Smashana Kurukshetra

Smashana Kurukshetra, an epic play written by Karnataka's most famous poet - Kuvempu. The play directed by Maltesh Badiger.
Kuvempu's poems, stories used to be my Kannada literature lessons during School and each of his lessons had a moral. I'm not well versed knowing his plays and poems; and this is making me nervous to write a review about a play written by The Rashtrakavi himself. So, dear readers bear with me and spare me if I'm found guilty of posting a bad article.

It all started when a friend of mine, gave me a call inviting me to be an audience member for a drama that was going to be staged at Ravindra Kalakshetra, Bangalore. Initially hesitated because plays and me never bonded. I loved watching movies on screen and quite frankly, I considered live performers a bit lame but would appreciate them(performers, crew members) for their effort. But eventually, I had to say a yes because being an actor was a passion of mine when I was young. And I still have a few traces of my childhood passions left in me. There is no better opportunity to watch actors perform live to get inspired. And so, I made it a high priority about the event. I made sure to keep away with my busy schedule of sitting in front of my darling computer; and make it a point to be there on time.

The grey building was huge located right at the center of the city. I sighed with relief after looking at the huge red board that said Ravindra Kalakshetra in huge yellow colored Kannada and English fonts. I climbed the steps to get in and thought I got into a Museum. There were posters and articles about Kuvempu pasted on walls; and finally saw the doors that lead me into a whole new world. I was surprised realizing that the entry was free of charges; and I paid a minimum of 100 bucks to watch an already recorded, hyped, visually manipulated film. I felt, I needed to pay at least 200 bucks to support the lively hood of actors and the stage setters.

Wondering if I could get a seat, I hurried in to find an empty hall. A pity sight actually. A Kannada play staged to play in 3o minutes had no audience to entertain. I glanced all over the auditorium and the first thing I saw was a rectangular horizontal board, at the centre of the stage, which had Kuvemp’s picture on it. Front of it were 5 seats right in front of it for important dignitaries to rest as each one of them had to speak about the prologue of the play and also about Kuvempu. Finally after moments of restless wait and yawns, an old man walked to the mike and gave a formal speech in Kannada. He spoke which such fluency that I, who always spoke recklessly using slangs, couldn’t decipher his words. I got the hang of it gradually and I must tell you, his dialect of speaking was next to perfection. He spoke each word with indebt meaning in them, like a bunch of unknown dictionary words put together. And so, it went on to the speech sessions. But the pitiful situation struck again. Few of the VIPs who were invited, hadn’t yet arrived.

The mike went on to Mr. Narayan, who was a Gandhian and also a strong patriot. He was old and pretty much a serious person who seemed to dislike humor. He started off with a sarcastic slap to those VIPs who were absent, welcoming their absence and hopes for them to come soon by setting aside their busy schedules. His speech was an impressive one as he showered some wisdom about Dramas and its importance in a city filled with multiplexes, malls and cinema-theatres. He concluded with kind words of thanking each and every one of the audience and finishing his final line saying Jai Kuvempu, Jai Karnataka.

Later Ram Mohan gave a speech regarding the efforts and struggle put forth by the actors and crew to stage a show. A few prize distributions by the dignitaries happened later.

Show shuru.

10 minutes passed after the scheduled time – 6.30 pm. The lights went off, after few crew men moved the props that were on stage for the dignitaries. Lights dimmed soon after that. The dark room overwhelmed me as I got excited to witness something new on a large scale. And finally the seats started to fill in; I guess few people disliked speeches. A bell rang exciting me even more. I looked hard towards the dark stage, looking for shadows at least to to find out what was going on. The bell rang for the second time and I prepared myself by putting the phone on silent and leaned back to a comfortable position. The bell rang again for the third time and my eyes grew wide open in reflex.

The show finally began with drums beats ascending from low to a high pitch and I could relate them to the beat of my heart. A man stepped onto a prop, the audience cheered the start with claps. It was like Rajnikanth had come on stage. A man with dhotis and a linen curling around his torso, screamed with pain explaining his grief on a battle field.

Well here is the concept. Smashana meaning a Hindu Graveyard; and Kurukshetra, was where the Battle of Mahabharata took place.

The show went on to different phases of scenes, portraying different characters and Gods of the epic Mahabharata; showing their grievances and condolences to the lives that were brutally lost due to the clash between the Pandavas and the Kauravas. The actors got so involved into the characters that they looked like they threw their soul out to fill in the soul of the characters they played. The mood and the ambience of each scene were taken care of by the sounds men, who were of two sitting on the corner of stage with drums and mikes to sing chants accordingly. The multi colored lighting also helped by giving the act the feel it needed for a scene. The staging went well as well as the actors were highlighted by being placed on the limelight at the right time. Most of the actors, like my friend, had to play multiple roles. It would have been a tough time for them to change their costume and their make-up then and again; and be back for the next scene on time.

