Heard someone's experience as a member of the Jury. The case was a brutal murder. It was terrible to only hear it. Our narrator gave a lot of details which was great. She also had the good sense to cut out the gore, leave out the sensational part and tell us the story of what the jury went through.
The Judge had told them that she (the judge) will read into the legal aspects of the case - the testimony of witnesses, the pleas of the defence & prosecution and of course the legalities of the argument. In contrast, the jurers had to judge the facts of the case & give their verdict, whether guilty or not.
This particular case had no eye witnesses. The available evidence was either circumstantial or forensic. There was a single fingerprint in blood of the defendent and a few boot marks.
The defendents account of the story was proved false on two counts. He had lied about his whereabouts at the time of the murder. He had lied about the shoes / boots he was wearing on the day of the murder. Another thing that went against him, was that he was found dumping a garbage bag wearing only his shorts (on a freezing cold November dawn around 4.30 a.m.).
Along with those things, what the jury thought as clinching evidence was the fact that the defendent kept calling the victim until just before the murder (around 30 calls in 2 hours) and suddenly stopped making any calls altogether right after the time of the death.
The person who told us this story believed him to be guilty. But she also thought that there was a 0.01% chance he was not. And my heart goes out to her. I would never want to be asked to send someone for life imprisonment based on such indirect evidence. The shear stress & trauma associated with making such a decision could be too much for me to take.
There are two things that struck me (the narrator emphasised them): Men couldn't handle the stress. During the jury selection process there were some 25 or 30 contenders. When asked to volunteer, most men declined. So the final panel of 12, had only 5 men. She also said that initially (until the defendent's lies were not caught)the only members of the jury that were prepared to give him the benefit of doubt were old ladies (4 of them - our narrator among them).
Monday, April 16, 2007
Sunday, April 01, 2007
300
Saw 300 today. It's an exaggerated account of how 300 Spartan warriors held a million strong persian army. As expected this film is a testosterone ride into blood & gore of special effects. It presumably has some historical basis.
However, it falls flat as it tries to prove how western 'democracy & freedom' prevailed in face of barbaric asian invasions. Well, thats so 'ku klux clan'esque. So Xerxes kills because he is evil. Leonides kills for freedom.
The one thing I did like about the film was the camera work. The angles, the movements, the filters, the speed & everything about the camera was truly remarkable.
It's a good time-pass for the lovers of war films. But a complete let down for others.
However, it falls flat as it tries to prove how western 'democracy & freedom' prevailed in face of barbaric asian invasions. Well, thats so 'ku klux clan'esque. So Xerxes kills because he is evil. Leonides kills for freedom.
The one thing I did like about the film was the camera work. The angles, the movements, the filters, the speed & everything about the camera was truly remarkable.
It's a good time-pass for the lovers of war films. But a complete let down for others.
Friday, March 23, 2007
Woolmer R.I.P.
So the ICC World Cup is finally on. And it's full of surprises. Ireland upsetting Pakistan & Bangladesh crucifying India are perhaps a taste of things to come. It tells us that probably the burden of expectations can be too much to take. May be complecancy doesn't take long to creep in.
India were dismal against Bangladesh. They showed absolutely no stomach for a fight, which was most depressing for a true fan. When results are poor, it is the appetite that followers want to see.
Then Pakistan lost to Ireland. It was a horrendous performance by the giants against the minnows. And it was too much to take for Bob Woolmer. Nobody knows for certain if he capcised to a heart attack or a stroke or something else. This lack of transperancy is generating truckloads of rumours. Some say he was murdered by a fanatic. Some say he was shut up before he could blow the whistle on a major match-fixing scam. Whatever it is, the plot thickens & the waters get merkier day by day. High time the officials of the ICC & PCB get together to clarify
India were dismal against Bangladesh. They showed absolutely no stomach for a fight, which was most depressing for a true fan. When results are poor, it is the appetite that followers want to see.
