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.

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.

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.

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.

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!

Granada

DSC00860
Originally uploaded by Sans Sanity.

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.

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.

Moustaches

Moustaches
Originally uploaded by Sans Sanity.

I found this man in a train. He did not seem very friendly and yet I could not resist the temptation of clicking his moustaches. Luck favoured me and as he stood near the door facing outside, I could hold my camera steady without being wary of him seeing me.

DSC00834

DSC00834
Originally uploaded by Sans Sanity.

They sell really interesting objects on Bombay's footpaths. This particular stall was near Flora Fountain.

Municipality

Bombay (Oops sorry - Brihanmumbai) Municipal Corporation is an awesome body. It generates the largest revenue of all cities in India. It makes people pay for cleanliness, maintenance of roads, water, property, transportaion of goods, street lights and many other such 'services'. Its elected representatives are called 'nagarsevaks' (city-servants) and they take great pride in serving citizens. They promise all above-mentioned services and more. They walk the streets before the elections. They draw agendas. They show us dreams. They grow rich and reduce poverty. They wear crisp starched clothes & imbibe personal hygiene. They knock our doors for votes. And we vote. For them. For their beaurocracy. For their cars. For their mobile phones. For their salaries. For their signatures. We pay them even to deliver inspiring speeches. We even love to pay them for small favours. We willingly pay their charges for representing us in times of trouble. This wonderful give & take carries on peacefully. And we build the world's best city called Bombay.

Dan Rhodes

Through his books Dan Rhodes comes across as a man of many sensibilities. 'Anthropology & A Hundred Other Stories' is one such book. I had never read stories as short as those & I'ld call them microstories. TRhodes' narrations progress through very small incidents. What strikes the reader the most, is Rhodes' special magnifying glass that's very selective in enlarging objects. It's a marvelous effort of mixing facts & fantasy that rises to a high degree of abstraction and yet has a firm realistic basis. Rhodes has a great command over his characters and also lets them fly free if required. Rhodes' displays a trmeendous command over the working of the male & female brains. His women - plain, sexy, pretty, commonplace, creative, intelligent and dumb - are so closely attached with each other that they gave me the impression of a single lover he once had. His own amazement at the inexplicable things all those women do is something I could 100% relate with.

For a Rhodes reader - DO their names hint at their characters? I got that feeling but could not solve the mystery.

DSC00745

DSC00745
Originally uploaded by Sans Sanity.

Bandra Station (West) around mid-day

Scent of a woman

Each time I see this film I fall deeper in love with it.

Right from the outset, Scent of a woman is Al Pacino's film. His portrayal of the Colonel is Al Pacinoesque in every sense. I have observed it many times that Pacino doesn't believe in living characters. He moulds them & gives us something else that Al Pacino in real life would be, given the circumstances created by the scripwriter (I noticed lots of Al Pacino shades even in Michael Corleone).

Pacino's Colonel is absolutely brilliant in showcasing a once vibrant glorious army hot shot who never grew up for lack of diplomatic skills, lost his vision in an unfortunate & yet suicidal accident, then turned into a self-pittying blind old alcoholic who just wants to have one final crack at high life & then 'blow his brains out'. His expressions are vivid and his body language superb. But what proves the killer blow is his delivery. Accentuating emphasis on random words, screaming sentences like shouting commands and laughing in monosyllables (dont ask me how! just go see the film), he steals the show with inspired personification of his character. His determination to kick his 'baby'sitter out, his newfound will to live a cameo jet-setter life, his exhaustion and dejection upon conquering the last remaining mountain and finally his renewed vigour to live on is exceptional.

Scenes to always remember: 1) Pacino banging his cane on the table at the final hearing
2) Charlie watching Pacino perform the tango
3) Colonel telling Harry & the other culprits to fuck off
4) Colonel telling Charlie to give him an inventory of the Waldhorf suite bar.

For die hard Pacino fans, keep running ur vcd's / dvd's again & again. Keep enjoying. & if u havent seen the film yet, it's time to go Blow Your Own Brains Out.
For Pacino haters, cut the crap, watch it anyways. You will not see a better larger than life character after brando's Don Vito.

Arshad Warsi

I absolutely adore him. He has been brilliant right from the word go. Of course he has had some very tough times just after Tere Mere Sapne. But he is more or less a complete actor. And now is climbing up the ladder quite quickly. After Anthony Kun Hai, I won't be surprised to see him as the lone male lead in more films.

He is gifted with the all important sense of timing which suits his extempore comedy style. His spontaneous expressions while Sanjubaba talks to Janvhi in the radio station in Lage Raho Munnabhai are simply sensational. That perhaps is the reason why people stereotype him. Kabul Express was one such film where he was asked to be a funny man even when the film did not seem to demand more than an occasional laughter.

Kudos to Warsi for coming a long long way from where he was. Apart from Shahrukh Khan I don't see any other Bollywood actor who has done so well despite a complete lack of any godfather whosoever. (Amir Khan was professionally launched by uncle Nasir Hussein - quite contrary to common belief)