One such act that I enjoyed watching was that of Manu, who played the role of Dhuryodhana. An act of versatile anger, played beautifully with no flaws at all. The audience got more involved into the show as he banged his fists onto a miniature platform set as a prop. His modulated his voice with every word emphasizing the depth of his emotions. And my friend Ajay played the role of Arjuna, a warrior prince and also a brother of the Pandava clan. His acting was acting was good enough to play the role of an important icon of the Mahabharata. He too like the rest did multi roles and the only way to spot him amongst other costumed co-actors was by listening to the dialogues. His voice was familiar to a famous Kannada actor.

The staging was like any other bollywood film sets. It looked dry and sleazy but was enough to mention the description of each scene.

I have to admit, it got boring at times. I still remember yawning and looking elsewhere a few times. Maybe it was because, I couldn’t follow an act or maybe because it was too much for a first time drama show. But either ways, it didn’t entertain me like the movies did. But it did give me a strong inspiration for anim-acting which is an acting exercise and a part of my study curriculum.

Well, above all I liked the moral. It has philosophies and situations that one should think about. Plays like these, can keep Kuvempu’s legacy alive and also help us to stick to our morals.

In the end, people barged out to leave after a small session of applause when the light filled the auditorium. I had to leave too; I was late already and hoped to get a good empty, un-crowded bus back home. But I stayed back for a few more minutes to wave a bye to my friend. I got to see a few actors up close. They were busy being appreciated. It was like a mini-movie premier where family and friends clicked pictures of them and greeted them with appreciations on their performance. They deserved it. Given a chance, they would change the fate of our film industry. They were just brilliant.

Wires, Birds & Buildings

Wires across one electric pole to another just a few yards away; Birds that you can spot on every nuke and corner of a building; and Buildings that were colored bright but faded away due to time.

Well these are the three main elements that I personally liked when I ventured into ... Well, wouldn't want to mention the name of the locality cause this post may seem like an offence to the readers residing in those areas but if you are a Bangalorean, you just might guess the place soon after reading just a few lines.

"The place" is more like a town busy with people who are busy selling most of the times, unlike most parts of Urban Bangalorean Civilizations where Fun and Work go hand in hand, naming a few - Kormangala, Jayanagar, Brigade road and surrounding areas and many more Urban hot-spots to boast about.

What I saw, wished not to see rather was - Garbage dumped around cement made - waste disposal barrel which was supposed to be the actual target for dumping; Small stalls on wheels which served food & people fed on those oily things with confidence like it was the best hygienic food in town. The Shops were filled with different kinds of people. I bet if you stayed there for a day you would meet people from all over India! and the shop keepers - more or less like cunning foxes which turned into selfish humans by the day, trying to out wit customers by marketing their fake brands that looked like brands of Nike, Reebok etc which super-stars endorsed on TV. The shops were like go-downs and a showroom put together, like a factory outlet; they were small rooms with glass showcases to show off their version of international brands. Footpaths too had colonies of miniature shops, transforming a public property into "use the road if you want to walk!"(that was the reply that slapped me when I claimed for some walking space). Forced to walk on roads, I had to dodge on coming and traffic as some two wheelers tried using little space on road that people used instead of footpaths. Almost witnessed a murder, when one aggressive rider screamed abuses on an other aggressive rider's mother. Bus drivers rode their huge six wheelers like how an irritated auto driver would try go around the city like they own the roads. I got screamed at by a bus conductor for saving my own life from the clutches of an accelerating bus and I wished for an "are you alright?" from the conductor who pointed his palm at me in aggression as the bus sped away. That place was never kind, of course people would give you a smile but that was only if you would do something favoring them or when you buy something from a shop by giving them big bucks. I personally missed out on my friendly locality where people would be people and not like someone from the enemy nation. I wouldn't blame anyone there for their way of living life. Life there is very hard, and hard life makes hard people and that might make a person hailing from the big city life feel uncomfortable.

