Salman Khan arrest, Abhijeet, Farah and pavement dwellers

Salman Khan convicted and sentenced to five years in prison!!!

Though the sentence is not yet executed, it is unbelievable news because -

- Salman is the King of Bollywood

- Heart throb of millions

- Founder of 'Being Human' an NGO

- Helped many people 

- Tooo larger than life to be sent to Jail

Once the result sunk in - one cannot but appreciate the Indian judicial system which finally caught up with the person.  One could also champion it as the triumph of the system and claim to reinforce the faith of the common man in the system.  One point though was missed out i.e compensation for the victims.  Hope that it gets addressed soon.

That said, it was rather unfortunate that Salman Khan got involved in this accident in which one life was lost and three injured.  That could have happened to anyone - we don't need to demonise him for that.  But where he faltered, is in the way he tried to avoid conviction.  That could be a result of natural human tendency or a result of bad advice by his advisors!! Had he owned up manfully and underwent a short sentence, he would have emerged a bigger and more popular man than he is now!!

There were also a few tweets by his fervent admirers Mr Abhijeet and Ms Farah which when summed up, mean that people should not be sleeping on the pavements.  Having watched their interactions on TV too, I was amazed at their insensitivity which almost seemed to imply that the people who slept on the road were the guilty persons!!!I switched off the TV in disgust.

While I was lying down to get to sleep, these discussions were still in my mind.  It is reported that about 5 lakh people live on the footpaths of Mumbai.  With the rich being so insensitive about these people (even likening them to dogs!!!) Who is going to ensure the safety of these people?!!!!  Many accidents have happened killing some of them in the last few years!! I was disturbed by several such thoughts 

---THEN I GOT TO A RATHER INTRIGUING QUESTION -

JUST WHO ARE THESE 5 LAKH PEOPLE SLEEPING ON THE FOOTPATHS?! That led to some doubts!!

- WHO ARE THESE PEOPLE?

- ARE THEY WORKERS - IF YES, IS IT NOT THEIR CONTRACTOR'S LIABILITY TO PROVIDE THEM HOMES?!!

- WHY SLEEP ON FOOTPATHS IN POSH MUMBAI AREAS?  IF THEIR PLIGHT IS SO BAD THEN WHY CONTINUE IN MUMBAI?? WOULDN'T IT BE BETTER IN THEIR HOME TOWNS?

THESE ARE DIFFICULT QUESTIONS TO FIND ANSWERS!!!

Mr Abhijeet and Ms Farah may have started this discussion rather crudely, but it may still need to be taken forward to get to the root of this problem.  My heart is with the people who don't have a home and are sleeping on the footpath - but I want to know if they really don't have a choice??  

Either way, after a lot of thought, I tend to agree that footpaths are not meant for people to sleep or hawk.  It's time to do away with the word -'pavement dwellers' altogether and make alternate arrangements for them as precious lives are being lost in this manner !!.

Maybe it's time for a new movement - to free up the pavements (not just roads as in the Times of India initiative) and one may need to thank Mr Abhijeet and Ms Farah for starting this seemingly outrageous (at first sight) discussion.

radhika apte and kyra dutt - full frontal nudity

Ms Kyra Dutt apparently signed the full frontal nudity clause for an Ekta Kapoor film.   The news made enough headlines and the same was the case with the apparently leaked video of Ms Radhika Apte.

Both the Ladies are free women and are at liberty to do whatever they please.  So, it is again upto the censor board to decide what will pass muster and what doesn't.   Why any Producer would need to have a full frontal nudity clause when the censor board does not permit it, is difficult to fathom.  These people would now film explicit scenes just short of full nudity and then try to put pressure on censor board.  I hope the censor board pre-empts such moves.  Anyway this post is about the hue and cry being raised about the second lady's video.

The director says that it was artistically and sensitively shot as part of a larger film sequence and that particular shot must not be seen in isolation.  I haven't seen the video (it has not come to me on whts app - i have a decently active network - i asked a few others who are fairly active - they haven't seen it either - some even asked who is radhika apte?!!!! - that is something i wonder myself - coz honestly i have not heard of her myself?!!! - so could this be another publicity stunt by somebody?? - I don't know so I would not comment!!!)

