Aamir Khan!!

I know I haven't discussed this on this blog as yet, but I have always been an Aamir Khan fan. Not that I do not like any other actor - I am also a big admirer of the inimitable Amitabh Bachchan and SRK, among many others.
But Aamir, truly, just stands apart.

Again, no disrespect to anyone, in fact, I think Amitabh Bachchan is the greatest actor we have seen, but the sheer planning, variety, attention to detail, exhaustive preparation for each character, ability to do justice to a script, and daredevilry to take up a challenge and rest your professional stakes on that one role for the entire year, takes some doing. Only a person with not just immense talent and intelligence, but also immense self-belief, can carry this off.

Shahrukh is wonderful too, but I have just one logic - I can swap any SRK role with Aamir - as in, I can expect AK to do any role done by SRK with as much elan, but cannot imagine SRK doing a Sarfarosh, a TZP, a Ghajini, etc. the way AK has.
Ofcourse, these are just my views and that is why you are reading them here - coz this is the reason I have created this space - to air my views, with the rationale behind my thoughts - you are free to agree/disagree.

I began reading Aamir's blog recently and it has only made me even more of an Aamir fan. Just reading his thoughts, the way he conveys everything, and mingles so humbly and freely with his fans, along with regular updates indicates a genuine desire to use the blog as a medium to connect with his audience in the way he wants it - informative, regular, fun-filled, informal, witty, and transparent (coming from the horse's mouth, it does not leave any room for speculation on anything and actually helps clears any misgivings anyone might have).

The fact that he has been finding time to not only personally write the blog so regularly, but also reading each and every reply to his posts and even replying back wherever required, displays genuine interest, sincerity, and attachment towards his blogging and affability by not letting any comment go unnoticed and many a time, also recognizing/appreciating it.

Here's just one sampler that I'm sure anyone who reads, would love. It shows the way Aamir used his body language, acting skills and intelligence to convey the right emotions and the non-verbal traits of the character (Bhuvan - the character he was portraying in Lagaan), on screen.
Highly recommend reading this entry on Creating Bhuvan.
I just felt so wonderful about being let in into the mind of this genius, who allowed us what all he tried and why, in projecting the right emotions and body language for his character.
And this is where I find him better than a ShahRukh as well as the great Amitabh Bachchan (even you yourself won't mind that na, Amitji - haayein..?!)

There are two main things that separate him from everyone else:

Abiility to research thoroughly and portray any character convincingly - By research I mean, genuinely thourough, exhaustive (and must surely be exhausting too!) research. And by any, I mean ANY: With due respects to others, but I think no one can match Aamir for his versatility. And it's not just about being versatile. What gets him the biggest edge is that he is most convincing in each of his so different roles - AK can portray a rebel (Mangal Pandey), a police officer (Sarfarosh), a mushy hero (QSQT), a strife-torn father-husband (Akele Hum Akele Tum), a lovable brat (RDB), a hilarious buffoon (Andaz Apna Apna), a comic hero (Ishq), a college-level hero (Jo Jeeta...), a tapori (Rangeela), an endearing rustic driver (Raja Hindustani), an urban youngster friend and lover (DCH), a terrorist in love (Fanaa), a rebellious youngster (Ghulam), an action hero (Ghajini), a sensitive teacher (TZP) - just to name a few..

And as you would know, the list ain't complete!
Which other hero has carried off such a huge run, variety and consistent string of quality roles for his movies?

Leader, Pioneer of Firsts - Whether it is the exhaustive preparation for a role, the unimaginable limits to which he can get soaked in his character, the great lengths to which he hedges his bets on only one project a year (by doing only 1-2 movies a year), thereby also displaying the strength of conviction to do quality-fulfilling and not indulge in needless money-raking movies, at the cost of churning inane performances in movie after movie: Go through any of the above traits and you will find even Amit sir, the legend has not made a conscious effort to dare do so few, so versatile and such intense movies, year after year after year.

And even more than these (but this is a trait in many other stars too), he also comes across as a genuine, unfazed-by-superstardom, well-meaning, sensible, mature, naturally friendly and peaceful guy with a wonderful heart and a great sense of humor - Not a bad list of ingredients in a person you'd like to have as a friend/mentor/guide.

I can go on and on but this should suffice for now - Aamir, if you are reading this, you deserve it, and no need to thank me!