Then Pakistan lost to Ireland. It was a horrendous performance by the giants against the minnows. And it was too much to take for Bob Woolmer. Nobody knows for certain if he capcised to a heart attack or a stroke or something else. This lack of transperancy is generating truckloads of rumours. Some say he was murdered by a fanatic. Some say he was shut up before he could blow the whistle on a major match-fixing scam. Whatever it is, the plot thickens & the waters get merkier day by day. High time the officials of the ICC & PCB get together to clarify
Friday, March 02, 2007
I saw Martin Scorcese's documentary on Bob Dylan a couple of days ago. It's wonderful. Captivating.
Scorsese asks few or no questions. He takes the story of BD's life forward just by showing footage and giving parts of interviews he did with BD & his contempararies.
The footage of the late fifties & early sixties that he has used is extremely rare. Instead of hearing things from the horses mouth, we get to see the real things as they happened.
The only drawback of the film is its length. Sitting at a place for 3 1/2 hrs can be a bit too much even for BD fans.
All in all, it's a brilliant film for the die hards. For the slightly less interested fan, try obtaining a DVD & see it in parts.
Scorsese asks few or no questions. He takes the story of BD's life forward just by showing footage and giving parts of interviews he did with BD & his contempararies.
The footage of the late fifties & early sixties that he has used is extremely rare. Instead of hearing things from the horses mouth, we get to see the real things as they happened.
The only drawback of the film is its length. Sitting at a place for 3 1/2 hrs can be a bit too much even for BD fans.
All in all, it's a brilliant film for the die hards. For the slightly less interested fan, try obtaining a DVD & see it in parts.
Friday, February 23, 2007
Waters
In his career Waters has been a lyricist, composer, vocalist, bassist, publisher & lots more.
He started the band Pink Floyd in the early / mid sixties with Rick Wright, Syd Barrett & Nick Mason. They went psychedelic in the begining. They sang about pretty girls, good mice, bicycles, drugs, paintboxes and other things belonging to the world of dreams. Their music was a good deal of performance acting, a bit of noise, a bit of mad words, a bit of drugs & a lot of energy. The played to the underground circuit & gained a fair bit of popularity. As soon as they had their own devouted audience, they started publishing studio albums. The horizons were broadening.
Unfortunately but perhaps not very unexpectedly, Barrett, who had led the band till 1969 went too far in his love for LSD. He suffered MPD & subsequently had to be forced to retire. David Gilmour was brought in as the lead guitarist. The Pink Floyd Sound was to change forever.
As the vibrant 60's turned into the speedy, pacey 70's the onus of creation came to Waters. The music scene in Britain was changing radically & drugs powered jam-ups were almost passe. The day & age of the big bands was coming. Even as early as the end of 1971, the Beatles had broken up. Jim Morrison & Jimi Hendrix were dead. Elvis was history. Heavier music (particularly embryonic metal of Led Zeppelin, Black Sabbath & Deep Purple) was taking roots. The erstwhile basement / bar jigs of Floyd were no longer as popular. In these turbulent times, Waters decided to take the bull by the horns. Rather than follow the metal-trend he chose to write his own musical destiny.
He looked in his own childhood for inspiration. He had lost his father to the World-War before his birth. He had spent his formative years under the extra-watchful eye of an excessively restrictive mother who herself had had a nervous breakdown. And he had grown up in the ruined back-alleys of a bombed-flat country. He was never short of material that could be turned into songs. He put on paper all that and more. What became of Floyd here, is what a true fan cannot forget.
A careful & observant listener can notice the distinct change from Barrette's rock- nroll-esque 60's to Waters' progressive psychedelic 70's & 80's. Although Waters retained most of the psychedelic touches, he brought in a lot more experimentation, ably aided by the sensuous, flawless guitars of Gilmour. I have never heard any other band (even in today's electronic era) experiment as successfully with instruments, sounds & special effects as Floyd (Waters). Through these novel presentations, Floyd had pioneered 3 important genre - Psychedelic Rock, Progressive Rock & Trance - in just under 10 years. Hardly has any single band or artiste contributed so much to modern music.
It is the experimental music of Floyd that shines bright across generations. It is the new sound that captivates several generations (in terms of the sound of music, tastes change almost every 5 years so may be 6 generations already).