But honestly speaking, if you have made a 20 minute film then the audience has the right to see the film in entirety or watch the film in bits of even a few seconds.  You can't dictate what to watch and what not to!! You can't really say that you can watch the frontal nudity scene only if you watch the full 20 minutes.   It is not even a case of cheating/misrepresentation bcoz when the movie was shot - the lady agreed for frontal nudity and once the shot was canned - paying audience is free to watch it whenever and as many times as they want (if they wish to , at all) and whichever parts they want.  One really can't be aggrieved about it.

The only real issue is that - it is not a legal release.  That is something that the able people at the cyber crime department would surely take care.  So, the case primarily is of film piracy and not much about frontal nudity.

censor board for TV

Yesterday i found my 4 year old daughter humming the lyrics of the sunny leone song 'baby doll'. I was shocked as i try my best to avoid unneccessary tv exposure to my little one.

Now here she is, despite my best efforts singing this song!!!  One can be dismissive and simply brush aside the whole issue saying that - i could have locked the channel, switched off the tv, disconnected my cable connection etc etc ... the list is endless.

but look at it from my point of view.  how many channels can i lock? with subtly sexy ads and songs coming in all channels with no prior warning to viewers, how do we react to this?

In addition i must say - if a thief manages to enter your bed room - whose fault is it - your's or the thief's? -  these tv visuals are like thieves who trespassed into our houses and they are refusing to go!!!!!

Its not only the shows/songs but also the advertisements that have turned objectionable with deo sprays, condomns and even some ointment ads being made to look like ultra soft porn.  Some super righteous and super idealistics have said that only perverts can find 'ads' to be porn.  Well I wish to say to all of them - hey this is the real world!! please let go your lofty ideals, come down to grass roots level and see what is happening every day on the ground!!!

The TV shows do carry a notice that if we wish to, we can complain to the Broadcasting authority of India against the content.  This shows that there is already a regulatory body to keep a check on TV.  But why entertain complaints after the show is broadcast - why not have it screened by the regulatory body prior broadcast like for movies.  

This may need some additional organisation, manpower and resources but then, this is the need of the hour.

It's time - yes -it's time that we have a censor board for TV shows and the adverts too.  

Censor Chief bans 36 cuss words!!

Hats off to the Censor Chief for showing the courage and conviction to take such action.  I did not know who he was before becoming censor chief or what kinda films he made - but this is one decison he took in the right direction.

Many words such as MC,BC,F****, SH**(THIS IS BIG TIME), TERI MAA ki etc are slowly slipping into main stream cinema.  These words were non existent in earlier movies but these days we find even the women characters mouthing such expletives. So, somewhere down the line, the censor board became more flexible probably giving in to the demands of the so called 'creative' people.  

If somebody finds creativity in using cuss words, its time somebody told them that, it is sheer nonsense. As the audience I cringe everytime the lead actors swear as I have small children with me watching the movie.  I dont want them to hear these words!! If they hear these words repeatedly i fear that they may get de-sensitised to their use and may find it normal.  The big actors need to be doubly careful in using such words because the common man would think - if such a big actor uses them, then it must be ok and he also would attempt using such words as a display of his macho-ism.

In addition, the rising crimes against women can also be traced to 'itemisation' of women and violence against women in films. Women are referred as 'maal', 'bomb', 'item' etc. for heavens sake - 'item'? - is she a dish? - and this word is so main streamed now - item girl and item song have become ubiquitous with hindi cinema now.  With all the 'A' list heroines willing to shake their hips and titillate the audience with their skin show albeit very 'creatively', majority of men look at all women in the same way - just as 'items'. The violence against women shown in the movies also alters the mind s of yound inviduals where eve teasing, assault, slapping of heroines and rapes are routinely shown.

Neither the producers nor the actors are able to define the limits of this so called 'creativity'.  They are stretching it in every film.  There was a south indian heroine who famously stated that she wanted to shed even the two piece bikini she wore but the censors wouln't let her!!! and that was 25 years back!!! You can imagine what would be the state today!!! I cant even understand why people are making so much fuss about 'not using cuss words' in movies. Isn't that a move in the right direction?!!! how is any creativity  being nixed in that? and still if someone thinks so - so be it!!! we as audience dont want such creativity!!

 
Today, just take a moment and think - how many movies can a family watch together without any embarassing moments?!!!!

