Why Modi's Gujarat model of Development & Governance needs to be taken to New Delhi...

The recent controversial, uncalled and unjustified comments from Home Minister Shinde followed by BJP hitting back at him and the Congress are events which hurt us as a country and make us sorry about the state of Indian politics. This is something which should certainly not set the tone for the 2014 polls as it is this divisionary politics which has held back the potential of this nation from being a global superpower. At the start of 2013, lets strongly take ahead an important aspect from Gujarat elections which will hold the key for a brighter future for all of us.Let there be no color of terror, no greed for quotas, let inclusive growth, opportunities for Youth, safety of women, corruption less governance with all round & inclusive development be more important to us than points which tend to divide us & which divert attention from core issues.

The last one month has been eventful on the Indian political landscape. If Gujarat saw another emphatic win from Mr. Modi, BJP with intentions of using corruption as a Major theme for 2014 decided against second term for Nitin Gadkari getting Rajnath Singh back as party President. On the other hand, Rahul Gandhi has been formally elevated to the number 2 position at Congress party at the recent Chintan Shivir at Jaipur.

Let’s get this straight; this is not a comparison between Modi & Rahul, not endorsing strengths or weakness of either of the party. Irrespective of our political affiliations and personal favorites, lets rally behind the reasons which should form the base for 2014 polls. Narendra Modi winning for a third consecutive time maybe important from the BJP perspective, but from the perspective of the Indians, this win holds significance due to the nature of this confrontation between the two biggest national parties. This is something which as Voters; we must endorse and carry forward to the Parliamentary polls commencing next year. Though Modi had won the state elections on couple of occasions earlier, this time it was different than his earlier wins. On previous occasions, it was more to do with polarization and emotive appeals and had less to do with rationale or merit behind results. However on this occasion, Modi fought totally on the development plank with performance & governance as the barometer to reward or discard him, the results have been thus strictly on merit and aspirations rather than the age old planks of divisional politics. The interesting part is that the areas where he has lost, even there local issues and challenges on the development front seem to be reasons of average performance, which in itself is a healthy trend for one and all. The Bihar elections of 2010 and now the Gujarat elections of 2012; it seems that the Indian electorate is finally starting to judge on merit and rewarding the performers consistently!! It may be a bit early to predict this as a trend, but in this environment of negativity, every positive movement is worth lapping. This is one of the rare positives, which must go in the next year!!

http://rochakvig.blogspot.com/2012/01/day-india-votes-for-development.html


Whether Mr. Modi succeeds in this endeavor, will be difficult to judge as governing a population of 6 Crore effectively does not guarantee a similar show in managing a heterogeneous population of 120 Crores with multiple diversities and complexities attached. It would also present UPA with an opportunity to break away NDA’s “Secular” allies and also polarize the minority vote further, but it would give them a headache of fighting elections on the Positive canvass, where they will have to talk about Development, governance, performance and public satisfaction!! Even when they are plotting the seeds for UPA-3 in terms of “Food Bill” & “Direct Cash Transfer”, it may not have a smooth sail knowing the current public mood which seems to be against the ruling front on issues of corruption, price rise and poor governance. Thus evident from Shinde's recent remarks, UPA in all likelihood may like to stick to its old guns blazing highlighting the “Non-Secular” image which BJP & Modi has been attributed to highlighting the dark chapter of 2002 if BJP projects him as their National face. Even when it would try and sell its latest game changing schemes as the products touching the “Garib Aadmi”, it would have to even play its vote bank cards appropriately to keep the electorate as well as coalition partners on their side to ride anti incumbency avoiding direct confrontation on the core topics. Frankly we would be much more happy Congress talking about Cash transfer, Food Bill & MNREGA rather than the color and religion of terror. UPA’s win or loss at center better is decided by the merit or lack of its performance in last 5 years rather than emotive appeals misleading the voters.

As far as BJP is concerned, it may be a tricky proposition. On the first thought, it seems that Modi with his clean, strong and good governance image may be the best bet for 2014 as their current leadership seems as clueless as the Congress led UPA; unable to convert the public anguish in its favor as a viable alternative. There are people who have started believing the point of social activist turned politician Kejriwal that there is NO OPPOSITION in India, all are partners in the game of looting with only different designations of Ruling front & opposition! It is high time BJP changes its earlier right wing politics along with this thought and whole heartedly approves and takes charge through its effective, performance based and popular brand of “Modi” hoping to amass support as an alternative, which Indians can look up to. It would definitely strengthen the favorable vote with possibility of having in its kitty additional bench sitters fed up from system who hailed Modi’s win from their respective states. Challenge would be to sell the promise of replicating the Gujarat Development Model on the national stage to fulfill the needs and aspirations of the public at large and also get together the so called Secular forces as one party getting clear majority seems distinct possibility.


