The Factor of Five

I took birth late, very late. The India was a free nation and on the verge of the happiest time it gonna see in her lifetime. The century which redefines the human hunger of land and power was about to over.

As i do not want to discuss anything political here, leaving my soul-cry behind, lets talk about the game we all play, watch and above all, love.
If we talk in terms of cricket,i was born when it just came out from the grips of Kerry Packer. Few months before my birth, Australia was crowned as the World Champions, just a few hundred miles away from my birthplace. The white days of ODIs were almost over and Asia was emerging on the sky of this colonial game.

I am 105 years younger than Ashes and 12 than World Cup. I would have loved to born 15 years earlier to see India becoming World Champion but perhaps God decide to send me in a country which is a World Champion already. Anyhow my declaration of late birth wont do. This late hour is not as late as it seems to be and i m fortunate to watch many of the finest athletes doing the class acts.

The first memory in my mind is of World Cup 1992, i cannot remember anything exactly,

but yes i made out that it is the same game my dad and elder brother used to play every evening with me in which i use to get the underarm ball without any bounce.

My serious acquaintance with cricket could be considered in 1996 World Cup, i remember when a day my dad told everyone that Sri Lanka is the team to watch and we all know that he himself would not have thought what happened in that march evening.

In last 13 years if i have to list down the things or moments which changed the Geography of World Cricket, in my opinion they are 5 in number and i mean which changed the World Cricket.

As discussed by few of my friends we could not consider the personal achievements of individuals, like 400 by Brian Lara or achievements which affected a single team no matter up to how much extent, as Australia winning 16 tests in a row.

Here i mean the moments which changed the course the game and affected the Cricket in whole.

I seriously feel that after these events the game is not the same as it was.

I heard somewhere that we must tell bigger things later so its just to follow that i m giving it as increasing order of importance..

Its strictly my personal opinion but comments are welcome and i will be thankful if you have any..

5. 2005 Ashes-

It was something this whole World was waiting for. The game which for last 6 years became man vs robots. The Australians made this game as boring as some movie whose end we know. Right from that evening in England where Alan Donald can not complete those 22 yards in World Cup semi final to defeat Australia, it became routine for all the teams to try that same job and failing. Be it ODIs or Test matches. Australia became stuff of fiction, sometimes the things we hear about mythical characters, simply unbeatable. And in 2005, rest of the world saw towards England in hope and they did, something that would go into English folks... The Australians were defeated in the form which never lies and never hides the true champions. The super heavyweights were knocked down. The Team packed with Mcgrath and Warne and Ponting and Hayden and Gilchrist and many more was defeated.
That Ashes was something which put cricket again in World Sport and Test Matches again in World Cricket. After this Ashes only we start watching the rank list and point table. Everybody smelled, sooner or later this era of complete Australian domination will end for good where cricket is played between many teams not 1 against all. More importantly Test Cricket which was on its way to comeback finally showed us what entertainment it could deliver. Something other 2 formats can only dream of. No one remembers ODI performance for long unless its World Cup. Ashes 2005 reincarnated test cricket which we all can say is ready to give a good fight to his own new son, Twenty-20.

4. 17 June 1999

World Cup Semi Final

Australia Vs South Africa



Australia 213 all out. South Africa 12 overs 48 for no loss. After first boring semi final it was really going to be anticlimax and everyone wished final not to be so boring. Last match was saved by Steve Waugh where he produced one of the best innings of all times but this time who ???? Shane Warne..... the answer is Shane Warne who turned this draggy match into the stuff of legends.. The match was just like a bollywood fight scene between two heroes where one hits a jab followed by a jab of other... Match swung a million times before it all came on to one man, Lance Klusener, whose name still creates goosebumps to many cricket fans like me. 14 balls 31 runs, I bet many centuries and double can not match those 31 runs.. Played like God he was at last human, I do not know whose mistake that was but match ended up in a tie, the best ODI this game ever produced... Tie between two teams who that day played on same ground, one left the pitch to touch the divinity and other, the Doom. One captain went on to become immortal and other met with agonizingly most painful end a cricketer or a man could have. A team whose every player went on to become super star and a team who was cursed by someone that day. Donald retired after injury, Pollock played under boys and sat on bench every third game, Rhodes retired with injury and bad form, Klusener with one more blame of World Cup exit ended up playing in minor league which no one watched. Above all Captain and Coach met with something most excruciating in Cricket till now.. Captain Cronje died on a hill in a plane he took lift on 1 july 2002(i remember this) and Coach Woolemer died in his Room of James Peagasus Hotel in april 2007. Many still thinks both were murders. All of them were there on that ground and that match was WHERE IT ALL BEGINS !!!!

