Empathize for you all must be tired of sympathy by now. Imagine walking into a film titled "Nothing About Hitler" and as you cozy into your seat with a tub of non tasting popcorn in one hand and with an over sized industrial paint thinner called cola  in the other. The film starts with the usual gusto and fanfare of glamour and   a friendly dose of awe. But now the real part of the tale, what if the film titled above turns out to be the autobiographical take of Adolf himself. What purpose or point is it serving us with that title and projecting a film to be something it definitely isn't. Well let me not be one of our recent movies and come straight to the point or else Pritam is ready with mindlessly catchy tracks to be inserted rather mindlessly. Go away Pritam I don't need you, pester someone else with your music bank filled with other people's currency(inspiration indeed).

The point I am trying to make is very simple and can be explained in one line. Why is a film which is clearly about love stories and blatantly typical called I Hate Luv Stories! What is the difference between that movie and Cocktail? Both films have senseless titles(Cocktail being the bigger culprit. If they wanted a random name then why not name it something Indian like Biryani,  at least I know what biryani tastes like), both films have three people in an emotinallly driven script where love prevails in the end and sacrifices are made(Oh I forgot sarcasm cannot be conveyed through writing), both have good songs which have beautiful scenic backgrounds which really defeats the purpose because half the time I was more interested in the background than the actors (trying to) dancing in front of it, both have really good characters who are literally dropped mid way(not the leads, they are way too under talented to not be on screen all the time, they do need the practice, right!) and last but not the least we definitely have caricatures of cool party going crowd, who for some reason are transformed completely by the end and I can't determine whether it's the script or their ability to self judge their acting skills. Maybe the schedule was too long and the actors forgot how they portrayed their characters in the initial scenes. Ah yes, my point here is, why are we being subjected to the same story again and again. Haven't we learned enough through cinema through the years that the hero always wins and if he doesn't he is the one who is sacrificing, so he still wins.

My question is how many takes can there be on one story! Have they finally run out of idea's? Every love story out there is still basically a love story no matter what you do to it. Just adding some different country(in the above films South Africa was also common, so I guess they did consult with each other), having different actors, changing the scenario by a hair, are these little tricks just enough to rehash a given story! I mean at least get decent actors who understand acting and are not part of the film just because they look good. Such actors can't be left alone on the screen to act, maybe that's why Cocktail was U/A because we had Deepika trying to act drunk through out the film, this performance really needs parental guidance or else the kids will scared to death from the bad acting. But who really listens to us anymore, it is really the irony of  substantial proportions that a domain of the industry(Marketing) which solely relies on understanding the needs of it's consumers can't actually understand what we really want to see. Thank God for such epic stupidity that still prevails with an MBA in hand and money to back a so called DIRECTOR with a so called fail proof script or else I wouldn't have anything to complain about.

You know what I do feel like an unwanted song right about here, let me check if Pritam is still lingering outside my house, maybe I can get a two songs for the price of one. 

I can assure you, no matter how disconnected from reality you may be there is always that one moment which can alter you and zap you back into coherence. That moment was last week when my and the only superstar of our industry left us all. One moment that brings you back to earth and redefines what life really means. Nothing is permanent, like his stardom and like our lives.

There are always those people that you see around you everyday, who arouse this feeling inside you, which makes you like them instantly. This feeling cannot be explained, it is just a different feeling for all of us. My superstar was that person for me. I don't know what I liked about him but I really admired and adored him. No other screen actor has been able to induce such an enigma about himself more than this man. Maybe that's why I cant explain what it is that drove people to him. Maybe it is something different in him or maybe it was his destiny.