If this aspirational politics of merit will actually succeed, next year will present us an answer, but as Indians we must hope that the contenders play the game with these rules of merit to serve with mutual respect for each other as against the age old Negative politics of hatred & promises!! Rahul Gandhi after assuming his role of Vice President has again sounded that he would like to play positive constructive politics which we all are desperately waiting for and if this turns out to be the case, we all should hail the Rahul-Modi showdown on the unseen positive canvass which can be a game changer for Indian politics and public alike. Hare Ram, Inshallah, Wahe Guru; we really hope a brighter, safer and content future for our and next generations; AND Modi bidding for the top slot at Delhi with his Gujarat governance model fighting against Rahul’s Positive politics is certainly a start to see the light beyond the tunnel. Amen :)
India has started voting for development and this is what it really Needs!!! Happy New Year…

Bollywood Box Office 2012 : It is Being Salman!!

The year 2012 has been a fairly good one for Bollywood from the Box Office perspective with both small budget and big budget films doing well. This is yet another year which has cemented Salman Khan as the undisputed “King/Badshah/Emperor” as far as the Box office is concerned, having just one contender who is close to him; and that is “Salman Khan”!!

There are a few trends coming from last year which have emerged stronger this year. If the action films had initiated a new trend with “Wanted” few years back, this year has ensured that its this genre which will call the shots as far as the successful list goes contributing the top 4 most successful movies of the year : Ek Tha Tiger, Dabangg2, Rowdy Rathore & Agneepath. Second trend which has gained significance this year is the importance of the opening weekend and contribution of Important Holidays in the first week of the film. If EK Tha Tiger continued Salman’s association with success @ Eid, it wrote history with an opening day of 32 Crores on the Independence Day. Dabangg 2 gained from Christmas holiday and Agneepath had a Huge opening on the Republic Day with record breaking 21.7 crores at Indian Box office. This was later eclipsed by the Tiger Salman on the Independence Day. Another trend which gained significance was that sequels to winning brands will succeed as long as they are packaged well: Housefulll2, Jannat 2, Raaz3 & Dabanng 2 all carried forward the success from their last outings.


If 100 Crore club has become the new buzz word @ Bollywood, Salman starrers get measured by the number of days they take to cross this magical figure! His last 5 films have cruised this mark : Dabangg, Ready, Bodyguard, EK Tha Tiger (ETT) & latest Dabangg2 have competed to cross the mark earlier than the previous one!! While Kabir Khan’s ETT had merit in becoming Blockbuster, Dabangg 2 seemed a replica of earlier version, only Chulbul Pandey making it click with the audiences! If this golden phase will be endless for him, only time will have an answer. But as of now its only Being Salman!! He has left all other stars including his Khan Competitors miles behind as far as the box office is concerned. Akshay Kumar had a successful year with 2 of his movies hitting the bulls eye with Sajid Khan’s Housefull 2 & Prabhu Deva directed Rowdy being years third biggest hit. With his production Oh My God getting universal applause along with superhit status and Khiladi 786 being an average fare, Joker was the only dampener for him in 2012. With 2 of his films in the Top 5 this year, he can certainly claim the year after Salman! He only needs to see if his 5 movies a year is a viable Business model considering every movie needs extensive marketing today. Hrithik made his mark with Agneepath this year. The Karan Johar production was the first Superhit of the year with critical acclaim for Hrithik as Amithabh’s legendary character Vijay Dinanath Chauhan & Sanjay Dutt shining as Kancha.

If Sallu swept with 2 Blockbusters, it was Amir who could not match the expectations of returning after 3 Idiots, with his Talaash meeting mixed reactions from critics & public alike and failing to cross the benchmark of 100 crores in India. Though Reema Kagti directed film was a brave offbeat attempt from the star, it was not something which seemed an attempt which took the star 3years to come back after his last Universal blockbuster which happens to be still the most successful film ever. Shahrukh did manage to cross the magical figure, but with Jab Tak Hain Jaan (JTHJ); he could not crush competition from Ajay starrer “Son of Sardar” with both films just faring to be Hits eating business of each other as Diwali releases. Though Yash Chopra’s last film as director got hyped due to unfortunate demise of the filmmaker before the release & the public spat between YRF with Ajay Devgun for the number of screens for their respective ventures, it failed to live up to expectations on Box office. This year has further increased the gap between him and his friend turned colleague Salman on the popularity charts with latter ruling as the undisputed “King” amongst audiences, while former being in news more for his undesired public spats rather than the Box office speaking for him.

