Zorba the Greek- The Film

I have been wanting to see the movie ever since I read the book maybe a year ago. The wish came true a couple of days ago, at Hyderabad. The medium (film) is able to capture some of the book's greatness, but not all.

I will attempt to explain. The book relies on a lot of philosophical dialogues which are interspersed at regular intervals into the story, a simple enough tale of a man on a mission confronted by an ebullient, irrepressible Greek and their contrasting approaches to life. One, a dull, academic type, and Zorba, anything but.

Anthony Quinn does a marvelous job of acting the title role, and brings liveliness to his role. His scenes of doing the dance at unexpected times are some of the best, including the last scene. But the impact that the dialogues had in the book are somewhat muted in the film. May not be anyone's fault, but the impact is less.

The photography of what looks like Greece is really nice and different from the New-Yorkish sets that one is used to in films old and new. The characters of the widow and Bouboulina as she is called fondly by Zorba (she owns the small hotel where Zorba and his boss stay), are sketched well, by the actresses. Some scenes are brutal, true to the book. And the santouri (santoor?) played by Zorba brings a unique flavour to it all, like in the book.

On the whole, a good film, though the book is worth dying for.

Thanking 2011

This is not a religious discourse, but I have a lot to thank 2011 for. Obviously, it's not an inanimate thing, and there are people behind it that are really responsible for the feelings that emanate. My Osmania classmates who did a lot to reactivate the alum network, culminating in a few meetings in small groups wherever we could. Hyderabad and Delhi meets were two highlights. Individuals responsible. KS Murthy, Venugopal Reddy assisted by Rajagopal and others. IMT Nagpur for a wonderful year that went by, full of activities, events, and great team-work among students, faculty and staff. 

We pulled off a major event- Convocation 2011 for the first time on March 11, 2011. It went off like clockwork. Sunil Bharti Mittal was the Chief Guest. Students here did a lot of activities, conferences, theme seminars, extra-curriculars, sports and fun stuff, to keep the energy flowing. Placements were good, and rankings too. For the first time, we got a Superleague 2 ranking in the All India Mgt. Association survey in 2011. 

Academically, we had faculty publishing and writing cases, like over-achievers. About five conferences were organised by us, including one each at Goa and Hyderabad. Deponegoro University, Indonesia, sent two faculty on an exchange program, and partnerships with Rennes Business school, France, Chonnam University, South Korea and an Austrian University continued to flourish. IMT Alumni meets continued with vigour, in five cities this year. MDPs (short programs for execs) continued to be popular among a lot of infrastructure companies in and around Nagpur. Client list included GMR, NTPC, SAIL, Geological Survey and a few more. Many faculty taught in these. 

 Personally, I wrote a case on a company called Golftripz floated by an ex-student and partners. They take Indian golfers where they have never gone before (for golf)- to foreign countries. This has a video interview with promoters as an added attraction. Will present the case at a Bangkok conference this week. We did some faculty development programs as well, on research methods and the Case method of teaching (and case writing). IMT now has a leadership position in central Indian B schools. IIM Indore is the only other school nearby in the quality department, I guess. Cousins organised a Diwali outing to Shrivardhan, a Konkan beach town, which is now an annual event for all of us. 

 Most important, I read a lot of books and saw a lot of movies. Many were good. Iranian films, particularly, and one called Coffee and Cigarettes, and Norwegian Wood, based on Murakami's book, were excellent. Thanks to Hari and Sagar who it seems an inexhaustible supply of quality films. An IMT student also made a feature film that was commendable, and good to view. Books- A Fine Balance, The Music Room, RD Burman, Zorba the Greek, The Old Man and the Sea, Once Upon a Time in Scandinavistan, were some books I remember, along with a couple of Murakamis- my favourite. I would like to read more humour if I can. Emperor of Maladies about cancer research was also good. Blog writers and readers also need an honourable mention (and thanks) for making every day brighter.