Controversies Through the Ages

I have been witness to a lot of controversies, and the current lot seem pale in comparison to the great ones before them. Sample these, usually reported in nationally relevant mags like Star and Style, Cine Blitz or similar mags before TV came in (Shobhaa De was a columnist in one of these)-

Whether Amitabh and Rekha had an affair

Whether Dharmendra had married Hema Malini

Whether Dharmendra had beaten up a journo

Whether Rakesh Roshan was always bald

Whether Rajesh Khanna and Tina used the same toothbrush when they were allegedly together

Should there be kissing in films? A firm no was the answer for some decades, in case you are curious. Just think-Emraan Hashmi would have been unemployed!

Every year, there would be a list of Income Tax owed by celebs, mainly film stars, and where they found unaccounted cash in raids- mattresses, bathrooms were standard hiding places. Kishore Kumar even inserted the line 'peechhe pad gaya income taxum' in a song of his - Jay Govindam Jai Gopalam was the song.

Quick Ways of Becoming a Hero

Some ways of becoming a hero, then, now and in between.

Pre-independence India: Sacrifice all you have. Sometimes your life.

Post-independence India: Work hard, build the nation, without looking for rewards.

Post 1991: Work hard, set up your own company. No license needed.

Post I.T. : Study, Become a coder, regardless of your qualification. Work hard.

Now: Kill somebody on the road, speak about intolerance, give speeches without any regard for what you are saying, be born into a privileged family that thinks they own the country, lead an agitation for anything that will get media attention- a new state, or a reservation for a caste, or better still, be a media man who shouts everyone down in debates.

These are just a few ways to become a hero,  faster than you can say Maggi.

Stress- Then and Now

When I was a kid growing up, we had-

Only one brand of toothpaste- Colgate. Now you have 200.
Only the radio. Now kids have TV, Internet, Mobile, Ipad, Kindle, ..
Only white teeth. Now they come in Blue too.
Only home-made food. Now you have McD, Pizza Hut, Dosa, Vada Pav, and Indian Chinese, Indian Italian, Indian Mexican, American Balushahi (sorry, Donuts), Horrible airport sandwiches, even more horrible airline sandwiches,....
Only one superstar at a time. It was either Khanna or Bachchan. Now we have at least 5 Khans and twenty Kapoors..

Even after the TV came in, we had only one channel, Doordarshan. Now, there are 400.

Movies were only in theatres. Now, you have DVDs, downloads (as a Chief Minister recently told reminded us), file sharing, and so on, in addition to re-runs and dubbed movies) and OTTs.

Is it any surprise then, that stress levels were low then, and are high now?
Moral of the story- (having to make a) choice breeds stress.

Horror Movies- Then and Now

Then

In India, Ramsay brothers were the kings of this genre. There were hands rising from the grave, or heads rolling, or songs sung by unknown spirits, or doors creaking open in the dead of the night, or skeletons tumbling out of cupboards (not figuratively, but literally), to make it feel like a 'horror' film.

Now

A movie can be a horror film without any of the above ingredients. All it takes is-

1. An ageing hero who shows his biceps, six-packs, or just a shirtless body

2. A heroine with oodles of makeup trying to look sexy

3. A troupe of dancers with no dancing skills

4. A plot that goes berserk without head or tail

5. Songs that sound like they were tuned in hell.

6. Remakes of old movies that were themselves terrible.

7. Sequels of films that were not sequel material.

Oh, how I long for the 'real' horror films of yore. 

Life-changing Experience

What is a life-changing or thrilling experience? For some, it could be an event, such as climbing a mountain, or getting a job, or getting a certain life partner, or giving birth (for a mother). In early days of (my) life in India, there were many mundane things that thrilled us no end.

A car other than a Fiat or Ambassador
Getting a phone (a black only instrument with a rotary dial) at home
Eating at a restaurant
Listening to music in stereo- meaning two speakers
Seeing prints of pictures you had taken- this is still thrilling, because it is rare to actually print one now
Getting a letter from abroad-the envelopes looked sexy!
Looking at an aeroplane- we knew we weren't easily going to get on to one
Getting your own scooter- thanks to Bajaj and licensing
Getting perfume on your hands-the attar or concentrated variety
Solving a difficult problem
Watching a Bond film

Now, what I find thrilling is (not F1 or fixed or poor-quality sports) interactions with some humans. Could be a long-lost friend (I met one yesterday after 27 years), family member you don't get to see often, or student, or colleague.  A child's energy also looks amazing, particularly in contrast to the dodo-dom that awaits the rest.

Some works of art too, such as a film, a book, a poem, a blog (dare I say it, a facebook post), or nature -as in a particular spot, or flowers, and so on. Not sure if this is late wisdom- or even wisdom.

Luxuries-Then and Now

Our top ten luxuries (mostly unattained) while growing up (1970s) were-

1. Eating out in a restaurant
2. Flying
3. Owning a phone
4. Owning a car- or any personal transport
5. Traveling first class in a train
6. Owning a camera
7. Owning a 2-in-1 cassette player and radio
8. Going to a foreign country
9. Going to stay in a 5 star hotel
10. Having friends in different countries

Today, I don't really know what could qualify. A BMW, Rolls Royce? An Armani suit? I was reading about a guy who experimented with living on 32 rupees (about 60 cents) a day because that is our definition of poverty. At that earning level, three meals a day might constitute luxury.