Ajay Devgan had another good year with his Bol Bachhan & Son of Sardar working for him with Tezz being only losing venture. Ranbir tasted more success with Barfi winning over critics and public alike strengthening his credentials as an Actor & a Star! From the actress, it was Katrina who spoke with hits like ETT, JTHJ and some exciting projects up her sleeve, she is bound to have longer successful spell with the box office. Sonakshi had a great year with Rowdy, Son of Sardaar & Dabangg2 to her credit. Kareena just had a face saver in terms of Talaash & most successful “Fevicol” number to her otherwise poor year where EK Main aur Ek Tu & Heroine fared badly. Priyanka tasted success with Agneepath and author backed role in Barfi, which won her critical acclaim while Teri Meri Kahani was a total washout. Then new stars were seen on the horizon this year in form of Ayushman Khurana & Yami Gautam (Vicky Donor), Arjun Kapoor & Parineeti Chopra (Ishaqzaade) both being successful launchpads for the actors. Karan Johar launched in hit Student of the year Alia Bhatt, Sidharth & Varun Dhawan.

The year witnessed some unconventional & smaller films succeeding with the audiences balancing the big budget fares proving a market for every “Good” movie which entertains and clicks with the filmi junta. After Dirty picture, Vidya Balan gave another superhit in form of Offbeat “Kahaani”. If Paan Singh Tomar had Irfaan Khan gathering praise along with the maker, Gangs of Wasseypur was Anurag Kashyap’s vision which was lauded. Emraan Hashmi had success with the Bhatt’s in terms of Jannat2 and Raaz3, while Vicky Donor, Cocktail & English Vinglish were some other successes for the year.
With shelf life of Bollywood products being reduced to 1-3weeks at the Box office, it is becoming a game of right package, economics coupled with aggressive marketing & the right release dates to be on the winning side. Lets hope this year will see more success for the Bollywood as the last one and keep the audiences thronging the multiplexes and single screens for meeting their favorite stars & the pop corns :) :)

The 10 Point Challenge of being UPA, ehhh INC!!

Congress: At the CROSS roads…

Sometimes one can assume that running the Indian Govt is like riding a Tiger! Neither it is easy to ride it, nor one can afford to get down from its back :)

The recent controversy about Salman Khurshid’s comments on current political status and need for their No2 leader to demonstrate bigger role may have caught many eye balls, but the point he raised may be only a tip of the iceberg for the party which is facing challenges on various fronts currently. Today when we see (or at least try and see, since there is little clarity!) the UPA Govt in action, one can figure out that it’s more about the Congress party which seems to be “enjoying” this tiger ride more than anyone else. Its allies are in the best position where they are enjoying power with little accountability and though they are in Govt. they never leave any opportunity to run down the Govt along with opposition on any step which does not “seem pro-masses”. Barring a DMK which had its anxious moments thanks to Telecom scam, allies seem to be enjoying the best of both the World’s, while the Congress seems to be getting the brunt from all the sides!
If we see the political scenario from the public eye, there are quite a few pointers which the grand 127 year old party needs to immediately address or else it is staring a realistic scenario of losing the “Ruling tag” in the near future:

1) No Visible Defined Goal: There seems to be a mess of sorts in terms of Goals, Strategy & Execution. The party seems to be lacking not just a long terms road map but even the short term and midterm goals don’t seem to be in place around which the strategy and execution plans can be woven. As one of the senior party leaders has recently stated, Governance and Politics has got intermingled in such a manner that there is only one thing which is clear: Chaos! Initially the power sharing between the PM and party high command worked well for them, but the recent spats, scams, policy decisions have cast a shadow over the arrangement as to who will plan and who will execute, “How” is a question which hardly reaches the table. Party needs to have a Vision, a Direction towards which it needs to be led as a collective well-knit unit in the interest of all the stakeholders…

2) State of Paralysis: Often we hear only about the lack of economic reforms, but it is more of total lack of reforms: Be it economic, political or administrative which is collectively hurting the Nation. There have been bills including judicial ones which have been pending. Due to scam up roars, even bureaucracy has gone into a freeze not willing to take any action for that matter. If Manmohan Singh getting FM and Pranab being proposed for Rashtrapati Bhawan is considered a move, Sonia may have played a master stroke in not just getting their man as President but also paving way to allow PM to play and direct the Reforms game he is considered to be a master of! Though in this current landscape, it will not be easy even for him.

