Movie Review: Rockstar

On the Rocks

Anchal Pathak

Rockstar fails to lure the audiences, however Ranbir wins more hearts

Rockstar to Rock bottom this is the progression of the much awaited film of 2011, Rockstar. The first half of the film was captivated the audience with the sheer brilliance of Ranbir Kapoor, the protagonist of the film who left no stone unturned in transforming from a small town Hariyanwi lad Janardhan to the depressed and the rebellious Jordan the- Rockstar who has seen it all.

However, even Ranbir Kapoor could not  be the saving grace for the incomplete and loose plot. Maybe much was expected from a director who has given the audiences the like of Socha na tha, Jab We Met And Love Aaj Kal. Narghis Fakhri, the female lead whose voice was clearly dubbed was just a fresh and pretty face and nothing else. In terms of acting, the lady has many more miles to go. Incidentally, it was the last appearance of the ever green Late Mr. Shammi Kapoor who even in his seventies can give the youngsters a run for their money.

Ranbir and Nargis in Rockstar

 

Photocredit: music mania

Visually the movie is a master piece, kudos to cinematographer Anil Mehta. Editing by Aarti Bajaj does not near perfection; there are a few scenes which could have been tighter and crisper. Like every Rockstar is known and identified by his music, so is this Rockstar. Music composed by the Academy Award Winner, A.R.Rahman is the driving force of the film. From the soulful Fayaan Kun to the rebellious Sadda Haq, the music does not fail to bring out the essence of every song. Mohit Chauhan and his melodious voice gives Jordan’s voice a life. Already on the top of the charts, it is the music and not the story that makes Rockstar.

Rockstar had all the elements of being a super hit film; however lack of a strong story line and direction led to its failure. Ranbir as an actor definitely has a bright future which this film re confirms. It is hoped that next time, Imitaz Ali will give his fans and audiences a film that he is known for.

US Arms Sales to India Part I

A few weeks back, I get a call from my brother early morning. He was at the New Delhi IGI airport, flying to Mumbai on a business trip. Breathless from excitement he says "I'm at the Airport and am currently looking at a C-17 Globemaster! You should see it, its amazing."

Its not easy to impress my brother, a military buff to the core, he can rattle off statistics on every major weapon system in the world. I wasn't familiar with the aircraft myself, so I decided to look into it . The C-17 is US Military's Heavy Lift Aircraft and one of the largest aircrafts in the world. The one my brother saw at the IGI airport was probably there concluding its user trials by the Indian Air Force. This is one of the rare occasions that this aircraft has touched down on Indian soil.

We are close to signing a deal worth $ 3.5 Billion for 10 of these aircrafts making it one of the largest military deals between the two nations. This comes at the time when India is about to take the first delivery of the brand new C - 130 Super Hercules Medium Lift transport aircraft, again from the US.

Both the aircrafts will address a glaring gap in Indian military's logistics capabilities and bring the two nations much closer in military cooperation. This represents just the tip of the iceberg, there is much more to come.

In my next post I'll break down the dynamics of Indo-US defence engagements and the consequent geo-political outcome of the same.

The United States and the World - How it might win the war on terror but lose everything else in return

From a geo-political viewpoint, things haven't looked any bleaker for the US in its recent history. The sole super power of the world doesn't seem all that powerful nowadays. Why? The answer is the War on Terror.

Not to say that the US has been weakened by the this war. And by no means I am saying that it is losing the war on terror. In fact there have been no terror attacks on US soil since 9/11. The US has effectively broken the back of the Al Qeada's global operations, but the same focus that has given it great success in the war has also reduced its ability to influence other global events.

The US has always been a master of Geo-Political strategy. By constantly looking at world through a prism of "US interest", before 9/11, we saw its involvement in every major world event. The US has been able to influence the outcomes of most of these events because of its military, economic and political might. By constantly re-looking at its allies and enemies, the US was in a position to block other Regional or World Powers  from breaking the status-quo in their respective regions.

Not so anymore. Case in point, when Russia invaded Georgia recently, The US did not have sufficient military resources to counter, or at the very least threaten, to counter the Russian incursion. Remember that Georgia is a major US ally in the region. The fact that the US could not come to the aid of one of its declared allies, has not gone unnoticed.

China, enjoying a decade of non-involvement of the US in its affairs, both domestically and internationally has increased its sphere of influence to unprecedented levels. Just look at the "Strings of Pearls" in the Indian Ocean or Africa, where China seems to be the biggest political and economic partner with most African nations, and you will see the point I'm trying to make.