I shall not rut out the details of popular Floyd numbers & albums as it has been done to death already. What I also need not emphasise is the charisma of this unpretentious and publicity shy artiste who is most understated in his ways. This charisma is amply demonstrated by the 35-40 thousand audience in Bombay where tickets were so massively over-priced that the richest kids driving fancy cars had to pay through their noses for them.
What I would rather highlight is the humility of the man who otped to speak personally for his crowd & thank them with great dignity & modesty rather than do crazy stunts & stage dives. Genious is what genious does.
He started the band Pink Floyd in the early / mid sixties with Rick Wright, Syd Barrett & Nick Mason. They went psychedelic in the begining. They sang about pretty girls, good mice, bicycles, drugs, paintboxes and other things belonging to the world of dreams. Their music was a good deal of performance acting, a bit of noise, a bit of mad words, a bit of drugs & a lot of energy. The played to the underground circuit & gained a fair bit of popularity. As soon as they had their own devouted audience, they started publishing studio albums. The horizons were broadening.
Unfortunately but perhaps not very unexpectedly, Barrett, who had led the band till 1969 went too far in his love for LSD. He suffered MPD & subsequently had to be forced to retire. David Gilmour was brought in as the lead guitarist. The Pink Floyd Sound was to change forever.
As the vibrant 60's turned into the speedy, pacey 70's the onus of creation came to Waters. The music scene in Britain was changing radically & drugs powered jam-ups were almost passe. The day & age of the big bands was coming. Even as early as the end of 1971, the Beatles had broken up. Jim Morrison & Jimi Hendrix were dead. Elvis was history. Heavier music (particularly embryonic metal of Led Zeppelin, Black Sabbath & Deep Purple) was taking roots. The erstwhile basement / bar jigs of Floyd were no longer as popular. In these turbulent times, Waters decided to take the bull by the horns. Rather than follow the metal-trend he chose to write his own musical destiny.
He looked in his own childhood for inspiration. He had lost his father to the World-War before his birth. He had spent his formative years under the extra-watchful eye of an excessively restrictive mother who herself had had a nervous breakdown. And he had grown up in the ruined back-alleys of a bombed-flat country. He was never short of material that could be turned into songs. He put on paper all that and more. What became of Floyd here, is what a true fan cannot forget.
A careful & observant listener can notice the distinct change from Barrette's rock- nroll-esque 60's to Waters' progressive psychedelic 70's & 80's. Although Waters retained most of the psychedelic touches, he brought in a lot more experimentation, ably aided by the sensuous, flawless guitars of Gilmour. I have never heard any other band (even in today's electronic era) experiment as successfully with instruments, sounds & special effects as Floyd (Waters). Through these novel presentations, Floyd had pioneered 3 important genre - Psychedelic Rock, Progressive Rock & Trance - in just under 10 years. Hardly has any single band or artiste contributed so much to modern music.
It is the experimental music of Floyd that shines bright across generations. It is the new sound that captivates several generations (in terms of the sound of music, tastes change almost every 5 years so may be 6 generations already).
I shall not rut out the details of popular Floyd numbers & albums as it has been done to death already. What I also need not emphasise is the charisma of this unpretentious and publicity shy artiste who is most understated in his ways. This charisma is amply demonstrated by the 35-40 thousand audience in Bombay where tickets were so massively over-priced that the richest kids driving fancy cars had to pay through their noses for them.
What I would rather highlight is the humility of the man who otped to speak personally for his crowd & thank them with great dignity & modesty rather than do crazy stunts & stage dives. Genious is what genious does.
Saturday, January 06, 2007
Kids
Disgusting fate those innocent kids had. To be the targets of ruthless sexual desire is the worst thing that can happen to anyone. In a way I think they were lucky the molesters finished them off. I wonder what psychological trauma they would have had to endure had they lived. And also a sort of sympathetic stigma. To hear elders constantly pity them, to hear people say how lucky their own kids were to have escaped this fate and understand absolutely zilch.
Wonder what kind of upbringing the criminals have had. Wonder what kind of society creates them. For far too long we Indians have boasted of our joint families and sound environment they provide. I think it's time we did a little introspection.
Wonder what kind of upbringing the criminals have had. Wonder what kind of society creates them. For far too long we Indians have boasted of our joint families and sound environment they provide. I think it's time we did a little introspection.