3) Lost in the politics of Coalition: Opposition seems to acting better than their allies. At least they are clear that they need to oppose! Economic paralysis is something which is hurting everyone and its time Govt gets the political will to score before it gets late. Party seems to be finding light in the maze between TMC, SP, BSP & DMK. Neither these “Allies”, nor the Govt is sure if they are “In” or if they are “Out”. Even after winning 206 seats in 2009, if Congress has to manage such show, one can reckon their state if there tally falls in the next Lok Sabha. Bigger problem is that it does not itself have clarity if it wants to go all alone in future or manage this “Coalition of Opportunism”.

4) Showing the National face or the Regional face? Its centrally controlled leadership under Sonia Gandhi’s iron hand has certainly helped it being stable and having disciplined stock which was not the case in 1990’s, but little local faces have started hurting its fortunes now. Be it UP, Bihar, AP or many other states, at most places it is devoid of strong local leaders. If YSR could ensure 33 seats for them in the last polls in AP, after his tragic demise, going against popular sentiment and not allowing his son to be in the chair is a decision which today will be difficult to justify knowing the YSR Congress monster it is looking at in addition to the Telengana woes and seasoned TDP in the next polls in the state which sent Max. MP’s for it. What it needs to think is if it needs more Sheila Dixit’s to help Center concentrate on bigger challenges.

5) Who is the Leader: Youth OR Experienced? Though parties like SP have seamlessly combined the Youth power with experience of erstwhile leaders, Congress yet seems not to be in sync as there have been murmurs of dissent every time elections come or policy is prepared with experienced lot calling the shots as of now. Though transition is underway, it still would take time before the Youth start leading from the front and come out of the shadows of the elderly. There seems to be a base prepared in terms of second rung youth leaders and the Crore plus IYC membership, but one yet has to see them taking the center stage.

6) History or the Future? Today nearly 65% of the country’s population is less than 35 years of age. This population only relates to Nehru and Indira as historical personalities and now they seem more inclined to see fresh ideas, fresh ideologies corresponding to the current times. So today when Sonia Gandhi seems to be having some undisclosed illness and preparing to pass the baton, Rahul Gandhi would be the face who would be tested by this population. Though there would be a lot of followers he would get, there would be an equal amount of detractors in the crowd who would test him and find empowerment breaking the “dynastic shackles” in their endeavor to see a modern India free from historical references of any sorts. It is here the party needs to clearly learn from its history to strengthen its Present and seek a brighter future for itself and the country!

7) Popular or Practical Policies? Success of MNREGA has given confidence to NAC to go with more such schemes like proposed Food Bill. But seems there heart and mind are not in sync as to which way to go as the mind tells them that the direction of heart is not easy. Moreover 2 things deserve to be given due importance. Firstly the funds which need to be spent for such inclusive programs need to be arranged and current economic paralyses along with shaken investor confidence will not help the cause. Secondly there have been good policies which have been made for ages in India. Where we lack is the Execution. There still seems to be little importance given on that front.

8) To be Corrupt or to be in Opposition? Power corrupts & absolute power corrupts absolutely. After witnessing recent scams, public will be happy they dint give the latter to UPA in 2009. It’s evident that every party which comes to power gets to see the corrupt side of some of its leaders, sometimes less sometimes more. With recent media renaissance and frenzy to highlight happenings, corruption as an issue has become a headache for those in power. If that was not enough, the groups like Anna’s People against corruption have further helped propagate the sentiment of people against the ill. So Congress needs to decide if it prefers to fight corruption charges being in power or fight the Govt by others; after sitting in the opposition!

9) Give us 10 More Years?? One can imagine a BJP or BSP to come to the electorate and ask them to give a term to depict how they could lead the development efforts. But when one hears a Congress leader asking for another “Chance” it seems a joke to say the least. An individual may not be the best judge to figure out if the current state of the nation is good or bad knowing the history where we started 65 years back, but the party which has been at the helm of things for almost 5 decades now forming almost 70 % of the central Govt’s till date should not seek chances from the voters. It should simply talk of its performance: The Good or the Bad is something which needs to be decided! In 2004, they got a chance as they were riding the anti-incumbent wave, but if this time if there has to be one, they will need to tide against it!

10) Self Introspection: Like in recent UP polls, a party leader hinted something which seemed pro-minority, and when it fell flat suddenly they projected themselves to be "truly secular" and "Unbiased". They want to talk about merit, in the same breadth they talk about increased quotas. There are a lot of times we don’t work on the basics while being in complex scenarios. One such basic; which party leaders should currently do is self-introspection to clearly identify What they want, When they want and How they intend to do it. The answers to these simple questions may give them a road map to have answers to more complicated ones!