Therefore, our cinema needs a tough headmaster to ensure that social values are upheld and that there is no further degradation of cinema.  We also need to think - What is the message we want to send to our next generation? How do we want to portray ourselves to them?

There are also the censor chief's detractors who say that he made some really bad movies way back.  But the point is - when he made them he was just the film maker and if the film was bad, it was the then censor board's duty to check it.  If they didnt (which i dont know anything about), then it was their failure.  That should not prevent that same film maker from discharging his present duty (as the censor board chief) in a committed and upright manner in the interest of the youth of our great Nation.

Chennai express - part 2

part 1 can be read on this blog here
http://recklessmusings.blogspot.in/2013/08/chennai-express.html

Chennai Express - Part 2
-------------------------

Like I said at the end of part 1, we did go to see the movie.  Put me back by a cool 1200/- rupees including the eats n drinks.

First the bad parts
------------------

1.  The story is very run of the mill and an oft repeated one
2.  The story line is entirely predictable from the beginning to the end
3.  Story was needlessly stretched towards the end
4.  what made Shah Rukh change his mind was not clear
5.  How did Shah Rukh become so strong, so as to thrash everyone in the end?
6.  the handling of his dadaji's death leaves a bad taste!!
7.  Lastly, even Shah rukh's ardent admirers have to agree that he looks way too old to pull off romantic contortions of his face.   Those impossible contortions looked good when he was young and they probably mesmerised the women.  But at his present age, they make us suffer. I just could not look at his face in the movie after he says ' i love you' to Deepika.  I hope our dear Shah rukh takes note.

Next the Good parts
------------------------

1.  See it for Deepika - for her looks, effortless acting and comic timing
2.  See it for Priyamani - for her good looks and dance
3.  See it for the beautiful locales and brilliant camera work
4.  See it for the lungi dance song (not for the lungi dance per se which looks quite cheap but for the rest of the song)
5.  See it for the comic parts 
6. It is a true family movie. no sex or vulgarity and not too much fighting!!

Lastly - the average parts
------------------------
1. SRK's acting. I felt most of the time he was trying to be a part of the Gen X.  Quite hyper and over acting many times.  But SRK being SRK , he manages to hold the audience.
2. Stunts

The sermon towards the end by SRK about women not getting liberation even after 66 years of independence ( i think he said in the 66 th year of independence, he should read my post http://recklessmusings.blogspot.in/2013/08/66-th-or-67th-independence-day.html), feels out of place. It may have been deliberately placed there to win over some women viewers.

Still, the sermon sounds hollow, as SRK (as Rahul) has scant respect for his grand parents, who brought him up since child hood after the death of his parents. Have you heard of 'love for grand parents' or 'gratitude' , Mr Rahul?.  You have no gratitude or loyalty to your grand parents or the village which helped you, then Mr, what sort of values do you stand for?

SRK (as a real individual) is  guilty of being party to the depiction of grand parents being treated in this way.  Even the manner in which Dadaji dies is in exceptionally poor taste.  Its not just money friends!!! You need to care about what sort of values you are propagating!!!

But who gives a fish?!!! The film is a big hit and is racing towards the 200 crores mark in just a week!!!  And such films will continue to be made!!!

MY VERDICT : YOU CAN WATCH IT WITH YOUR FAMILY. YOU MAY OR MAY NOT ENJOY IT,  BUT YOU WONT BE BORED

Chennai Express

My daughter was after me since last few days to see Chennai express!! As was my usual habit, I checked on the reviews of the film.  Almost all the critics have panned the film with one even declaring 'board at your own risk'.  I told the same to my daughter who just wouldn't agree with the reviews (shah rukh power i guess!!!).  I reminded her of the last time we had the same conversation.  The critics equally panned Ra One but my daughter forced me to go to the movie with her and the day we went there were just a little over 20 people in the theatre and too in inox!!!. And i came back with a splitting headache from the movie!!! So she grudgingly kept quiet!!!

Yesterday she told me - 'papa chennai express is going to cross 200 crores this week'.  I thought she was joking  but a quick search on the net confirmed what she said!! How could a film so poorly rated by critics do so well at the box office?!!! 

Are the critics dumb or the audiences?  I did a bit of research and found out quite interesting points. Have a look!!