Friday, January 05, 2007
Our railway ticket issuers have plenty of change. But they refuse to part with it. They know exactly what ticket a commuter requires. They deny any knowledge of it. They know a commuter stands in queue for long times. They know other commuters in the queue will not let an argument go on for long. They know commuters are always in a hurry. As a result, they build complete disregard for a commuter's woes.
High time we commuters raised our voices against this arrogance. High time we realised that the only remaining unorganized section of our society is the consumer. High time we did not occasionally mind one of us fighting it out at the window even if it delays us by a bit. Each time we speak together, we will ensure that our next wait in the queue will be less painful.
High time we commuters raised our voices against this arrogance. High time we realised that the only remaining unorganized section of our society is the consumer. High time we did not occasionally mind one of us fighting it out at the window even if it delays us by a bit. Each time we speak together, we will ensure that our next wait in the queue will be less painful.
Bagpiper
I don't like Ajay Devgan. But this is one advertisement where he simply rocks! His catchline, "Khoob jamega rang jab mil baithenge teen yar, aap, main aur bagpiper!" then his 'wink' followed by, "Soda!" is terrific. Cheers Ajay! I hope our government abolishes the stupid policy of not allowing liquor advertisements while giving freedom to consume it.
Monday, January 01, 2007
15 Park Avenue
I loved the film. Both Sens have done a terrific job and so has Rahul Bose. But Shabana's underplayed role simply steals the show. Her true to the soul performance quickly grabs attention and she emerges as the central character of the film. While Konkona's slow deterioration and gradual development of her decease is brilliantly showcased, it is Shabana and her struggles that take center stage. One very important question the film asked was, "What happens when dreams become a reality?" Konkona's disappearance is both metaphorical and real.
Three cheers to the Sen clan!
Three cheers to the Sen clan!
Saturday, December 30, 2006
Granada
Quite simply, the world's sturdiest guitar. Full 6 months with 3 strings broken, the rest are in tune.
Wannabes
6.54 pm local leaving from Dadar for Borivli. Two guys & a girl chattering.
The girl: "Why won't four guys sit on a single seat?"
Guy 1: "They can't sit."
The girl: "We sit in the ladies' compartment like that."
Guy 2: "Nobody will try to sit only!"
Guy 1: "Possible nathich che na."
The girl: "Wow."
The conversation halts with a Reshammiya number being played on Guy 1's cellphone.
Guy 2: "That song ROCKSSSssssssssssssss man."
Girl: "Shiiiiiiiiii i hate the lyrics." (haan?)
Guy 2: "No it's awesome."
Guy 1: "Abe sale badbad band kar, gaana sun. Muzhe uska (The girl) haath pahadne de."
Just short of losing consciousness, I get up & get a breath of fresh air near the door. Someone somewhere faraway alights the train. I get a different seat. And I get peace.
The girl: "Why won't four guys sit on a single seat?"
Guy 1: "They can't sit."
The girl: "We sit in the ladies' compartment like that."
Guy 2: "Nobody will try to sit only!"
Guy 1: "Possible nathich che na."
The girl: "Wow."
The conversation halts with a Reshammiya number being played on Guy 1's cellphone.
Guy 2: "That song ROCKSSSssssssssssssss man."
Girl: "Shiiiiiiiiii i hate the lyrics." (haan?)
Guy 2: "No it's awesome."
Guy 1: "Abe sale badbad band kar, gaana sun. Muzhe uska (The girl) haath pahadne de."
Just short of losing consciousness, I get up & get a breath of fresh air near the door. Someone somewhere faraway alights the train. I get a different seat. And I get peace.
Friday, December 29, 2006
Satya
It was showing on our cable yesterday. I could not resist the temptation of seeing almost the entire film. Such is the magic woven by RGV.
The biggest three strengths of the film are its impeccably drawn characters, flawless dialogues and the shock treatment that RGV is famous for. Apart from being realistic and yet a fantastic drama. The transformation of a young man searching for a job in the crucible of Bombay into a feared right hand shooter of a 'supari' extortionist cum hit-man Bhiku Mhatre is smoothly handled. It is Satya's rebellious nature mixed with initial ill-treatment received that claws its way over his conscience when Bhiku hands him a gun to shoot Jagga. A scary fact it highlights is that gangsters are made of common simple young men not too different from any we see every day.