In this entire dark story there are a few bright spots. Congress as a party has seen all this many times earlier. They have it what it takes to “Manage” this and much more, thanks to their experience! They are masters in turning the tide and have been written off earlier also; only to come back stronger. Lack of a planned, united & strong opposition is another factor allowing it breathing space during crisis. Hopefully even this time there would be seasoned players and think tanks within the party who would be having answers for not just these points but many other obstacles which will come during their bumpy run to 2014. How successful they would be in clearing these points along with more severe opposition assault is something the Janta of the country will decide when they go to vote in 2014.

Rowdy Delivers; what it Promised!!

I am not sure why I am so elated as neither Sanjay Bhansali nor UTV have agreed to share the profits with me after a huge opening it has taken, but then there are few things from the heart which defy logic! Though Akshay Kumar had witnessed few successful outings after Singh is King, I firmly believe he had not got that one Huge Masala film with right genre & hype to woo the masses in hoards as he missed the bus in picking action projects which are ruling roost for last few years. This was his best chance to score, with right genre, music, & promotions : & he along with the team of Rowdy Rathore seem to have scored Big by delivering what they had promised : Entertainment for the Masses :)

There are few films which are meant for mass audiences & there are others which are targeted at elite intellects. Right from the conceptualization of this film, the producers, actors & the director were very clear that they were making this one for the mass Indian audiences on the lines of Dabangg & Singham. The same was depicted in the trailers & when one sees the movie, he would realize that the people will get what was promised: Doses of Action, comedy, romance, songs: a Complete Entertainment package. Critics & pseudo intellects can stay away as this outing was not meant for their sharp brains.

When you try and copy a successful product with some alterations, there are two possibilities. One is that you might end up cooking a Khichdi which is intolerable to eat. The other possibility is that you end up making an equally compelling product if not better than the original. It is here Prabhu Deva scores big time. He was trudging a high risk zone of mass entertainers where comparisons with Dabangg, Singham & Agneepath could have hurt his fortunes badly in case he would have faltered, but he has executed his dish pretty well to ensure a successful product.

Makers have shown no qualms in accepting that they did not intend a sophisticated product for classes. There is a definite plot which has been picked from the Superhit Telgu version. The alterations have been made to suit it to the Hindi mass audiences with clear vision to serve them whether it is characterization, look, dialogues, screenplay, music, cinematography or the choreography. The screenplay ensures you sit in a 140 minute joy ride with seat belts on!
The movie is however not free from minuses. There are sections in the middle which seem totally unwanted. Then some songs seem to pop up from nowhere, either to increase the length of film or give some required footage to Sonakshi. Few scenes & dialogues look over the top and actually filmi…

Story is about 2 look a likes and the way their lives intersect and impact each other. One is an honest cop fighting the goons in Bihar & the other is a thief in Mumbai who comes across surprising incedents where he gets attacked for mistaken identity. Akki is the soul of the movie and plays double role with ease: One of the super cop Vikram Rathore which would remind you of Salman & Ajay in their successful outings earlier. But it is as thief Shiva, he brings the house down! He seems to be in his element to the hilt, be it body language in action scenes, or the comedy where he has again excelled. Even critics who would bash the movie will find it difficult avoiding crediting him for being the bright spot. He should thank Prabhu (Both God & director!) as he couldn’t have asked for a better return to action genre.. Sonakshi has limited screen time but looks good the time she is there with good chemistry with the actor. Other actors playing negative roles have done full justice to their roles of being the modern Gabbar’s in the new age Sholay  Sajid Wajid’s music is in sync with the entertainment quotient though they could have given few compositions better. Cinematography is of high grade covering the landscape well. A very special mention to the dialogue writer: He has done wonders to the film by striking a chord with audience prerelease & even a bigger chord post release by creating a roaring impact , people are certain to cherish & take home “Jo mai bolta hu vo mai karta hu, jo main nahin bolta, vo mai definitely karta hu”

