirf Airtel ke ads banate the ya Vodafone ke bhi? Kya aapko saare products free ke milte hai? Kam se kam discount to milta hi hoga? Pata nahin unhe kya maloom tha advertising ke baare. Shayad unhe IBM ka laptop free ka milta hoga. Jawab dete dete khaane aa gaya. Iss bahane kuch der tak to unn zaalimo ke muh par taala lag gaya.
Khaane ke baad maine Jha Ji se unke kaam ke baare poocha. Pata chala wo kisi government firm mein bahut uche pad par karyarat hai (Firm and designation still unknown). Achanak baaju ke khopche se chayalees number waale Poddar Ji aaye. Aate hi bole “Raja Dasharath murkh nahin the”. Jawab dene se pehle unka phone baj utha.
Jha Ji attendant se lekar pantry waaley tak, sabki maar rakhi thi, “Arey yeh kaunsi sabzi hai- Main tum logo ki shikayat kar doonga – website address hai mere paas – AC itna dheere kyun chal raha hai – latrine mein saboon khatam kyun hai.” Finally humari taraf saantwana bhari nigaho se dekh kar bole – “Bacha party, ghabrao mat, inn sabko handle karna aata hai humko”.
Poddar Ji fir entry mare. “Raja Dasarath murkh nahin the. Pata hai kyun?” Hum sab utsook hokar unki taraf dekhne lage. Tabhi unhone meri god mein padi Amitav Ghosh ki kitaab ko dekha. Mere taraf dekh ke bole, “Arey Amitav toh yehin ka ladka hai, Inki biwi German hai. Uska ghar bhi yehin hain”. ‘Yehin’ se unka tatparya Jharkhand tha ya Germany tha, samajh nahin aaya. “Arey main inke ghar gaya hun, unke ghar mein sirf German kitaabe hai”. Jha Ji ko humara vaartalaap mein khaas ruchi nahin aayi, bol pade “Arey Poddarwa oo Dasarath waala ka locha hai?” Fir Poddar Ji ka phone baj gaya.
Inke bakchodiyon se pareshan hokar sooraj bhi dhal gaya. Poddar ji wapas aaye. Aate hi unhone videsho mein Hindustaniyo par badhle zulm ki baatein kehne lagey. Unke kuch dus rishtedaaro ne apne videsh waala karobar ko bandh kar Hindustan laut aaye the. Yeh sun kar Jha Ji bol pade “Arey hum saara duniya ghooma hai, par Jamshedpur se zyaada khoobsurat shehar kahin nahin dekha, sach maano business shuru karne ke liye isse behtar jagah koi nahin hai”. Yeh baat mujhe bahut achi lagi, bhai mere sheher ki tareef ho rahi thi, mujhe kyun na acha lagta.
Ek dum se subah ka bhoola attendant ne humare khopche mein kadam rakha. AC ki thandak aur latrine ka saboon jaise mahatwapoorn maslon ko Jha Ji ne unke samne rakha. Attendant bhi kam na tha, palat ke jawab dena shuru kiya. Dono saans-bahu ke bhaati jhagadne lagey. Saans-bahu ka jhagda ho aur nanad chup rahe, aisa to Hindustan ke kisi ghar mein nahin hota. IBM ke launde bhi bol pade. Yeh sun ke baaju ke khopcho ke aur log bhi aa gaye. Aakhir mein jeet ‘Saans X11’ ki hui.
Agle din subah Poddar ji fir aaye. Fir bole “Raja Dasarath murkh nahin tha”. Iss baar unhone baat poori ki – “Unhone teen shaadiyan ki, kyunki unhe pata tha, ek se guzara nahin hota. Mere khayal se hum sab ko unse seekhna chahiye”. IBM ka ek launda bol pada – “Ye sab granth ka galat matlab kuch tharkey log apne hisaab se nikalte hai aur zindagi ke philosophy me chepne ki koshish karte hai”. Poddar Ji fir jo uth ke gaye, wapas nahin aaye.
Finally train ne Tatanagar ke platform par kadam rakha. Main chupke se bhaag ke apne driver ke paas jaa hi raha tha ki Jha Ji ne haath daboch liya. “Babua, apna number de do, tum se milkar acha laga, agli baar Dilli aaya to tumse zaroor milunga”. Dil par pathar rakh ke maine unhe apna number diya. Toorant unhone missed call maara. “Babua mera number save kar lo, koi dikkat ho to batana”.