Chennai express was released in 7000+ screens across all territories.  Considering the average occupancy of each screen, they may be fetching atleast 50,000 per day. Multiply that with 7000 screens result in a whopping 35 crores per day!!! So if any such film just manages to run 5 days, it is sure to earn at least 100 crores. During this period and before there are certain actions taken by the production houses:-

before release

--------------

1.  generate a lot of buzz about the movies from a few months before release

2.  attend tv events, shows, inaugurations

3. incessant interviews of lead actors

4. ads on tv and internet

5. high profile release

6. enroll cyber armies. this is to counter every critic on the internet in the first few days so that a credible opinion on the movie does not come out and keeps the potential viewer confused about the movie (even if it is definitely bad)

all this will ensure a high initial turnout

after release
---------------

1.  Release high figures for first day gross

2. have all actors talk about how happy they are with the success

3. big tv and paper ads about the success and gross collections

4. have cyber armies actively praise the movie online

5. keep the buzz alive

6. keep the potential viewer interested

basically its all about the first one week.  The potential viewer comes to know about the movie by a week.  Thereafter if it good, he will see it and if it bad he will drop it.  But, the first week is the time his opinion has to be managed by the tv, internet and print media.  All the Blitz, even if it does not convince him , it will keep him confused at least.  And that is the aim!!!

Also, when someone says that a movie is a 70 crore movie, we would like to know the breakdown like

hero fee-

heroine fee-

all other actors fee-

ads budget -

director fee-

all other persons fee-

fee need to be paid no doubt, but the renumeration paid to individuals does not add to the technical values of a film.  So if i want to know on what a grand scale a movie is made, then i would like to know how much was spent on locations, sets, special effects, stunts, technical advancements etc!!!

Also, it brings us to an important question. Can everyone get 7000 screens for his release? Obviously not - as Ajay devgan found out some time back.  Therefore if you have 3500 screens instead of 7000, then your collections are cut in half!!!.  This means that collections are not a result of good cinema but a clever manipulation of screens by the production houses!!  You may make a bad movie in 20 crores but if you release in 7000 screens with as much publicity, it will still return a substantial profit in the first three days itself!!

So, in the present day, the success of a film does not talk of the quality of the film!!! (this is not a comment on Chennai Express as I haven't yet seen the film)

p.s:- Still, we are going to see Chennai Express today becoz I too am confused !!! And that sums up the story!!!

TRAI orders on advertisements

 

TRAI ordered all the TV Channels to restrict advertisements to 12 minutes per hour.  As I read it, I wondered how TRAI would push in this difficult legislation and also if TRAI had the power to do such a thing (as many broadcasters claimed that it didn't have).  Anyway i thought to myself that it would be wonderful if the quantum of advertisements can be reduced even a little bit. 

Gone are the days when we used to wonder how Star Network was surviving (during the start up of the cable revolution).  At that time most of the adverts were about STAR's own programmes.  Now that there are so many advertisements, it is difficult to follow your favourite programmes.  I always wondered the need for pay channels if we are being forced to watch so many adverts anyway.  There are some channels which are particularly harsh on viewers.  For example, I never watch the movies on Sony channels as they show too many adverts and as a result, the movie goes on late into the night (atleast my experience).  

But the sad part is that it doesn't make much difference to them for two reasons - one is that they are a big corporation and the second is that, i am anyway paying for that channel as it is part of a bouquet that i have selected.  The more  tech savvy might say that if viewers dont watch the channel, it might affect their TRP's and consequently the advertisement revenue  they command.  It may be True but as a Common man, I am not intrested or intellectual enough to understand all those issues.  I just want to have some quality viewing time for the money that i am paying (which is a decent sum at Rs/- 550 per month).  Considering that some channels are charging more than Rs/- 10 per month per subscriber that's a lot of money (10 * a conservative 10 crore subscribers for major channels= 100 crores without even counting in any advertisements).  I dont have any qualms about channels earning money coz they are in business after-all but they should have an ear for the subscriber experience too.

 

They also must have safeguards to stop channels from cheating subscribers. Classic example is of advertisements eating into the first ball of an over in cricket OR the over zealous experiment of a channel to show a deferred telecast of an international match so that more adverts can be pumped in (the same telecast was also on fm radio and the match was over long before it finished on telly!!!)