The Mass audience of B & C grade centers will certainly like Rowdy more than their counterparts in metros. The class audience of metros who seek entertainment will also like the venture. But the intellect section which may not have liked potboilers like Bodyguard earlier should stay away from this one.
At the box office this will work, & work big time. Smaller centers would see records tumbling; bigger ones will also see descent business. This will certainly help Akshay consolidate his position after Housefull 2 as the star of masses and give Salman Khan Company in that segment. As for producers, they have kept their all promises: Promise of entertaining audiences & make distributors & themselves go all the way smiling to the bank. In one of my previous articles I had mentioned, the result for Akki's biggest test this year would be out by 3rd June, yes it is out & he has scored HUGE! As for Akki fans, we can only tell the critics: “Don’t Angrryyyyyy Us” & let us celebrate the Rowdiness :D :D

Akshay Kumar : After a “Housefull” start to 2012, the real test lies ahead

Why the year 2012 is crucial for Akki’s Bollywood journey…


I had planned this write-up right in the first weekend of release of Housefull 2. But it has taken almost 2 more weeks to publish it as the film took this time to clock perfect 100 @Indian Box office! In 17 days, Housefull 2 has taken Akshay in the league of stars with 100 Crores from Domestic box office. Though he is a late entrant to this elite club, its important he is there & its heartening that after long not just his performance, but even his film has been appreciated and trended very well over 3 weekends which has hardly been the case for him in last many years.

Akshay Kumar is one of the few self made stars who has come from humble middle class background with no Bollywood connections and captured the industry as one of the reigning superstars. But just like any filmi story, even his success has not been only a set of roses. He has seen too many ups and downs during his 2 decades in tinsel town. I still remember being in a single screen hall watching one of his movies in late 90’s with his 15 other loyal fans in the entire hall in its first week of release. The film bombed badly and was a part of the double digit of flops he had churned in continuity. When one looks back to that particular phase in his career, frankly not many could have predicted him to turn around his fate in this competitive industry with no God-father to promote. But this has become his habit now, to come back stronger once he touches the lows in his fairy tale Bollywood journey. He had started consolidating his position since the start of last decade with movies like Jaanwar & Sangharsh and with Hera Pheri he got the ticket to entertain the audience and use his comic timing to target the top band of stars he is a part of today.

Though he witnessed many successes in between, it was in 2007 his stock touched the roof with 4 back to back successes in the same year. It was Singh is King in subsequent year which positioned him in the top bracket as one of the most saleable stars in the fraternity. But after that, he somewhere seems to have lost the plot. The biggest problem for him since then has been that he is doing 3-4 movies a year unlike a Shah Rukh or Amir who have one/two releases in a year, thus making it difficult for him to maintain the quality of content which can sustain his box office pull. Initially he managed good initials and subsequently films fell but lately it started taking a toll on his initials also. He has suffered recently due to some poor content as well as flurry of releases without substantial gap. Akshay & Salman have been 2 superstars who believe in doing more films and giving their fans more opportunities of meeting them in cinemas in a year. But its important that these reasons are enjoyable and worth spending hard earned bucks!

This year is critical for the Khiladi in more than one respect. One reason has been the lack of noticeable success in the last 2 years which has made his critics again write him off out of the top league. Second most important reason has been that since 2009, there has been a hoard between top stars for the right appropriate date of release + right genre + high prints + high promotion to get bumper opening as the trends suggest most of the successful ones write their success story right in the first weekend of the release. Akshay somewhere missed the bus on this combination and has not been able to utilize this formula post Singh is King. There was a time few years back when even a 30+ crore weekly collection was ticket to films success. Now every big release is safe only if it has a 40+ crore weekend!! Salman is the best example of mastering this game in last few years. Today economics of film is a mere two week run and Akki was late in reacting to this trend.
But as they say, it is better late than never. With a Houseful start this year, he has marked his return amongst the numbers. But again, this was his safest venture this year with an established brand, successful production house-Director combo and host of other stars to support him. His real challenge lies ahead. His other releases this year include Suhirish Kunder directed sci-fi 3d “Joker” expected to be out in August. Going by the track record of the director, the genre of film and their last outing together (remember he wrote Tees Maar Khan :( ) this one is Akki’s weakest link this year according to analyst. It would be interesting to see if he can make this venture sail through! Then there is Milan Luthria directed sequel to the hit “Once Upon a time in Mumbai” where he would be literally donning the D company look. This one would be a venture which is expected to get him the most critical acclaim along with box office moolah to the producers. Then Khiladi 786 is also to take off.