Station se bahar aate hi meri nazar ek board par gayi – ‘Patakhe kaan ke liye haanikarak ho sakta hai. Diwali surakshit dhang se maniye’.
Subah ke paanch baje meri yatra shuru hui. Do din se sharer ko neend kam sharab zyaada mili thi. Iss wajah se apna suitcase seat ke neeche lock kar ke main upper-berth par chadne laga. Tabhi atthawan number ke Jha Ji bol pade, “ Aaj ke genarasion ko to jaise deemak kha gayi hai”, phir mere taraf dekh ke bole, “kyun babua, thik bole na hum”? Humne bhi palat ke jawab diya “Ab ka kare uncle ji, aajkal deemak bhi padhne-likhne lagi hai, jiss saaman ka expiry date nazdeek ho, usey muh nahin lagati”.
Mere khopche mein chaar log the, Jha Ji, aur mere alawa do IBM ke launde the. Dono ke hrishpusht sharer dekh ke Jha Ji unhe yoga ke baare samjhaane lage. Humare shareer ne jawab de diya.
Aankhe dopahar ke ek baje khuli. Tab tak Jha Ji aur IBM ke laundo mein achchi dosti ho gayi thi. Woh kuch politics ki baatien kar rahe the. Main bhi neeche utar ke unke saath baith gaya. IBM ke launde ko jaise hi maine bataya ki main advertising mein hun, to woh bade uttejit ho gaye. Sawalon ki goli-baadi shuri hui – Prasoon Joshi Piyush Pandey ka student tha na? Idea ke ‘Bacho ki padhai’ waale ad ko award mila na? Aap sirf Airtel ke ads banate the ya Vodafone ke bhi? Kya aapko saare products free ke milte hai? Kam se kam discount to milta hi hoga? Pata nahin unhe kya maloom tha advertising ke baare. Shayad unhe IBM ka laptop free ka milta hoga. Jawab dete dete khaane aa gaya. Iss bahane kuch der tak to unn zaalimo ke muh par taala lag gaya.
Khaane ke baad maine Jha Ji se unke kaam ke baare poocha. Pata chala wo kisi government firm mein bahut uche pad par karyarat hai (Firm and designation still unknown). Achanak baaju ke khopche se chayalees number waale Poddar Ji aaye. Aate hi bole “Raja Dasharath murkh nahin the”. Jawab dene se pehle unka phone baj utha.
Jha Ji attendant se lekar pantry waaley tak, sabki maar rakhi thi, “Arey yeh kaunsi sabzi hai- Main tum logo ki shikayat kar doonga – website address hai mere paas – AC itna dheere kyun chal raha hai – latrine mein saboon khatam kyun hai.” Finally humari taraf saantwana bhari nigaho se dekh kar bole – “Bacha party, ghabrao mat, inn sabko handle karna aata hai humko”.
Poddar Ji fir entry mare. “Raja Dasarath murkh nahin the. Pata hai kyun?” Hum sab utsook hokar unki taraf dekhne lage. Tabhi unhone meri god mein padi Amitav Ghosh ki kitaab ko dekha. Mere taraf dekh ke bole, “Arey Amitav toh yehin ka ladka hai, Inki biwi German hai. Uska ghar bhi yehin hain”. ‘Yehin’ se unka tatparya Jharkhand tha ya Germany tha, samajh nahin aaya. “Arey main inke ghar gaya hun, unke ghar mein sirf German kitaabe hai”. Jha Ji ko humara vaartalaap mein khaas ruchi nahin aayi, bol pade “Arey Poddarwa oo Dasarath waala ka locha hai?” Fir Poddar Ji ka phone baj gaya.
Inke bakchodiyon se pareshan hokar sooraj bhi dhal gaya. Poddar ji wapas aaye. Aate hi unhone videsho mein Hindustaniyo par badhle zulm ki baatein kehne lagey. Unke kuch dus rishtedaaro ne apne videsh waala karobar ko bandh kar Hindustan laut aaye the. Yeh sun kar Jha Ji bol pade “Arey hum saara duniya ghooma hai, par Jamshedpur se zyaada khoobsurat shehar kahin nahin dekha, sach maano business shuru karne ke liye isse behtar jagah koi nahin hai”. Yeh baat mujhe bahut achi lagi, bhai mere sheher ki tareef ho rahi thi, mujhe kyun na acha lagta.