I was further flummoxed after reading an article by Shri Edari Gopi Chand in the Hindu on 05 April 2013.  He brought out that the cap on advertisement duration to 12 minutes per hour is already a part of the advertising code i.e Rule 7(11) of the cable network regulation, 1994. 

The rule apparently reads as follows -" no programme shall carry advertisements exceeding 12 minutes per hour which may include upto 10 minutes per hour of commercial advertisements and upto 2 minutes per hour of self promotional programmes".  So, if the rule is already existing, then it is amply clear that TRAI was not trying to invoke some new clause.  Its just nobody cared till now!!!! Now that TRAI has come into the picture and trying to make the telly more friendly to the subscriber, its creating problems to the channels!!!  Its interesting to note that if such a rule existed all along, why it was never implemented?!!!

 

 

 

And also, if we are forced to watch advertisements on certain channels for nearly 30-40 % of the time, Isn't it more logical to make them free channels by showing adverts for  a few minutes more!!! Then even we will have no reason to complain!!!!

Sorry Teacher?!!!

'Sorry Teacher' is a movie about an illicit affair between a student and his teacher. The titillating photos and promos are sure to excite the youth but it has also run into stiff opposition from women teacher associations, human rights commission and the high court.

 

Why is the film being opposed - because it depicts teachers as sexual objects and destroys the sacred relation between a teacher and a student (remember "guru brahmo guru vishnu?").  Being exposed to a film like this may have a lasting impression on young minds who may develop similar attitude towards their teachers.

Let us examine the facts. To begin with - this is not the first film where the hero had developed a crush on his teacher. the first film to the best of my knowledge was our good old Raj Kapoor's "mera naam joker" where he develops a crush on simi garewal, his teacher. Now lets be honest most of us (be it guys or ladies) have had a crush on one or the other teachers during our child hood and college days. And to have a crush on a teacher was considered quite normal by everyone in college even in those days.

So why this hue and cry over this movie?

Firstly - in all the crushes we had, the teacher never reciprocated and in many occassions she never even knew about it!!!!

Secondly - it was a crush where one wanted to be in the company of that teacher, listen to her or try be their favourite student etc with "love or infatuation" being the driving factor and not "sex"!!! and no where did the teacher by herself ever contribute to that, unlike the poster of this movie given below!!!!!! 

Then kicks in the censor board which gave the film a U/A certificate. Pray tell me!!! what is there in this for a child to watch the movie under adult/parental guidance!!! It would probably be most embarassing for a mother to watch this movie with her son or even for a father!!!  The censor board could atleast have given an 'A' certificate.

Fortunately our society is still active and members of the All India Democratic Women's Association (AIDWA) and United Teachers Federation (UTF) held protests at the office of Censor Board for Film Certification for giving the U/A certificate.  The high court too played its part by summoning the censor board member who gave the certificate.

The High court in the interim stayed the release of the film which is good news for all people holding saner visions of student-teacher relation ship.  It is understood that some organisations are calling for a total ban of the film!! I hope the high court does that!!! 

That would be the best teachers day gift our society can hope to give!!

"Happy Teacher's Day"

Censor certificate for films on TV - update

In continuation of my earlier post .....i was very happy to read that the censor board decided not to permit adult movies on TV at all i.e at any time of the day. As earlier reported, censor board limited them only in the late night slots which was contested by the film producers. They nearly got away with it when the court decided in their favour but it seems that the censor board is not only sticking to its stand but also upped its ante by deciding that adult films would not be screened at all.  this is excellent news for people like us. one needs to wait for the next move of the producer guild though...

Censorship of film on TV

Star movies and maybe HBO later on (or vice versa) were the first to introduce the rating system for movies they show on their channels (unfortunately it no longer exists)

13 - meant it was suitable for people above 13

PG - meant that they are suitable for children but under parental guidance

18 - for 18 and above and so on...

one would say that this is roughly equivalent of our censor system and that there is nothing new in it. well there is something new in this - the age label /indicator stayed on the screen throughout the duration of the movie at the right hand top corner, so that at any point in time you knew which group the movie is suitable for!!!

this helped in two ways:-

1. for the not so bright ones like me who are not in sync with all the modern day movies to know whether they are 'U' or 'A' rated (especially after missing the censor certificate so religiously shown at the beginning in some indian channels), to choose whether to watch a particular movie or not 