The US needs to urgently re-look at its position in the world. As the war on terror continues, it needs to again look at the entire world as it used before 9/11. If it doesn't, the US might win the War on Terror and end up losing everything else.

The Literature of Ideas - Science Fiction

The science fiction and fantasy genre is an oeuvre of weird and wonderful. The mythic, the otherworldly, and the speculative are not so much an everyday occurrence as they are a mission statement. People come to science fiction and fantasy for the familiarity -- most children's fairy tales are deeply fantastical -- but they stay for reasons as varied as why people read at all.

Science fiction is perhaps best understood by an alternative name for the genre: speculative fiction.  It is fiction that asks questions about the human condition and the meaning of life by taking us beyond everyday life.  We go to strange planets, far distant futures or even to our own past — in order to learn about who we really are.  Science fiction takes its readers to far off galaxies in order to help them understand life on earth more clearly. The results can be startling and profound.

A book like Jonathan Swift’s Gulliver’s Travels really captures what science fiction is about.  Writing in a scientific and enlightened era, Swift knew his readers wanted plausible explanations that helped them suspend disbelief and follow his plot.  Swift made the manner of Gulliver’s travels consistent with the scientific knowledge of the day; the countries he described are located in remote locations that were still unexplored in Swift’s time. As a result, Gulliver’s voyages to Lilliput, was consistent with what was scientifically known at the time.  The book describe voyages to Lilliput but the subject is always home.

Taken as a whole, the field of science fiction today is where most of the most interesting thought about human society can be found.  It is an exploration of our self, as individuals and as a society removed from the limiting restrictions of the present and recreating a world of amazing possibilities.

We should read this genre to help open our minds to the extraordinary possibilities that lie before us. The job of our times is to build a radically new world; science fiction helps point the way.

The Tyger

Tyger Tyger, burning bright,
In the forests of the night :
What immortal hand or eye,
Could frame thy fearful symmetry?

In what distant deeps or skies
Burnt the fire of thine eyes?
On what wings dare he aspire?
What the hand dare seize the fire?

And what shoulder, & what art,
Could twist the sinews of thy heart?
And when thy heart began to beat,
What dread hand? & what dread feet?

What the hammer? what the chain,
In what furnace was thy brain?
What the anvil? what dread grasp
Dare its deadly terrors clasp?

When the stars threw down their spears
And water'd heaven with their tears :
Did he smile his work to see?
Did he who made the Lamb make thee?

Tyger, Tyger burning bright
In the forests of the night :
What immortal hand or eye
Dare frame thy fearful symmetry?

One of William Blake's best works, the poem is a part of a collection of poems - Songs of Experience.
According to me, the poem exemplifies power and the glory that comes along with power. The Tyger may not necessarily be an evil hunter/killer, but  it could also be a thing of beauty.Something which is deadly, but also awe-inspiring.
In the modern context, one ,can almost liken the Tyger to machines used in warfare. Tanks and fighter planes to be specific.The sheer destructive power and the military glory attached to these vehicles of war is similar to the image which is represented by Blake's Tyger.
It is interesting to note how the poet uses words like anvil, furnace and hammer. Scenes of a workshop or factory spring to my mind. Such imagery suggests, that like these weapons, the Tyger too was built in a factory.
Stereotypically, the Lamb(a poem from Blake's Songs of Innocence) and the Tyger are like the yin-yang of poetry. The Lamb representing every thing that is good and innocent and the Tyger the direct opposite.
However, my perception of the Tyger, differs slightly. The Tyger can be seen as both a destroyer and a protector. It is because of its strength that we are in awe of it, but it is not necessary to fear it. The only way that we can get used to the Tyger, is to accept it and not be afraid of what harm it could cause us.

Why Randomness?

Randomness inspires creativity, in fact are not most creative ventures random? Don't most artists wake up from a dream like stupor sometimes to paint or write their masterpieces? The foundation of our whole universe is random- who could imagine, that at the beginning of time, a large chunk of matter would explode and the Earth would come into being.

I am here to explore this randomness.  My quest is not existentialist in nature, but I am only trying to find a string of order out of the vast random happenings in the world today.

Everything from current affairs to English literature will be published on this blog. Viewer's comments are  welcome and any idea's to improve this space will be appreciated.