3.2006 South Africa chased 434 in 300 balls.



Someone told SA chased down 434 and i thought its good because i knew previous record was 420 something but one small thing i missed, it was an ODI... My GOD !!!! I felt scared as i heard some ghostly story. You name 434 and the image comes to brain is this match. 400 was task which no team ever achieved in 35 years but was done twice inside 6 hours. The effect of this match was so enormous that now no team put their head down no matter what the target be. I bet if India would have got the target of 360 in World Cup final after this match, they must have played for getting those 360 runs rather than just playing 300 balls. It completely revolutionized the chasing. Prior to this match a team batting first was considered in an advantage of putting pressure by setting good target but this match levelled that. Now the chasing only stops when it stops unlike previously when it stops just when batting first crosses 325 something. If not best, that was the biggest ODI ever played. Cricket was the game of uncertainties and this game raised the bar....

2.1996 Sri Lankan strategy of power play

Many will argue its not Sri Lanka but New Zealand captain Martin Crowe and its Mark Gratebatch not Sanath Jayasurya are the guys started this concept of power batting in the first 15 overs but they just innovated it as a tool in the armoury but it was lankans who built their whole gameplan aroud this... ODI could be devided into 2 parts... Before 96 and after 96.. 300 was something every team dream to touch but those were the Lankans who taught everyone how to surpass it repeatedly and successfully... No team could counter this Guerrilla warfare and World Cup was gone before any team could come out of this shock... Something which made Cricket interesting not only in last 10 overs but lot more than that and helped pinch hitters who were considered as non serious batsman to become heavyweight of their teams... Many came after like Gilchrist and Gibbs who flourished by walking on the path which was first followed by Sri Lanka to shook the World and to lift the most desired Trophy of Cricket in an evening in Lahore... The time when classic cricket was meeting the modern one...

1.2007 Indian winning first T20 World Cup.

India Vs Pakistan in a World Cup final, most awaited event in any cricket. It took 32 years since first international final to bring these two teams playing for stakes so high and pressure so intense. Very few rivalries in world could match this, be it cricket or any other sport. And what a match that was, last over 12 needed with 9 man down. Misbah ul haq pulled his team so far and last few minutes more. But this is something Sports are infamous for, turning a hero into villian in blink of the eye. He tried something, usually considered as intelligent if works, but that was India's day.. India won the first T20 world cup. Coming generations of players will thank Misbah for not winning this for Pakistan, no matter which country they belong to. It was this shot which resulted in India's victory.. It was after this shot Indian team had a victory rally in Mumbai after winning, where BCCI felt the might of the Indian Cricket... On the very day of Final, IPL born to change the World Cricket... From 10% of total money produced(this is what they get previously), players share rise and will keep on increasing for good... Before IPL, if National team drops any player like Dhoni for Parthiv Patel in 2003 WC, he becomes unemployed... Now there are plenty of teams to prevent deserving players going through something which asks them to change the profession and to forbid others to think it as suicidal profession... After IPL, many states and cities started numerous professional leagues, which will help parents considering cricket as a serious career option other than studies.. IPL could help cricket to go 200 years back in the Golden Age of cricket, only MCC and Hambledon are reincarnated and RR or MI... Players of World cricket could thank misbah for that.....
Beware EPL, Beware NFL..... IPL is on the fire !!!!!