Whatever it was it still remains in our hearts and will live on forever. There are certain things which are felt rather than spoken or written, I hope you feel what I want to convey here. I don't want to talk about what a great actor he is. I don't want to talk about how wonderful his career has been. That has already been said and accepted. What I really want to talk about is how his life has left an example for all of us. The way this man rose to stardom and was loved by millions. So much love cannot be borne by fragile shoulders. He carried this weight of expectations and held it high with responsibility. So much so that it consumed his entire life. With such great adoring masses it was a sacrifice made on his part to live up to that stature of fan following. Always wanted to please his followers rather than himself. The higher you rise the harder you fall. Maybe that fall would have destroyed any other individual, but this man was something else. Basking in his fall he reinvented himself to a degree not fathomable. How does one man remain so calm in such a life altering storm. Maybe it is grit or determination to rise again. But this is why he was a cherished individual, maybe the very foundation of this man was loved so much rather than the character that he portrayed through out his life. He was never the flamboyant superstar a rather silent entity , which is a rare treat these days. In a world where everyone wants to be number one and claims to be the same, this man in his prime accepted that his time had come to give up that very lucrative position. This was done with grace and poise something severely lacking in today's times. Maybe the word superstar more justifies the attitude rather than films he is starring in.

A piece of cake can well be overeaten if you like the taste. But this man offered us just the right amount. Neither full nor hungry, perfection personified. It is not always about how many fans one has, not about how much money you make and definitely not about how many hits you have, in the end what matters is what you really are inside. For being who is and being a SUPERSTAR I say thank you.

Whenever i hear about superstars, i always hear about the three khan's, Hrithik and maybe Ranbir. Yes accepted these guys are suoerstars or even mega stars but in this circus of people shouting out that they are the best, there is a SILENT SUPERSTAR looking over his shoulder and demanding his stardom without uttering a word. This is AJAY DEVGN.

Started as a pure action hero, Ajay never looked the superstar material. He had many successful films to his credit early in his career(his debut being a super box office success) but he never had that DDLJ happen for him. Alwasy there but not quite there many people were confused about their preference about him. I remember people always keeping him second fav on their list. With his talent and in many films that talent wanted to explode but it quite didnt. But lady luck has a big reward for patience and perseverance.

His turning point like all say is Sanjay Bhansali's Hum Dil De Chughe Sanam, as the super calm and super good guy, who willingly gives up on his love for the fulfillment of his love's love. What an irony! But for me this film is a mere backlash of this fine actor, redefining his style. His real turning point as an actor is and always will be the socio-religious drama ZAKHM(1998).

This film redefined what people thought about this actor as an actor, it certainly did change my perception. He was fabulous in this film. This lead to superb acting roles in The Legend Of Bhagat Singh, Gangajal,Yuva and so on. He had that genre for himself, a sort of type cast but of a glorious kind. He did his share of masala films but they were forgettable or were even bad for my taste. But with the Golmaal series he changed the game once again. When people were talking about how fit SRK was for Om Shanti Om i was thinking to myself, why is no one talking about how great Ajay is looking. Well thats the way it was but eventually people have accepted that Ajay Devgn is a superstar and not only a serious actor.

Hopefully he has the sense to not give into commercial inklings(Singham) and be aware of his own acting skills which can really light the screen up(without the quintessential item song or ill placed, foreign localled, generic romantic number).

In this industry where everyone is shouting or fighting i hope this man dignifies himself and his well wishers as he has always done, by remaining silent and yet being heard the most............ 

There is a famous song by the great band of Pink Floyd called Another Brick In The Wall. This song treats us to the education system as a downgrading and discriminating factor in our lives. It's an open take and not a biased judgmental opinion. It is somewhat dark in it's rendition. This song has changed an entire generation and really questioned something which is now a curse but was meant to be a blessing. Written many decades ago but is still more relevant than ever. But for the sake of this article, let's look at the phrase "Another Brick In The Wall".

