Unguaranteed Prophecies & Guaranteed Ramblings

Me: Tell me one reason why India’s Independence should be revoked?

Kilmo: You mean, for completely messing up Her Majesty’s Commonwealth Games?

Me: So, what’s next?

Kilmo: I think the British might send a Revenue Department Official (Tax Collector) to raise an invoice with the Finance Ministry of India for the taxes owed since Independence (1947)…

Me: Alright, I’m leaving…

I have to say, Christopher Nolan succeeds in planting his idea in viewers’ minds. Honestly, Hollywood Heroes are literally *zeros* in terms of Emotion with some exceptions. Leonardo Di Caprio is _not_ a bad choice at all.

Nolan is known for his non-linear narrative and has the ability to disorient Viewers with his mixed chronological narrative style. I would say he succeeds on a complex topic that The Matrix struggled to convey. Or may be I have to read between the lines.

Watched Raavan along with my Spouse at Mayajaal, in the suburbs of Chennai.

The movie sticks to modern day adaptation of the Epic Ramayana - shot in the dense protected forest areas of Southern India. The movie gets credit for its Cinematography. The perspectives (at times) are very Discovery Channel-ish with emphasis on flora and fauna specific to the region. A lot of wide angle perspective shots with subjects in macro to close up range make a dominant impact on the Viewers.

The script is absurdly weak like any other earlier Mani Ratnam films. I don’t think anybody in Tamil Film industry is yet to challenge Mysskin’s twist and turns to screenplay (may be - i am biased). The characters speak Mani Ratnam-ish dialogues (irritating to say the least) or poetic communication of emotions (for the aficionados).

Few things that you can expect and appreciate about Mani Ratnam (as a film maker) is his penchant for less known locales in India as well as his fanatic liking for Tirunelveli and its surroundings. Although his protagonist hails from Vikramasingapuram and is hailed as a Robin Hood among the locals, many shots are actually shot in dense forests of South India (as mentioned earlier). So, you can discount logic for the film maker’s poetic depiction of how surroundings can add to the weak script.

The Director actually deserves a bit of accolade for his interpretation of Raavan. In a nutshell, Rama would not be God if he hadn’t faced a mighty (so-called) Villain like Raavan. The story is also more about the benevolent side of Raavan and what makes him to perform Rudhrathaandava when provoked. Like our history books and biased representation, we all have this impression that evil comes from Sri Lanka and kidnaps a beautiful lady like Sita (heck, who knows - how she looked?). Rama is always portrayed as “the God” (for the naive) who can do NO wrong in spite of his suspicion of Sita’s fidelity or his discretionary killing of Vaali. Anyway, the Director (as mentioned in his earlier interviews) shares his thought on what is the line that divides the Good and the so-called Bad? Themes which have been explored by the Cantonese film (Internal Affairs) and its English adaptation (The Departed) - in modern day settings.

This time, Mani decides to render the Epic as a fight between Tribes and the so-called “Protectors of Law”, the Police.

The efforts deserve a praise but the weak story leaves a staid feeling. A.R.Rahman actually did a better job in Vinnaithaandi Varuvaaya (as in his songs and re-recording suited the Gautam Menon-ish love story) than Raavan. Pieces of his composition are good but the rest is disappointing. Mani Ratnam has to stop casting the 90s idiots like Prabhu and Karthik. Enough is enough with the former clowns! Vayyapuri, as the Eunuch, is an awesome selection!

There is no doubt that Mani is an intellect. But film making demands evolution to suit the taste of movie goers while still leaving the maker’s stamp. To me, a good Director is the one that can make a fascinating screen play out of nothing!

I had to file my first appeal with the Appellate Authority (happens to be a senior member to the Public Information Officer) and in most cases just forwards my appeal to the PIO.

For those that are not aware of RTI process, please visit RTI forums or the respective State Government website. A first appeal is required if the applicant has _not_ received or is _not_ satisfied with the reply received from the PIO.

For details of my RTI - please refer this Post.

Looks like India still doesn’t learn from its past mistakes. At a time when the compensation to families affected by the “Bhopal Union Carbide Gas Leak Tragedy” is still under litigation, the Government of India has diluted the clause that holds responsible any Foreign Company on charges of negligence. [Article Reference]

In the lines of discussion, British Petroleum (BP) is planning to pay out dividends to its share holders while passing the buck when it comes to cleaning up its mess in the Gulf of Mexico.

Wonder why there is no regulatory body for real estate dealings in India?

For obvious reasons to safeguard and proliferate the circulation of *unaccounted* money. It is quite ironic that the already paranoid Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) is tinkering with Civil Liberties while overlooking the obvious platform for *unaccounted* money circulation. How long will it take for the Govt. of India to set up a regulatory body like SEBI to regulate the hugely fragmented Real Estate market?

The current real estate market is like a busy traffic junction with no traffic policeman on duty or without functioning lights. In developing economies like India, the need for a proper regulatory body is of highest importance and I’m wondering why this is being constantly overlooked. Those that aspire to own homes have to rely on opaque Credit Rating companies or unreliable historical data of Real Estate Developers or Promoters in order to invest (read: gamble) their hard earned money.

There is no doubt that the real estate market needs regulation with consumer friendly guidelines. Also as an end note, there is no point in relying on Credit Ratings offered by Organizations that are not transparent enough in revealing data that failed to meet the required standards. I am not discounting CRISIL here. Shame!

Here is the NH-45 Toll Tariff for the Madurai - Trichy - Chennai segment. As of 7th May 2010, the total tollway charge is INR 276 per Light Motor Vehicle (one way).

NHAI Chennai-Trichy-Madurai Toll Segment