Kuruksastra..... few debates and a walk out

Kuruksastra is over. I can proudly say that this time i saw it. For last three years its something i only heard from other people, even though i attended its previous versions but its not more than an hour if you sum up the time.
All in all it was good to see whole college in such a pace with everyone satisfying their intellectual hunger through drama, debate, dance and many many other things. It creates those rare moments when the year recognition is lost and all comes on same floor to compete something which almost impossible to judge.
It was Shankar Mahadevan who eclipsed everything in the last evening. The impeccable voice, the aura and the charm which gripped the whole college for about 2 hours and i could still feel his grip on this college by seeing status messages on gtalk, orkut and facebook. I choose sitting in Ctv rather going in and dancing and i really enjoyed, one can imagine the atmosphere in stands.. As far as i can see it was simply Awesome!!!!
The thing i felt is he did not sung those for which he is recognized and admired. To make the mood instead of singing "jhoom barabar" he must have sung "Koi kahe" from DCH. No song from Lakshya and no from his album "Nine", atleast he should have sing "Noor E Khuda". I felt satisfied twice, one at "Maa" and other at "Breathless"... Overall its quiet a time and the feeling of real Shankar Mahadevan standing in front and singing is good, atleast for someone like me who never saw any showbiz personality ever... else than myself :)

Maximum time of these 3 days are passed in NMV auditorium watching Hindi Lits.. Pride of this college.. They win everywhere... If somewhere they did not won means they did not took part, its as simple as that...
The confidence in organizing committee was something, i m sure, every participant was scared of. Vishnupal led the team like Eric Cantona would have led the Manchester United years ago, attitude of the best player+captain could be seen in the confidence of each and every team mate...
If football commentrator Andy Gray would have been there... He must have said.... Take a Bow son !!!! Take a Bow !!!!!
The hard work of organizers was visible in the quizzes they prepared. Especially Antakshari, i think it was solely made by Amitabh and it was Something....
I was wondering how confident participants were and virtually giving lessons to someone like me who never ever even dared to climb up to that stage.
Boys and girls from all the years and from many colleges...

Apart from all this few things which took my attention...
First is the debate.. The confidence of participants was extremely good, i wonder how no one fainted or even a single one wavering. But.... there was a certain lack of preparation, i bet there was... Everyone was talking about something they guess should be rather than some solid points...
There was a certain lack of reasoning and every one was busy showing there ability of argument, useless argument..
Like in finals, topic was about Reality shows.. Many came and blabbered lines of Dinkar and Nirala... "Jo bhara nahi hai bhaawon se......" and all those stuff which has nothing to do with Reality shows. Leave alone reality show, i dont think Nirala or Bachchan ever said anything even on Show business. Instead you should have prepared why are reality shows so hit and why or why not they are affecting society as whole. Anyhow if you want to quote someone, tell us what Stephen Spielberg or Coppola or Prahlad Kakkar said on effect of stars on us.. Quote something relevant rather shouting bullshit....
I dont know exactly what India lost in creation of Pakistan but i can tell what India gained and thats the endless number of debates.. Its Pakistan everywhere, even the partition of states is somewhere related to Pakistan.... One was saying if we want to fight Naxalites we must take guns from all the policemen and send them barehanded... Upon asking to elaborate this he himself do not know what to say. One took partition of State as his topic and end up speaking for 5 minutes on corruption, no relevance at all. If some one someday show the videotape to that guy i dont know will he speak again in his life ???
At last i came to conclusion that there must be Pakistan's hand in my bad performance in class, because its the root cause of each and every problem in India...