Ek dum se subah ka bhoola attendant ne humare khopche mein kadam rakha. AC ki thandak aur latrine ka saboon jaise mahatwapoorn maslon ko Jha Ji ne unke samne rakha. Attendant bhi kam na tha, palat ke jawab dena shuru kiya. Dono saans-bahu ke bhaati jhagadne lagey. Saans-bahu ka jhagda ho aur nanad chup rahe, aisa to Hindustan ke kisi ghar mein nahin hota. IBM ke launde bhi bol pade. Yeh sun ke baaju ke khopcho ke aur log bhi aa gaye. Aakhir mein jeet ‘Saans X11’ ki hui.
Agle din subah Poddar ji fir aaye. Fir bole “Raja Dasarath murkh nahin tha”. Iss baar unhone baat poori ki – “Unhone teen shaadiyan ki, kyunki unhe pata tha, ek se guzara nahin hota. Mere khayal se hum sab ko unse seekhna chahiye”. IBM ka ek launda bol pada – “Ye sab granth ka galat matlab kuch tharkey log apne hisaab se nikalte hai aur zindagi ke philosophy me chepne ki koshish karte hai”. Poddar Ji fir jo uth ke gaye, wapas nahin aaye.
Finally train ne Tatanagar ke platform par kadam rakha. Main chupke se bhaag ke apne driver ke paas jaa hi raha tha ki Jha Ji ne haath daboch liya. “Babua, apna number de do, tum se milkar acha laga, agli baar Dilli aaya to tumse zaroor milunga”. Dil par pathar rakh ke maine unhe apna number diya. Toorant unhone missed call maara. “Babua mera number save kar lo, koi dikkat ho to batana”.
Station se bahar aate hi meri nazar ek board par gayi – ‘Patakhe kaan ke liye haanikarak ho sakta hai. Diwali surakshit dhang se maniye’.
Saturday, October 3, 2009
The Basterds finally woke up!
Movies mean different things to various people. For some, its sheer fun, some learn from it, some break their monotony and of course there are the unfortunate couples who can’t get a room. For me, it means the first three.
With 2 outstanding movies this weekend, a movie-buff like me couldn’t have asked for anything better.
Inglourious Basterds:
There’s a right way of seeing things and there’s a wrong way, but then comes a third way – The ‘Tarantino’ way. With movies like Pulp Fiction, Reservoir Dogs and Kill Bill, this director has already created a genre of his own. A lot of historians had raised eyebrows the moment they heard Tarantino was making a film based on Hitler’s assassination. But they couldn’t have imagined what Mr. Tarantino had in store for them.
He is the only director who captures gory scenes in a melodramatic way. The death scenes in his film make you smile and your palms bang against each other. IB delivers exactly the same. Power-packed performance, stupendous cinematography and the mesmerising background score makes it one of the best cinematic experience ever.
Christoph Waltz as Col. Hans Landa is one of the toughest and the most intriguing characters ever written in cinema. There has hardly been a villain so cunning yet enjoyable. It’s definitely at par with ‘Joker’ played by Heath Ledger in ‘The Dark Knight’. Brad Pitt proves it that he’s more than just good looks. He’s a versatile actor and can perfect any role.
Even the simplest things which usually a director ignores, has been shot so beautifully. Be it Perrier Lapadite lighting a cigar, or Col. Landa refilling his pen. How can one forget the most beautiful scene of the film – The Shoshhana death scene. But I think Robert Richardson (D.O.P.) doesn’t deserve the applause alone. If it hadn’t been enhanced by Mary Ramos (Music Supervisor), this scene wouldn’t have been what it is – a masterpiece. It’s one of those films where every one in the technical department deserves an appreciation (if not an award). Be it the art directors, the costume designers, make-up artists, the editors and the SFX guys, every one has made a significant contribution to augment the director’s vision.
This film is a must watch for movie lovers. It might not be a true story but it’s definitely more entertaining than the real one.
Wake Up Sid:
It’s definitely an Ayan Mukherjee film rather than a Karan Johar film, for the following reasons:
No exotic locations
No Kajol or Rani
No force-fitted dance numbers
A sensible script
It’s a movie that doesn’t preach you about your future, instead reminds you of your journey so far. Unlike Karan Shergill in Lakshya or Kabir Khan in Chak De! India, Sid won’t find a place in your list of role models. He is simply who we all are – the average guy. WUS tells us that we don’t have to win a war or a World Cup to become heroes.
Ranbir Kapoor is definitely the best actor for this role. He delivered it with utmost simplicity and brilliance. His situations, reactions and his stupidities take you for a walk down the memory lane. He has created a mark and shall no longer be known as Rishi Kapoor’s son.