However the biggest test for Khiladi this year will be in his next release, the Prabhu Deva directed “Rowdy Rathore” where he returns to action after a long time. As he himself confesses, the wave amongst the audience currently is for action films with right script, music and an overall entertainment package. He seems to have put in his learning’s from blockbusters of his contemporaries with this outing and it is very important for him to get this success formula replicated for him on the lines of a Dabangg, Ghajini, Bodyguard or the latest Agneepath. Though its first trailer along with the success of Houseful 2 have risen hopes from the movie touted to take massive initials, by June 3 (end of its first weekend), the fate of the film would be out for one and all. This is a perfect massy potboiler, which for Akki & his fans sake better doesn’t go wrong!
It is important for Akshay to get back amongst the numbers and consolidate his position this year and turn things around as it took him almost a decade of hard work to see a 2007!! Knowing age is not on the side of most of current top stars, it’s important for him to sustain this hard earned super stardom and give his fans more reasons to celebrate… We are sure, Rajiv Hari Om Bhatia will give us more memorable cinematic moments and entertain the masses to the hilt... did we hear "DON'T ANGRY ME"!! Rathore is coming :)

The Legend of Sachin Tendulkar…

On the onset, it is difficult to be Sachin, Sachin 100dulkar. It’s also a difficult feeling trying to pen down thoughts about someone you have grown admiring on and off the field. A long wait of a year came to end yesterday; he became the first cricketer ever to have 100 international Centuries. On a budget day, if there could be one individual who could have made the individual headlines, then it could only be Sachin. Still you would have lot of people with below statements, even if they would be in minority-:

“Whenever he hits a ton, India loses the game.” Hmmm…
“He only plays for his records.” Well…
“He is now old enough to retire” Is it???

After a century of Tons and still counting and over 30,000 international runs, if a person is still hurled these “compliments”, then it becomes imperative that the emotions attached with this game in the country are absolute crazy. & in a heterogeneous population of over a billion plus, where every soul is a leader; each seems justified to air an opinion of his own. In the land where Cricket is a religion & Lifeline of masses, some refer to him as God, few think he is selfish, but surely everyone has an opinion about him. You can Love him, you can hate him, but if you are an Indian; you cannot ignore the legend of Sachin Ramesh Tendulkar!!
My first memories about watching this genius are when he was himself a teenager. Even when he was good, frankly at least I had not expected these feats from him back then. There were many greats who used to praise him highly and hoped he would make it big in cricketing world. But there was hardly anyone who could predict he would assume the heights which he has attained today. Even if we go by his yesterday’s admission that “Dreams do come true”, probably he may not have himself been sure of reaching the milestones where he stands today. However we were destined to see a miracle which was to only grow with time.

For youth, he is an inspiration and a role model. There are a lot of important take away’s from the master blaster’s kitty for one and all. The kind of dedication, perseverance & hard work he used to put in when he was a teenager, you would invariably find the same kind of efforts from him even till date, be it on field or preparation prior to it. Maintaining the same commitment over such a long duration is something which looks only theoretical but he has presented a live practical demonstration for us what successful leaders are made of. Another important aspect of his long innings has been “Focus”. Be it public on the road, or people from the fraternity, right from Sunil Gavaskar, Kapil Dev, the Chapell’s or most recently even Dhoni (suggesting slowness of seniors); everyone has something or the other to observe and suggest about his game every now and then. But rather than defending, clarifying or retorting aggressively, Sachin has only focused on field and let his game do all the talking and giving all the replies to what the world has to say. Seems he does not believe in getting into spats off the field, he only wants his bat to fight it out with the ball on ground!

He has been ethical, humble & epitome of integrity. There have been hardly instances where anyone has been able to point a finger at him questioning his integrity or humility. That is one of the biggest reasons apart from his success which has made him one of the greatest role models in the country. However his calmness and composure does not take away his hunger to score and win. He may not have the in your face aggression of a Ganguly or Yuvraj, but his conviction and passion to win is second to none. Yes the new blood deserves a chance to be groomed; new heroes will come up eventually. But the fact remains despite the age, Sachin is still amongst the better performers in the team even today when he has been seeing the rough patch every cricketer goes through. This highlights the ability and quality of this master, even his average looks at par with others good forms!

The man has seen many highs and lows in Indian cricket in this journey of 22 years. Even individually he has been used to criticism and scathing attacks. Be it his changed approach of building the innings now as against the initial Sehwag like onslaught we witnessed in initial days, or the long one year wait for conquering the final frontier of 100th ton which made critics write him off and ask for his retirement, he has seen it all. But the key for him has been his ability to adapt to changing circumstances, changing needs, surely the character this person is build of is not common. His conviction to keep trying and never say No attitude has helped his and teams cause. Physically he has been recovering from injuries in this long journey but it has been his mental strength which has kept him going even after the pressure of expectations from fans and blatant attack from critics. One also must not forget the solid support system in terms of his family, which has helped him run this marathon.
Sachin would have been fortunate to get an opportunity to serve his nation. But then even the nation has been fortunate to have this sportsman serving it for 22 long years. As for the masses, we have been genuinely blessed to have witnessed one of the rare gifts of God to mankind undertake this journey for his love for the nation, the love for the game!