One more thing, i walked out of the auditorium last day, many asked me the reason. I feel its my moral responsibility to explain the reason of that. It was around 2.30 afternoon and auditorium was more than full but anyhow one junior(mithilesh) arranged a seat for me. It was last event of the whole setup and was Drama. Many teams came to perform in front of that overcapacity crowd and no one really cared which year you are and every team was given the warm reception, only Shankar Mahadevan got better than that. Everyone was yelling and clapping on each and every action of teams. Then came a team which presented something out of the world, yes i mean it. Such a bad performance that no one could understand what are they doing. One could only make out the actors they were imitating, i bet my life that no one in that auditorium could sense the story or anything. Still we all clapped and for nearly 20 minutes. Only one word for the performance... Pathetic... Anyhow the play ended and crowd still not booed anyone but it was obvious everyone was laughing.. Few shouted "once more". Few like me were shaking there head and trying find a way to react. But before me, organizers reacted, they came in middle of audi and started shouting on audience that who wants "once more" and how many of you ever appeared on stage. They even grabbed few 2nd years and took them out of audi. Why to show your seniority when you claim a fare game ? None of the guy said a vulgar or abusive words, if they can clap cant they boo ?? Who will tell how to react ??? I agree that organizers have good stage persona, how can they claim no other can perform anything on stage ???? If a junior performer should be excused, why cant a junior spectator ???? You as a judge did not showed mercy by awarding them extra points, why should we as an audience excuse them by suppressing something so instinctive ???? How can someone ask for mercy after a bad performance ???? If someone is so scared of repercussion, why the hell are they coming to perform ???? And giving them mercy on the basis of their 1st year is insulting them a bit more than booing. I know few of that team personally but bad is bad.... I dont want to be part of something where you are allowed to give only one reaction... No one shouted on bad debate, because its not the manner of the event but in drama if you can scream in applause you can shout in denial too...
At last after coming out i met to a creature named Ankit Singh, who was also part of a play half an hour before.. We talked on this and first line he said is, "Go and do something on stage you will feel how difficult it is"... You are so sure that i m an asshole who never saw or stood on stage and you are the first one after Girish Karnad to do so... Now this is what i call bloody mediocrity.. You are so sure that your job is over just by appearing on stage and you need not to bother about your performance and every one else than you never dared to walk on that sacred stage... So how the hell can you criticize Salman Khan or Ashish Nehra because i m sure you neither made a movie nor you ever played International cricket.. So mister, you are not winner just because you tried, You need to win something in order to be a winner.....

Pic Courtsey : 1st from sanjeet's orkut album...
2nd from google (tell me exactly so i could mention)

Century of What ????

This year ICC is celebrating its birth centenary(1909-2009). 100 years ago, it was formed as Imperial Cricket Conference and then only commonwealth countries were allowed. The first 3 members were England, Australia and South Africa. Now, the most interesting or say disturbing part is when you see their logo in TV, the tagline written is "Century of Cricket". How can they write this ???? If cricket is just 100 years old, which game WG Grace played or which sport side Joe Darling lead.
Cricket is(was) a game played in summer in northern parts of Europe, and was famous in England. Its history is too old and vast but it gained popularity in mid 18th century when a club named "Hambledon Cricket Club" came into existence and soon became popular in Britain. The exact date of foundation is not certain. It was the club which standardized the size of bat and various other rules which are considered as basics in cricket today. The year of 1787 was a fortunate one in cricket, "Marylebone Cricket Club" famously known as MCC was formed this year. No vocabulary is capable enough to describe the importance of MCC and its effect on Cricket. If someone could ever claim cricket to be his, it had to be MCC. Still today MCC is the body which had copyright of every rule in world cricket. Till 1997, official name of England Cricket team was, yes you guessed right, Marylebone Cricket Club.
The turning point in cricket history or say in history of any "team sport" was Introduction of Railways in 1830s. Previously the game was played between local teams comprising of players lived in small area of around 50 miles but Railways brought them closer and teams can tour easily. This developed the county cricket or say 1st class cricket.
In year 1864 arrived the most famous book of cricket published as "The Cricketer's Almanack" lated known as "The Wisden", its widely considered as The Bible of Cricket. When Ian Chappell signed for Kerry Packers World Series he said " I thought why to make such runs which Wisden is never going to count, anyhow i made those runs for money".
In 1877 we can consider official start of International cricket in its purest form "The Test". These were international matches just as 1st class and played for 5 days. First Test match was played between Australia and MCC(England). Australia won by 45 runs(centenary test in year 1977 played just after 100 years of 1st test produced same result, Australia won by 45 runs !!!!).
ICC formed in 1909, 122 years after MCC and 32 years after Test cricket itself. Now how could they claim to Cricket. In these 100 years one wonder what ICC did for development of Cricket. In whole world now there are 10 test nations comparing 3 in 1909. The only achievement ICC could claim is "World Cup' in ODIs that too when other sport like football successfully conducted more than a dozen. In test matches still there is no such format which could attract anyone else than a hardcore cricket lover. Instead of anything ICC should first control its most notorious member BCCI and should do something serious about game. Cricket dont have a proper ball for coloured matches and its ICC's duty to fund its research, which they never did. No one on the Earth could understand Duckworth-Lewis equation and its practicality and still they cant come up with some thing more legitimate.
This old man would be certainly laughing that how could ICC claim its birthday to be birthday of Cricket. Can anyone please explain this ????