Satya, the only educated man and perhaps also shown as a shrewd mind (Chakrabarthy shows nothing to prove this) starts influencing Bhiku's decisions pretty soon. He urges for revenge on Guru, he asserts that if police can treat gangsters with cruelty the gangsters have a right to shoot the Commissioner, he assures Bhiku that Bhau means no good. These are extra ordinary happenings and I suppose a good insight into real Bombay underworld must be give to RGV by a reasearch team. These decisions also seal the fate of Bhiku's gang.
Satya's love story was as essential for giving a human touch to a gangster's life, as Bhiku Mhatre's wife. However, both Chakrabarthy and Urmila Matondkar are utterly useless actors. By being clumsy, they accidentally show the initial discomfort of their attraction. But later on, they screw up the film big time, leaving the viewer yearning for more Bhiku, Kallu mama, Vakil Mule or Shefali Cchaya.
Bajpai's career got a rolicking start with his Bhiku. Deservedly so. Makrand Deshpande is brilliant with his chameleon like character of Vakil Mule. But my two favourites from the film were Kallu mama & Shefali. Kallu mama, the calming factor of Bhiku's gang is a sensational hit. I did not want him to die. Shefali is a brilliant actor an I am amazed by the command she shows over marathi styled hindi pronunciations. Like, "Kal anda diya tha na?"
All in all, Satya is an all-time great Bollywood flick and I just wish RGV had better brains than would allow him to make a film 'factory' and make cheap disgusting imitation flicks like 'Sarkar' and new 'Sholay'.
n.b. I loved that song 'badalon se kaat kaat ke.......' And of course, 'Kallu mama' & 'sapano me milti hai' are great dance numbers too.
The biggest three strengths of the film are its impeccably drawn characters, flawless dialogues and the shock treatment that RGV is famous for. Apart from being realistic and yet a fantastic drama. The transformation of a young man searching for a job in the crucible of Bombay into a feared right hand shooter of a 'supari' extortionist cum hit-man Bhiku Mhatre is smoothly handled. It is Satya's rebellious nature mixed with initial ill-treatment received that claws its way over his conscience when Bhiku hands him a gun to shoot Jagga. A scary fact it highlights is that gangsters are made of common simple young men not too different from any we see every day.
Satya, the only educated man and perhaps also shown as a shrewd mind (Chakrabarthy shows nothing to prove this) starts influencing Bhiku's decisions pretty soon. He urges for revenge on Guru, he asserts that if police can treat gangsters with cruelty the gangsters have a right to shoot the Commissioner, he assures Bhiku that Bhau means no good. These are extra ordinary happenings and I suppose a good insight into real Bombay underworld must be give to RGV by a reasearch team. These decisions also seal the fate of Bhiku's gang.
Satya's love story was as essential for giving a human touch to a gangster's life, as Bhiku Mhatre's wife. However, both Chakrabarthy and Urmila Matondkar are utterly useless actors. By being clumsy, they accidentally show the initial discomfort of their attraction. But later on, they screw up the film big time, leaving the viewer yearning for more Bhiku, Kallu mama, Vakil Mule or Shefali Cchaya.
Bajpai's career got a rolicking start with his Bhiku. Deservedly so. Makrand Deshpande is brilliant with his chameleon like character of Vakil Mule. But my two favourites from the film were Kallu mama & Shefali. Kallu mama, the calming factor of Bhiku's gang is a sensational hit. I did not want him to die. Shefali is a brilliant actor an I am amazed by the command she shows over marathi styled hindi pronunciations. Like, "Kal anda diya tha na?"
All in all, Satya is an all-time great Bollywood flick and I just wish RGV had better brains than would allow him to make a film 'factory' and make cheap disgusting imitation flicks like 'Sarkar' and new 'Sholay'.
n.b. I loved that song 'badalon se kaat kaat ke.......' And of course, 'Kallu mama' & 'sapano me milti hai' are great dance numbers too.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