2. To clearly inform children which movies are undesirable for them to watch and avoid corrupting their minds at a young age.  Many a time, children may inadvertently watch an adult movie in ignorance and by 'adult' I dont mean just 'sex'. it could be crime, violence, poor depiction of human relations or anything that corrupts or contrives their young minds, all of which contribute to their 'loss of innocence'.

for unknown reasons they stopped the rating system. propbably the 13 rated movies werent getting enough commercials!!

anyway I was quite surprised to see in the newspapers a few days back that a court had set aside censor board directives for telecasting adult films only at late nights. one mr bhatt whom i earlier admired for his strong n gutsy words  was reportedly overjoyed at the court's verdict.  Well who wouldnt be coz the sale of satellite rights of these sleazy movies would certainly multiply if permitted in prime time!!!  

I have a few questions for all the proponents against the censor board:-
1. To see an 'A ' rated movie in a theatre - a child has to go the movie, buy a ticket and pass the scrutiny of the ticket checking staff (who are supposed to ascertain his age) to watch the movie. how do u put safe guards while at home (especially when the parents are working?)

2. Secondly, if u genuinely dont know that a movie is 'A' rated and sit down to watch a movie with your family in prime time - how do you handle the situation? at what point do you decide that enough is enough and switch/change the channel? how do you handle the situation between the beginning of a 'sex/violence/crime' scene to the point of switching off/changing the channel?

3. why not have permanent label/indicator at an un-obtrusive location on screen saying 'U', 'A' or 'UA' so that no one inadvertently watches Adult movies?

4. Lastly for the likes of the director whom i admired earlier for both his movies and strong words - why are you getting into my house - let me be - if i want to watch an adult film - i will pay for it and watch in the theatre - or get a dvd and watch - YOU PEOPLE NEED NOT SHOW US ADULT MOVIES FOR FREE ON TV - PLEASE DONT DO US THIS FAVOUR!!! DONT TRY TO FORCIBLY GET UR SLEAZE INTO OUR LIVING ROOMS FOR THE MILLIONS THAT U MAKE OUT OF SATELLITE RIGHTS!!!!

Television and cable - I am not anti, but.... - part III.....the case of the missing back ... Bollywood adds to the chaos

disclaimer: This is not a sexist post but mere reflections on actual happenings.

WE were discussing different kinds of vodka based cocktails.  Anand a dear friend of mine was animatedly listing the virtues of a bloody mary while Raj, an acquaintance was more inclined towards a screw driver.  Those were our happy go lucky days with not a care in the world - about two decades back. Suddenly Anand let out an audible gasp!!! 'Look at that' he exclaimed and we all promptly turned to see a gorgeous sari clad lady in an exquisitely cut sleeveless blouse which revealed a reasonable portion of her back.  That lady being the only one dressed so, was the cynosure of all eyes in the evening but many of the other ladies quite openly hissed at her boldness.  The image of that lady remained etched in our memory long after the party was over.  The decades rolled by and Anand invited me to another cocktail party last month, having returned permanently from the US as a successful businessman.  We were recollecting the good times we had, while in the walked the most beautiful sari clad woman I have seen in a long time wearing the tiniest of  backless blouses with a vivid display of her beautiful back. Though the display was too bold for me, being a Man, I couldnt help marvel the sight. Before I could recover from that sight, there was another dazzling damsel in a similar attire and another one and so on... I looked around and found myself sharing space with many women who seemed to compete for a prize for the 'shortest back'!!! I compared this with the incident in our cocktail party decades back. 'Arrey!! yeh toh kuch bhi nahin (This is nothing), havent you seen our bollywood heroines?' ..Anand said and splashed the pictures from a latest film magazine. I couldnt help agreeing with him, what with all of them in barely there blouses!!! 

With the top heroines eager to display their backs I wondered what effect it would have on the normal women across the street!!

Sure enough I could notice a certain boldness in a large number of women on the streets too with the backs becoming that wee bit shorter and thinner (Needless to say there were many who were as covered as before).  The women were not the least bit conscious about it, as after all, their favourite heroines are also glammed up in the same way except that they are paid a small bomb for doing it. The influence of bollywood and the local language films could not be lost on the masses. Moreover such dress sense counts them as 'in style' and not outdated.