Just Cricket....

Few things i have to say about Cricket which are on my mind for quiet some time...

Robin Uthappa- He is India's most underrated batsman. I dont have any such affection for him but his batting keeps amazing me whenever i see and can not believe how the hell can such a gifted player can not do justise with himself for such a long time. The way he just walk down the pitch and smashes a 90 mile delivery out of the ground is really very few can do. The way he almost perfectly hit that scoop shot in tense situation proves how endued he is. His selection of shots are awesome and many times strange but the overall execution of these shots are treat to watch. There are no doubt many youngester batsmen on Indian cricket horizon but no one is as gifted as uthappa.. Rohit Sharma although takes very less time to settle but he always had to wait for loose balls and can never hit the balls on his own wish.. Yusuf Pathan picks the balls early but he usually finds himself unable to keep doing that over a long period of time which is ok in T20 but could hamper his success in longer formats, also he rely upon few shots which he no doubt executes in brutal manner but could feel uneasy against top class attack. Names like Virat Kohli have to go miles even to become prospects of Indian T20 team let alone one day and Test would be out of even his wish list as for now. Its not to prove uthappa as better batsman than others, but i have not seen a better waste of talent for quiet a long time. He posses a rich armoury but dont know why he finds himself unable to turn his potential into performance.And as competition in India for a batsman is too draconian, he will find it really difficult to keep his head out of the rising water..

Australia- My favourite team, but it seems this time ACB is not at all intended to defend The Ashes as they kept their most reliable and potent Horse out of the damn Race. How the hell on the Earth a team can let a player like Andrew Symonds go when he is fit. One player can create a big difference and i think i need not to give examples of that. Its just like leaving your parachute just before diving but it seems they have bigger issues than Ashes itself.. Lets pray the boys under Baggy Green would be able to repeat or to even come closer to the performance shown by a team comprised of one of the best players of all times in 2007 Ashes..




World T20- Its going to start next week and i m hoping to see four teams in quarterfinals are.. India for sure, South Africa as they are very stable this time, Australia as you can never rule them out and they have all the resources to bite you everytime you took your eyes off and at last Sri Lanka as all other teams do not have enough content, but as they say, Cricket is a game of uncertainities and mind you its 20-20 affair.. Anything is possible and i mean it literally..



IPL- Its over and proves India is on its way of becoming a developed nation and can easily sustain a league bigger than this so wait for two more teams in 2011. Its the shortest league played anywhere in the world and only a month long, its better to call it tournament instead of league, i will rather suggest to let it run for whole 6-8 months with atleast 16 teams palying a 2 leg system with no final or semis at all,instead winner should bedecided on the basis of points, which is a bit difficult to imagine as one will think it will lack the spice but i m sure that will be original league and all the matches will be played with equal importance and matches should be on weekends without affecting Test Matches calender. In jet age, clubs can always manage their players from any part of the world if both wish and even if not then also we will have many players available for the league.. Other countries should also copy the format to develop their domestic systems and can help the sport to be truely Global

GREATEST TEST TEAM (1877-2009)

I, after numerous arguments with my foolish and idiot friends(Sandeep Ganesan on top of that list), now decided to duck the questions like, How dare I think this and that to be The Greatest player or better than their choices...
I many times answered but every time the argument got so intense that I just escaped to be part of countless wrestling matches...

So now I decided to put The Greatest XI on this blog to end the direct arguments for once and for all because here it can never get physical....

On a serious note, undoubtedly these are The Greatest Cricket Players of All time..
There are many others but, as Sports is a draconian path where one always had to leave way for the other, only 11 spots are available.....