But like always there is a brighter side for everything.
This place had a certain ambiance that had lost its charm due to a reason being people who revolved around money and money which lead to the negative aspect of people's attitude - jealousy, wickedness. Or maybe even other reason, I ve no answer. But, the buildings made me wish for a camera to snap and frame. They looked beautiful and stood tall after ages. They weren't clean and neither did they have bright colors. They looked dull with colors fading away, plus narrow cracks that looked like veins and also could be an easy habitat for termites; and also with posters of leaders who might have promised a better environment. I really felt an awe. But they stood tall in spite of all, bearing the burden of heavy goods and of course the shop keepers who could have shown a little concern by doing some renovations.
The electric cables were an other such sight that i wanted to capture. They were just lines from one pole to an other. They too like buildings stood still, but could notice a few wires swing a little as the wind blew against them. In contrast with buildings, they looked awesome. They were like grids or lines on note books waiting to be written upon, of course imaginary thoughts. I wondered where a line would connect to, but each were connected to many sub lines eventually forming a complicated network of wires delivering constant energy source. The poles that connected them looked like crosses bearing the burden of the strand energy carriers.
And to top it all, the birds lived a life of freedom. They were in their own little world keeping a minimum of 20 feet away from human society on land. They comfortably made use of the props around them to make a living. In one way they were like Indians who typically could adjust and adapt almost anywhere money can be made. I guess these birds were sitting all day and laughing at us humans who could do anything for money and care a little for humanity. They could fly anywhere they wanted to. The sky was their play ground. It was just beautiful to see them flock together in groups and explore the free world which cost them no money.

Why watch hollywood spoofs when Indian Film Industry is making parodies remaking Western Classics!

BRIDE WARS all over again! Producer Shrishti has officially acquired the remake rights for a record price and the film will start rolling shortly by November.

Source IndiaGlitz | http://www.indiaglitz.com/channels/hindi/article/49943.html

When will our film industry STOP remaking films? When will it evolve from mediocre to mature film making? Or is it going to wait till our "Developing country" finally Develops?

I've seen a couple of Hollywood remakes in the past. Well, here are a few "rip offs" - Partner (Will Smith's 'Hitch'), Qayamat (Nicholas Cage & Sean Connery's 'The Rock') and of course you would find many. And I haven't yet mentioned movies that are remade from the south. I sometimes wonder why Hollywood makes spoofs like the 'Scary Movie' series when films here are making parodies out of remaking classics!

Coming back to the Bride Wars which is being made all over again!, There is always a better option of dubbing the film in regional languages. But Remaking it?, is it really worth it. Producers pay big bucks trying to rope in the best faces in the industry plus the directors and a long list of crew. Why don't they invest the same and work a little extra on making a new original concept, script and shoot a fresh new story.

Why don't they try filming classics so that its big brother in LA - Hollywood, would envy. Or at least try making something original.
To start with, India is a land of many states resulting in different communities having its own individual and unique tales to film about. Why not film our tales first instead of filming that we already have seen on Hollywood channels. And plus India is a land of many talents. Citizens from different states having their own style of talent to watch out for. Why not use them in films.

But No, we have actors going western with hip hop numbers like you see on VH1 or MTV; Stunts which can defy gravity; Close up shots for every Mediocre punch lines; Older men trying out on younger girls at times the vice-versa (if an old man marrying an young girl is an issue, for me this is the filmy version of it).
Well, I guess the reason for all this is Us. I mean every Indian has a favorite film No offense but mostly a mediocre one. I would enjoy watching action films, like i said -Stunts defying gravity were the type of films I personally liked to watch. But generation has changed now and people grow up and so should the film industry. The best way for the evolution - by saying no to already used concepts. Giving standards to the film is very much needed. But the first priority should be the virginity of the concept and the script.

On the Brighter side. Every family has a grown up and so does our industry. I'm not a big movie review person but I love films and do have my favorites. I'll start with recent and newly ones from bollywood - Omkara, which of course you will be knowing is based on a novel from the west. A beautifully made film. Even though the concept of Shakespeare's written all over it, the director has given his movie the standards it deserves. If Mr Shakespeare was in heaven, I can imagine him watching this movie again and again.

Dev'D concept of Devdas' love failure remade for the 3rd time in Bollywood. But the new and improved version of Mr Dev was awesomely played and captured on cam withe new styles of shooting. A movie that many love-stoned, heart-broken younger generation easily would relate to; and with Anurag Kashyap impressive style of direction, i would call Dev'D, a masterpiece-art film that can go commercial(well it is a block buster film already) without boring the audience.
Well one last film to appreciate out of many flicks to speak about would be - Kaminey, a movie that made me wish i had a twin. Again an awesome experience watching Shahid finally proving to me and critics too I hope, that he can do versatile acting and not just for commercial stud.

But hey, no offence to remade films. I am an Indian and I love films made in my country. I wouldn't mind watching a mediocre/remade films once again, after all they can make you laugh.

Taare Zameen Par's ClayMation

Clay mation for Aamir's film "Taare Zameen Par" was done by stop motion animation veteran, Dhimant Vyas.

Here are a few pictures of him animating those clay models!

Batman Interrogates

Yet another Hollywood spoof!