Hey!! we are not moralising here on what should be or what should be not or what is the correct length of the back of a blouse!!! This post is to bring out the fact that TV/Movies affect our mindset be it the men or the women.  This is an important aspect for all Teleserial/Movie makers to realise.  You have the power to change people's minds and perspectives!! 

Therefore, they need to be  limit the dosage of violence, sex and skewing of interpersonal relations in the movies/Teleserials as repeated exposure to such ideas would neccessarily have an affect on juvenile minds.   I am afraid such repeated exposure may numb the senses and adversely affect the sensitivity of children. This may lead to an increase in juvenile crimes. I dont have the data right now but i will obtain it and post it here as a proof of increase in juvenile crimes.

So My dear Film/serial makers !!! you have great power in your hands!! please use it to build a better society and make your contribution to mankind.  This is your oppurtunity!! Go grab it with both hands!!

Television and cable - I am not anti, but.... - part II- 'The lOSS OF INNOCENCE'

A few days back while channel surfing I saw a popular dance show on a local television channel.  A lovely girl was showing her dance moves to the judges and the audience.  Going by the whistles and cat calls her performance generated, one could see that the audience was being well entertained.  I too leaned back in my couch setting aside the remote to further watch her performance.  The Girl dressed in a backless choli with substantial midriff showing had chosen risque bollywood numbers which required her to be provocative with a whole lot of pelvic thrusts and jhatkas. The pelvic thrusts of the girl enticed immediate response from the crowds who were largely male and they began to match their pelvic thrusts with her.  There was a loud amount of cheering and whistling which kept the thrusts and jhatkas going on for nearly a minute.  Depending on your personal views, it could have been seen as a vulgar display or a group of people having some good fun.  The bigger point is that girl could hardly have been 10 years old and she performed this dance right in front of her parents who appeared to be thoroughly pleased with the response their daughter elicited from the audience.  Surely no one ,let alone  own parents should agree to a little girl dancing to the tunes of 'choli key peeche kya hain' or 'sheela ki jawani' but far from disagreeing they actually seem to have been thrilled with her. Does dancing to such songs and enduring such lewd behaviour from the audience affect the psyche of this child?  Now as far as human relations are concerned - how does this girl think? as and adult? or as a child? Can I give her an affectionate hug as a child without her doubting my intentions? These are all some questions for which I dont know the answers for sure. I also dont know as to what the guys matching pelvic thrusts with her might have been thinking at that moment!!!I hope it was harmless fun!!!!

(... to be continued) 

Television and cable - I am not anti, but.... - part I

The title says it all - I am not anti TV but the quality and nature programs in recent times makes me cringe uncomfortably.

to understand the full implications of the issue one must realise the following issues

Penetration level.       TV is the only platform which has the highest penetration levels into each household. Every urban and most of the rural households have access to this medium.  For watching a movie, one has to go to the cinema hall but the TV is always there.

Difficult to censor.       To watch an 'A' rated movie in a cinema hall you need to shell out a hundred rupees but the same movie can be watched comfortably at home free of cost (except for the monthly cable charge) after a few weeks.  Further we can control who goes to the movies by rigidly following the 18+ rule (atleast in places where it is implemented) but how can you regulate what our children watch on TV (ok! ok! i know parental controls on some TV systems but we are talking of the common man with the cable Tv!!!)

advertisor driven programmes.     some children friendly programmes such as 'tiny tv' used to dominate the kids channels some time back. but such programmes are being pushed to the back burner presumably at the behest of the advertisors who are eager for the ad slots. i was watching a kids programme with my daughter when i was shell shocked during the break to see an ad for a deodorant with all those impossibly beautiful grils throwing themselves over a common man like me just because he used that particular deo. now they have started raiding our kids programmes also so how much can we guard?!!!

social engineering.    with the reach of TV, social engineering is being done by the big marketing entities ostensibly to market the products.  they are forcing products onto us which we were perfectly happy without!!! take for example the fairness creams - a dark complexion girl doesnt get a job, so she uses a cream, becomes snow white and gets a job. what does this imply? meaning a girl with dark complexion cannot get a job? i will leave this topic here as i am going to write about this seperately including corporate social responsibility.

loss of innocence.   children are losing their innocence very fast with this 'in your face' campaigning, tv programmes and game shows!! a lot could be said about parental controls but the average parent is just that'average'. he/she follows the generally popular fads without being able to understand the long term ill effects on their child and the society.

... rest in part II