As this team consists of players from 1877 to 2009 so please give me liberty to choose them from all across the history....


OPENERS....

JACK HOBBS---- The Best Opener Ever... Along with "Herbert Suttcliffe" he dominated the World Cricket for 2 decades(1910s and 1920s).. Still holds the World record of 197 first class centuries, he made 62000 runs in process...

VICTOR TRUMPER----The Grandest of All..He is considered as one of the two finest batsmen ever who walked on a cricket pitch(Bradman the other).. He as said was the batsman who can score even if the pitch is made on a swamp.. He was whole and soul of Australian batting for first 15 years of 20th century and died at age of 37..

3. DONALD BRADMAN----Only 1 sentence for him..... Cricket is a game of uncertainties, unless you have a Bradman...

4. W G GRACE---- Father of Cricket, Captain of England, Captain of MCC, Captain of Gentlemen(Cricket Club)...Played from 1865 to 1913, He 29 times made 1000 runs in the month of May. Greatest Athlete who played first class cricket till the age of 65 (debut at 17).. In a survey, 110 years ago, he was second most recognised face in Great Britain in whole 19 century(Prime Minister Gladstone being the first)..
Doctor by profession, he never gave up his tag of amatuer and never became a professional, but his salary could be imagined by this, in his times "Everton" was the biggest football club and salary of top 12 players of Everton was equal what his club used to pay WG !!!!
In 1880s his annual income through Cricket was 30,000 pounds. Stadium signboards those days usually displays, 6 pence if WG will play and 3 if he wont !!!!

5.GARFIELD SOBERS---- A man who can perform any(any means any) job on a cricket field.. He can bowl at 80 miles per hour with new ball, can bowl spin, can bat at any order and whatever else you cannot even imagine.. Look at an example of his greatness.. When he retired from Test cricket he held 3 main records(of course many others too).. Maximum runs,Maximum wickets and Maximum catches in Test cricket....

6.STEVE WAUGH (CAPTAIN)---- Hard,Uncompromising, Rare and Eternal like Diamond... He transformed a group of boys into the most lethal and Horrendous Team in the history.. Broke the 80 year standing record of Warwarik Armstrong and above all in the process, became a player with uncomparable will-power and infinte surrender potential... In modern cricket He The Man among Boys....

7.ADAM GILCHRIST(WK)---- Undoubtedly he is most fierce hitter of cricket ball who also took the gloves behind the wicket.. I would have loved to choose Viv Richards but he can not keep wickets or Allan Knott who do not have such dominant batting skills... Also I need a Hitter as keeper because such a batting line up needs a quick run getter so that captain can declare the innings early and no keeper can deliver this better than Adam Gilchrist....

8.SHANE WARNE---- Magician !!!! The Best Spinner in 130 years of Test Cricket.. His number of preys cannot (although they are 708) match his skills and perfection.. The bowler who if takes 3 wickets in an innings, Those 3 will obviously be top batsmen of the side..
A man who revolutionized the whole scene of the cricket in early 90s with his magic deliveries, even when he will be 70, can get a place in any test team..
If you think he is the lone spinner without partner so there is always Sir Gary Sobers to share the old ball with him...

9.HAROLD LARWOOD---- The Fastesssst... A man who in a single series created a impact on the World Cricket which could never be paralleled.. Larwood was the original and peerless executioner of unfamed "BODYLINE"... Douglas Jardine once said, You keep a coin on pitch and this man can pith the ball over that coins 6 times in an over... Unfortunate for us, speed measuring machines were not at his times but nearly all claims he was a lot faster than many 100 miles bowlers along with his pin point accuracy... Many times in english cricket, First Class County sides refused to play against Larwood on grassy tracks...
He holds the record of highest score by a nightwatchman(98 runs) for nearly 7 decades which Alex Tudor breaks in 1999 against New Zeland....
His career was short as he never got oppurtunity to play after bodyline series of 1932-33 but he truly deserved what he never got...