Konkana Sen has proved it once again. You don’t have to be a brilliant dancer or carry a hot body to become an actress. She delivers her role perfectly. Can’t say much about her, every adjective will be an understatement.
Supriya Pathak is definitely the surprise package. She is the ideal mother – understanding, caring, hilarious and annoying (at times).
The scene where Sid and Rishi patch-up does ring a dormant chord. Anupam Kher is an actor par excellence. All in all it’s a must watch.
Why do I like this movie so much? It’s because I could relate to it.
Fact of life – You don’t discover your talent until someone else figures it out for you.
Thanks to visionaries like Anurag Kashyap, Vishal Bharadwaj, Dibakar Banerjee, Shimit Amin and Ayan Mukherjee, Indian audience won’t have to restrict themselves to over-hyped crap like Kambakht Ishq.
P.S. - I know I don’t deserve to rate a movie, but if Taran Adarsh can, why can’t I.
With 2 outstanding movies this weekend, a movie-buff like me couldn’t have asked for anything better.
Inglourious Basterds:
There’s a right way of seeing things and there’s a wrong way, but then comes a third way – The ‘Tarantino’ way. With movies like Pulp Fiction, Reservoir Dogs and Kill Bill, this director has already created a genre of his own. A lot of historians had raised eyebrows the moment they heard Tarantino was making a film based on Hitler’s assassination. But they couldn’t have imagined what Mr. Tarantino had in store for them.
He is the only director who captures gory scenes in a melodramatic way. The death scenes in his film make you smile and your palms bang against each other. IB delivers exactly the same. Power-packed performance, stupendous cinematography and the mesmerising background score makes it one of the best cinematic experience ever.
Christoph Waltz as Col. Hans Landa is one of the toughest and the most intriguing characters ever written in cinema. There has hardly been a villain so cunning yet enjoyable. It’s definitely at par with ‘Joker’ played by Heath Ledger in ‘The Dark Knight’. Brad Pitt proves it that he’s more than just good looks. He’s a versatile actor and can perfect any role.
Even the simplest things which usually a director ignores, has been shot so beautifully. Be it Perrier Lapadite lighting a cigar, or Col. Landa refilling his pen. How can one forget the most beautiful scene of the film – The Shoshhana death scene. But I think Robert Richardson (D.O.P.) doesn’t deserve the applause alone. If it hadn’t been enhanced by Mary Ramos (Music Supervisor), this scene wouldn’t have been what it is – a masterpiece. It’s one of those films where every one in the technical department deserves an appreciation (if not an award). Be it the art directors, the costume designers, make-up artists, the editors and the SFX guys, every one has made a significant contribution to augment the director’s vision.
This film is a must watch for movie lovers. It might not be a true story but it’s definitely more entertaining than the real one.
Wake Up Sid:
It’s definitely an Ayan Mukherjee film rather than a Karan Johar film, for the following reasons:
No exotic locations
No Kajol or Rani
No force-fitted dance numbers
A sensible script
It’s a movie that doesn’t preach you about your future, instead reminds you of your journey so far. Unlike Karan Shergill in Lakshya or Kabir Khan in Chak De! India, Sid won’t find a place in your list of role models. He is simply who we all are – the average guy. WUS tells us that we don’t have to win a war or a World Cup to become heroes.
Ranbir Kapoor is definitely the best actor for this role. He delivered it with utmost simplicity and brilliance. His situations, reactions and his stupidities take you for a walk down the memory lane. He has created a mark and shall no longer be known as Rishi Kapoor’s son.
Konkana Sen has proved it once again. You don’t have to be a brilliant dancer or carry a hot body to become an actress. She delivers her role perfectly. Can’t say much about her, every adjective will be an understatement.
Supriya Pathak is definitely the surprise package. She is the ideal mother – understanding, caring, hilarious and annoying (at times).
The scene where Sid and Rishi patch-up does ring a dormant chord. Anupam Kher is an actor par excellence. All in all it’s a must watch.
Why do I like this movie so much? It’s because I could relate to it.
Fact of life – You don’t discover your talent until someone else figures it out for you.
Thanks to visionaries like Anurag Kashyap, Vishal Bharadwaj, Dibakar Banerjee, Shimit Amin and Ayan Mukherjee, Indian audience won’t have to restrict themselves to over-hyped crap like Kambakht Ishq.
P.S. - I know I don’t deserve to rate a movie, but if Taran Adarsh can, why can’t I.
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