It’s not over yet, we are sure we will get to see more from the run machine before he decides to call it a day. But then the contribution he has made to the sports, he has written the rarest of the rare chapters in the history of the game and nation, the chapter we would never forget: “The legend of Sachin R.Tendulkar”!

6th March 2012, Part 3: Poll Results: Congress Stumped, Collectively Opposition wins the Semis

Few important things to note before we get on to the results.
1) Analysts & observers can go wrong, sometimes less sometimes more. Only thing where they were almost right this time was SP would be single largest party in UP, getting majority was something even they could not fore-see.
2) Local issues and tastes of masses need to be addressed. It is important for National parties to follow the Global MNC’s in their approach: Think Global but Act Local or else they will end up becoming insignificant in most states moving forward.
3) Personalities work but work only with proper support system in place. Hype is sometimes not translated to results.
4) Though Anna may have got lost in background post Dec, media may have forgot public ire against scams & price rise, the voting masses seem to have not. For a change, their memory has stretched and few things have got stuck in their sub conscious mind along with hearts. Ire may not be on roads, but results indicate Centre needs to be careful.
5) Media sometimes operates at 100 feet over ground & fails to pick up exact ground reality.
6) Elders experience & persona coupled with youth passion & vision seems to be a winning formula this time on political horizon.


Congress went on the front foot, but it missed the ball & has got stumped. It would again have to start in the crease, a bit demoralized, probably on the back foot. Mixed news for BJP though: It managed to retain Punjab with SAD, wrestled Goa, is somewhere there even in Uttaranchal; but has failed badly to benefit from Anti incumbency in UP. Regional parties have yet again proved their importance: SP & SAD have proved their mettle against the National parties. If 2014 would be the finals, then opposition seems to have won this semi finals of 2012.

UP: Starting with the most important state. BSP faced the anti incumbency; SP has taken all the benefit of this leaving the other 2 players high and dry. Though vote share wise, BSP is still a force to reckon with 26% vote share. But a fall of 4% votes from their 2007 share has cost them a whopping 126 seats along with the rule bringing down their tally to 80. Akhilesh Yadav has subtly wrestled back power for his father, Cycle crushing the elephant with outstanding 224 seats and a clear mandate! As for the other 2 contenders, both BJP & Congress need to do some self introspection. Irrespective of how badly critics bash them, a true fact is both failed to rise to the occasion. BJP has just managed 47 seats, 4 less than last time. If Uma failed for BJP, Rahul Gandhi’s dedicated, sustained & aggressive efforts failed to translate into votes. With 28 seats, 6 more than 2007, this would hurt them. The pro quota frenzy seemed to have little buyers & more sellers to their dismay. They were not in race to top the charts but the way they lost, will haunt them for long. As for Rahul, critics may bash him failing after Bihar, but the way he accepted taking blame for the loss and learning lesson from it; it seems the battle might be lost but the war is still far from over for him. With an increase in % votes for party in state, he may be down but not completely out & may have a long journey to cover in the state. Probably the ground needs to be built before his efforts can do the trick for his party. Till then Ms. Bahuguna & Mr. Digvijay Singh can take the blame for poor showing shielding their leader. But losing in strong holds of Amethi & Rae Bareily is something which would have tough explanation. At the centre too this will have implications. SP will have more say now, Congress will need to figure out how to operate in the maze between Trinamool, SP & BSP!


Uttarakhand: The only state which could not decide with results as to who would be the next CM. BJP was expected to lose comprehensively but still getting 31 seats behind Congress’s 32 will not hurt much. Khanduri succeeded in saving BJP from visible rout, but the general could not save his individual seat! Now the Govt formation will depend on the BSP & others accounting the rest 7 seats.

Punjab: Akali Dal has defied history by becoming first party to be voted back to power in 4 decades along with their partners BJP. SAD-BJP combined won again 68 seats, Congress failed to get the expected victory from the Badal’s getting only 46 seats.

Goa: BJP swept the state thanks to the mining issue! Another loss in Congress kitty.

Manipur: If there was any good news for Congress today, then it could find solace in retaining Manipur which had limited players.

We all would wait for the day when leaders would compete to perform and win rather than just try to promise & win. The lesson for all parties: Kindly perform or perish! People will vote for you if you would work for them.