10.FREDRICK SPOFORTH---- Nickname as "The Demon".. He is the man responsible for what we today know as "The Ashes".. In 1882 he devastated England where he took first hat-trick of test cricket.. He did not let them make 10 runs with 7 wickets left which is considered as most lethal spell of all times... That Oval Test later laid foundation for Ashes...
He was the bowler who many times was, by english batsmen(including WG), given money for not to tour Britain so they dont have to face the troubles of his ferocious pace..
The first bowling superstar, The Demon, is really will be a fitting opening bowler for such a team...

11.SYDNEY BARNES---- Most Successfull bowler ever... Considered as "Bradman of Bowling".. He took 189 wickets in 22 matches with unbelievable average of 16 which is still a record(My all time favourite Mcgrath is second with 22)... His duel with Victor trumper was one of the finest duels in sporting history... He is believed to be The Finest bowler by all who saw him or played with or against him...

12th Man.. FRED TRUEMAN---- LEGEND!!!! He ruled the world cricket for 15 years, in exactly mid of 20th century, Fred Trueman was a true Fast Bowler in all respect.. The first bowler to take 300 wickets, he worked whole his childhood in mines and as said his game always showed how one can fight a new battle each day...

Commercialization.. Thats What we Choose...

Today i was talking with my friends over super commercialization in indian film industry or say Bollywood..
First of all its very right to say it Bollywood as all the major and even minor movies are very shameless copies of its trans Atlantic cousin better known as Hollywood... When you copied their stories, concept, music so why feeling shame in copying just name, as uncle Shakespeare said "whats there in name"... even our iconic legends copied the ditto looks and getup of Hollywood actors.. Its not for nothing that Raj Kapoor moved like "The greatest of All" Charlie Chaplin, and its not just coincedence that Shammi Kapoor looked and acted like Elvis Presley... And its not just one movie but they did that all along their career..
Ramesh Sippy once said he was not sure "Sholey" will make it because it was totally a Hollywood concept..
Big houses like Yash Raj often copy and shamelessly claims the story as theirs...
Watch "Mohabbatein" and "Dead Poets Society" and play "find out 10 differences"...
Mowadays we all can see Imraan hashmi nearly every time imitating Brad Pitt...

This post is not for comparison between Bollywood and Hollywood but Hindi Films and Bollywood...
Post Raj Kapoor there was always a cinema parallel to Bollywood knows as HIFI(Hindi Films.. HIFI is an alternate term i read in magazine "Stardust")..
Previousely this Hifi was very small in terms of budget and it basically concerned with unigenre which was comedy... Actors like Faarukh Shekh got success(whatsoever) in this Hifi.. sometimes big names like "Dadamuni" also acted but thats just for a change in their acting dusk..
Today this Hifi is bigger and after Rakesh Roshan's "Kaho Na Pyar Hai", which breaks the myth that star is everything, a whole new section emerged which gave us excellent and beautiful movies like "1971" and "Hazaron Kwahishen Aisi"...
Now what i want to say is still now, why when it comes to business, representatives of bollywood like "Singh is King" and "bachna e Haseeno" every time scores over their poor counterparts of Hifi..
The reason is told to me once by my friend "Akash Awasthi".. Long back in his home he was watching interview of Mahesh Bhatt where one lady asked, why you make movies like "Murder" and he replied when i made a movie based on my own story "Zakhm" no one watched out but everyone saw "Murder" so please give me a reason not to reapeat "Murder" again...
I m sure many of us watched "Zakhm" but in a pirated cd in our home or in tv...
Now, whenever we go to some multiplex with our family or friends and given an option we always opt for a movie starring "Shahrukh Khan" or "Katrina Kaif" and we will come home and will download or will take a pirated cd and will appreciate some movie like "Gulaal" and will say "Why the hell they do not make such stuff regularly..
Its the reason of rapid growth in number of multi-starrer movies because they know public have more to do with stars than to other things especially when thay have to pay a good some of money with their family or girlfriend/boyfriend in particular....
No one would have went in theatres to see Black if we take Amitabh Bachchan and Rani Mukherjee out of the movie instead everyone would have preffered it in home...
Now will you attempt a question of 10 marks or some without any...
Here is the answer... its we who appreciate Hifi but support Bollywood...
Next time whenever you go some multiplex or try to opt for "Seher" over "Kabhi Alvida Na Kehna" or please appreciate another "Chandni Chowk to China" with full hearts.....