The Dark Knight Vs Joker!

Damn! That Joker dude can Act!

Why be a Blogger?

If you can't afford to travel throughout the world, you can at least see the world through the eyes of Internet. And if you are not able to speak out to the world, then you can Blog yourself/your ideas, so that people who think like you do can read it from the other side of earth. Simply speaking, you can outsource yourself to the world!

As of now internet websites are the only mediums where people can publish themselves to others and socialize anywhere online. This is the only place, Virtual place rather, where "cybercitizens" and their ideas can be omnipotent because the World Wide Web is World Wide and maybe even outside our world. Who knows, an unknown space creature can be reading this internet page right now.

Well internet has its plus points, and plus, there are minus points as well. Such as, Internet hacking, "A" rated sites that can spoil young minds and it can also teach how to make illegal weapons like bombs, etc., and so on!

But you can’t blame the net, and neither can you blame the viewers or creators of such sites. Reason being internet is a democratic world. You can post/publish if you think it’s the right or wrong thing even, to do! So before blaming the Internet for its evil side, think again!

So, coming back to the question

"Why Be A Blogger?". Well Why Not!?

21st Century is Online 24/7 - No well established business can market if they are not established online!. And for your information, four websites are made every second. Now, I wonder how many blogs are made in a minute!

So why not blog and speak out your ideas so that it might help your friends and ppl online to know more about you and your intrests! There are blogs on almost anything/anyone! All you need to do is find an interesting blog about your interests such as photography, adventures, etc. If you think you can share your experince, you are free to do that as well.

Socialize for a Social cause - If you are managing a small social group, a community maybe for movie lovers, book worms, Helping hands, etc. You can blog about your group and find new people of the same category and socialize with them. You can meet new people and share ideas with them.
I 've personally met atleast 10 good bloggers till date, who have nice ides to blog about. And a few of them are now my friends. If not blog, networking sites like Orkut, Facebook can help.

Establish your Pottential - If you are good at something such as, Scuba diving or free falling! writing or painting huge walls! it can be anything, blog it so that people can notice you and let people and friends know what your good at, maybe even what you are bad at.

I have made an online portfolio of my graphic works on wordpress.com, now I can use it as a portfolio if I need to get a job through online.

Well the above three were some of the main reasons of why I blog!. I found blogging very helpful. Though I'm a shy being, i can atleast communicate my thoughts here.So why not give it a try? You’ll never know you just might be a professional blogger who can inspire or even influence a million cybercitizens!

Namma Bangalore's Limelight

A revelation about Bangalore city that I came across while browsing the net…

Here are some facts and figures about Bangalore that you may or may not be aware of. If you are a Bangalorean, this is a must read.

The following information is from a website.
Source : www.isaonline.org | India Semiconductor Association

 Bangalore has the impeccable record of highest growth in 20 years.(as of 2005)

 Bangalore has highest number of Pubs in Asia.

 Bangalore has highest number of cigarette smokers in India.

 Bangalore has the highest number of software companies in India 242, followed by Hyderabad -178, Pune - 127. Hence called the Silicon Valley of India.

 Bangalore has 21 engineering colleges, which is highest in the world in any given city.

 Bangalore University has 57 Engineering Colleges affiliated to it, which is highest in the world.

 Bangalore is the only city in the world to have commercial and defence airport operating from the same strip.

 Bangalore was the first city in India to receive electricity.

 Bangalore has highest number of Public sectors and Government organizations in India.

 Bangalore University has highest number of students going Abroad for higher studies taking the first place from IIT-Kanpur.

 Bangalore has only 41% of local population(i.e.Kannadigas). Hence a true cosmopolitan with around 21% Tamilians, 15% Telugites, 11% Keralites, 6% Europeans, 6% a mixture of all races.

 Bangalore Police has the reputation of being the second best in India after New Delhi Police.

 Bangalore has the highest density of traffic in India.

 Bangalore has the highest number of 2-wheelers in the world and also the dubious reputation for the highest 2-wheeler thefts.

 Bangalore is considered the Fashion Capital of East comparable to Paris.

 Bangalore is rated one of the Cleanest cities in India.

 Bangalore has produced the maximum International Sports persons in India for all sports ahead of even Mumbai & Delhi.

 Bangalore has the highest number of Anglo-Indians in India.

 Bangalore has the richest people in India. The line of poverty is the least of all cities of the world.

 Bangalore has produced the maximum number of scientists considered for Nobel Prize nominations (from India).

 Bangalore's Lalbagh botanical gardens is credited to have one of the most diverse man made collection of flora.

 Bangalore has produced the highest number of professionals in USA almost 60% of the Indian population abroad is from Bangalore (except Gulf).