What this phrase signifies for this generation maybe a lot of things but primarily talking about films it signifies another film in this industry. That is what what I feel about every other film that releases any given Friday. Every film you seem is different, has that entertainment quotient which some justify as TIME PASS. This is merely a marketing and promotional jargon induced in our minds so that we can bare to watch crap which actually belongs in dumpster rather than the glorious big screen. These films are marketing pundits' test of endurance and so far they are succeeding. A prospective bride is not made up so much when compared to what these films are made up to be. That is the reason this now a science of fooling people in accepting anything. I don't say all that we see on screen is crap, but an over driven revenge drama with absolute screen time of nothing but utter nonsense should be a film. All such films go on to be mega success but that does not imply that they are good films. Why I used the title that I used is evident after say a month after any of such film's release. It is completely forgotten. This is my primary concern. Why if it is indeed such a good film is it gone from the memory so quickly. Think about it. You often find yourself so excited for a film's release, you make sure you get the over priced tickets before time, on the day you watch the film with the over priced tub of stale popcorn and a carbonated detergent and are not satisfied but somewhat happy by the screening. You come out of the theater not quite happy and not quite dejected. after a few days you get excited about some other film's trailer you watch while having your lovely home made dinner and the cycle continues. Some of the film's have sequels but you don't quite remember which had what story even though you liked both the films. This is classically due to mass propaganda and marketing. this is a disease of sorts which is changing the very aspect of the word films in this country. Big banner and big stars and big numbers are all we are bombarded with so as to make an impression on our minds which tends to justify absolutely anything.They are like the houses seen from a moving train, they come and they go.  Maybe that's why these so called films are just another brick in the wall, a wall which will soon collapse under it's own weight, for we can only take so much of this so called ENTERTAINMENT.

If ever you see a piece of art, it usually signed by the artist. This imprints the sort of stamp for the artist. Similarly every film has it's artist sign the film by doing something different on it, which signifies something unique. Now for the film I always have this habit of noticing how they execute the opening sequence or credits(which ever is given the preference). As many may have noticed this is usually a treat in hollywood classics like The Godfather with that fantastic opening sequence with no background music and plain dialogues which really built up the mood with subtlety. Or that great narrative in Scarface which gives the film it's base and somehow sets the tone with that really catchy theme. Or the brilliant Catch Me If You Can opening credits. Or one of my favorite narrative opening sequence of A Clockwork Orange. The list goes on for quite awhile.

But there are plenty of hindi films with really unforgettable opening sequences. The first that comes to mind is that really brilliant guitar track from Sholay with the western theme cinematic playing out on screen. The wild desert like landscape and that hauntingly tattooing music is no doubt a cinematic gem. The angles used for this sequence are perfect for the settings. It captures the gist of exactly what the director wants to portray. R.D.Burman is at his casual best with this score. I don't know how many remember this, but this was the best part of this movie for me.

The next film I believe has again the great Pancham(why am I not surprised!). This time coming up with a track which I believe many won't be aware of. This film actually took the efforts to create a whole sequence of custom animations which were relative to the theme of the film. This was not the pioneer film to take this effort but it was certainly a film which took this art to a whole new level. There is an opening sequence reveals of a murder and robbery on a train and as this sequence ends we get the fantastic opening credits. This is the film which actually instilled that feeling of excitement that only a well presented image can bring about in a human being. I must confess this is one of my favorite films of all times and a huge amount is due to this sequence. The film is titled The Train and stars the only superstar Rajesh Khanna. This credit sequence has the feel of a James Bond film(maybe the inspiration) and has a title track which matches if not more than any of the Bond films. 

Some of the films have used music and narration to open their films. This is again an effective method if the voice over has the credibilty of attaching emotions with the narration. This style really draws the spectator in for a simple reason, as to we don't see the narrator and an intrigue is instantly formed. But sometimes silence is the best narrator, this is widely showcased in this simple yet somehow very poignant opening sequence from one of the best films by a very talented director Shekhar Kapoor. He chooses a very non dramatic way to open his film and introduces his actors with a haunting music which is used very heavily through out the film. This piece of music is well placed and well timed as it explodes rather than soothes. You feel the film's tone from the very opening scene. Excellent opening sequence for my taste.

Talking of directors of this age, I have seen a trend in directors to start their films on an off note or a simple narrative. A fine example would be the opening of Ek Main Aur Ek Tu, which had an interesting narrative and a new kind of opening credits presentation. The opening sequence of Kahaani was also different and well executed. The really wild opening of Gangs Of Wasseypur was a brilliant stroke, with ultra violence with no form of explanation for the motivation or any of the characters. I feel this kind of opening is like throwing the audience in the deep end on their very first day of swimming classes. Either they learn to swim or...

The art of opening of a film is so crucial because it's human tendency to form impressions quickly. A good opening is like the friendly greeting before a hearty meal, it may not mean much but makes the meal ever so pleasant.