Dil Dosti Etc..

Few days back i read a review of movie "Dil Dosti etc." on cheap-n-chalu(my seniors blog) and i think i also have something to say about the movie..
I saw this movie around a year back and i do not remember its story exactly but noticed and felt 2 contraries in the movie...

The two characters of the movie, imad shah and shreyas talpade (sanjay mishra), combines to form "Contrary 1"..
The 2 characters are like two different waves with all attribites differnt but meets at some node.. likewise the two characters have neither history in common nor princples or life values or dreams but in course of the movie they had to face almost same conditions.. Sanjay mishra reacts all the situations according to his prespecified life values like he condemns sexual activity in boys hostel or he fights for his friends without caring who did first mistake on the other side character of imad shah do not have any prespecific or even existing life values and he just play the life as it comes..
Now a person so ambitious and skillfull in every field of life mets with a tragic end where at last he looses his girlfriend and his life(its not sure he suicide or got murdered) whereas a person so incompetent gets what he never even imagined..
Now, this shows to survive anywhere first compare your terms with sorroundings..
For sanjays girlfriend sex with other guy is just an escape from reality but for him its about lifetime.. They dont have same terms.. Leisure of one is the life for other..
The main reason is he came from just a different society where the perception he developed is different from where he is competing, The very same situations many times happens with me and my friends in college and outside college like once we were laughing outside a resturant("Sathars") and police charged lathis on us and the simple reason was because we were north indians once our one friend started speaking tamil police let us go, i dont want to entertaine this thought but yes the cause of many problems here is our ethnicity..
Whereas person like imad shah(forgotten characters name) have no values and they are fit to survive because of the same values and terms as of sorroundings...
The conclusion could be like,its your skills which decide your rise but its your life values which decide your fall, like a polititians rise is decided by his skill but one scandal(generally sexual) ensures his fall.


The other two characters "Kintu" and a prostitute makes "Contrary 2" which is rather very simple..
For kintu she can love only a guy till the day she slept with him and after that they have no excitement factor between them and thay break up...
For that prostitue she can only have costumer till the day she dont feel any emotional attachment with him..
"For one "The Sex" is end of her love whereas for other "The Love" is end of her sex.......

OH REF!!!!!

Yesterday i saw "The Game" against two of the biggest powerhouses of European Football.. Chelsea Vs Barcelona (The last semifinal out of four).. As i m not a hardcore football fan but i like the way its governed in Europe, so i was not exactly supporting any of those two(I follow Manchester United,as usual, blame goes to my friend Daivikshashank).. But whatever happened was really shameful for any type of sport played by men with hearts..
Chelsea were heading full speed to Rome and from nowhere Iniesta scored in last minute of more than a three hour battle.. Barcelona overtakes with their away goal and a pin drop could be heard in blue stands...
Destiny robbed Chelsea once again in Champions League. Last time Terry slipped in a kick which could be last hit of year but this time destiny came in form of a Referee "Tom Henning Ovrebo"..

The most absurd piece of refereeing that could be seen in any level of sport..
4 penalties not given to Chelsea out of them 2 were hand balls.
both the hand balls were admitted by barcelona players just after the match..
The most shocking one was the handball not given after the Iniesta goal in last moment,Ballack almost grabbed referee and he got every right to do so..

Chelsea raped by destiny are now out of UCL but the most interesting thing is a conspiracy theory which suggests it was UEFA, the governing body itself, who planned a no all-england final back to back that also with same two teams..
Its quiet a possibility as Australia dominated world cricket for a decade and Real Madrid did same in European football winning first 5 champions league title from in 50s..
The all England final so often will reveal the impotency of other leagues and misgovernment of UEFA itself..
please see these links which may be right or may be wrong but raise a point... http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/sport/football/article2418435.ece
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SASM_NzheK0
No doubt even Chelsea officially condemned any such theory but who knows ....................