Just keep up the great work, for we have spoiled and immuned ourselves to seeing nothing short of great stuff from you - and no need to take any pressure, yes, you are more than good enough. Touchwood!

Alright, one more line and his wife might begin to get fidgety. Mine too.

Of Maximums, Moments of Success, et al

Just in case you have recently migrated to this planet, let me inform you that the Indian Premier League - the glam show of T20 cricket replete with all assortments of stars, razzmatazz, and glamour, is now in its second year.

What might not have gone unnoticed too, is that it has established a new lexicon of terms associated with cricket.

The entire, conscious and business (marketing) exercise of calling every wicket a Citi Moment of Success, and every hit over the ropes coined as a DLF Maximum seems barely bearable, but one hopes they do not carry this branding too far. Who'd like to listen to such coinage every now and then, for every other term and event happening on the field?

This sickening thought just emanates from going through a nice read at Cricinfo's page on this:
http://content.cricinfo.com/iplpage2/content/story/402281.html

Quite witty and imaginative, but unfortunately, it doesn't really seem to be an extract from some sci-fi content. The way things stand, it might not be an unreal possibility.

Just hope Messrs Lalit Modi and his staff can all resist the temptation of selling, and then imposing, every brand on cricket.
It's not a bad thing for the coffers to stay abrim but as with most things in life, one should never fail from asking the question: At what cost?

Dilli-11

No, this is not some sequel to Delhi-6 but my list of who I'd like to see in the Delhi Daredevils playing eleven:

Click the image to view the list clearly:


The column on the left is my list of cricketers I'd like to see as my first-choice of playing eleven.
On the right, is the list of cricketers, who I can replace / can swap, along with the names of the cricketers I can swap them with.

These legends describe what the cricketers have been picked as:
BTA - Batting All Rounder,
Bt - Specialist batsman
Bl - Specialist bowler
Wk- Wicketkeeper
BLA - Bowling All Rounder

The 4 yellow-colored rows denote the maximum 4 foreign players who can be picked in a playing XI.
The team has been picked in batting order.

What I like most about this team is that it covers all bases - in terms of all the 3 facets: it has enough talent and depth in batting, bowling as well as fielding. Not just that, it has depth and variety within these departments too.

Let's pick each one-by-one:

1. Fielding

Some of the best: Manoj Tiwary, AB de Villiers, TM Dilshan, Paul Collingwood, Virender Sehwag, etc. are the standout livewires who would put any close-in ring of fielders to shame.

Guys like Glenn McGrath and Gambhir also possess a wonderful arm - to enable quick, strong returns from the deep.

2. Bowling

Led by the one and only Glenn McGrath, with perhaps the best left-arm slow bowler in the world in the form of Daniel Vettori, the wonderful prospects such as Dirk Nannes, Amit Mishra, Yo Mahesh and Pradeep Sangwan, along with the ever-reliable Ashish Nehra and Farveez Maharoof: you have all sorts of bowlers who can get you wickets against any opposition on any surface.

3. Batting

When a line-up has the likes of Gambhir, Sehwag, Warner and AB/Tiwary/Dilshan staring you in the face as its first four, does anybody need to tell you anymore about its prowess?
Apart from these living dynamites, there are also (only relatively speaking, though) sheet-anchor players, who can hold an end up and make others play their strokes around and on top of their calm and composed presence. Guys such as Owais Shah, Paul Collingwood, Dinesh Karthik, Mithun Manhas and Rajat Bhatia can alway be relied upon to stall any wicket-taking attempts of the opposition while also keeping the scoreboard ticking.

4. All Rounders
With guys such as Farveez Maharoof, the skipper Sehwag himself, Daniel Vettori, Rajat Bhatia and upcoming al-round talents like Dirk Nannes and Andrew McDonald, all-rounders are also available aplenty to choose from.

5. All-Round Depth
Most impressively, the all-round depth in each department of this Delhi team is extremely strong - atleast on paper, for sure. I would love to see a match where every skill in the game is utilised and harnessed in ensuring both hard-fought as well as facile victories.

Hope to see this set of Delhi XI playing someday, sometime, somewhere..can place a significant amount on it doing well. :-)

Kis? Kis? Kis, kis, kis, kis, Kisko???

Jaagore jaagore, jaa.aa..go..o..re!!
Yes, that's right - election ke din, agar aap vote nahin kar rahe, to aap SO rahe ho...
(and it plays out again - Jaagore jaagore, jaa.aa..go..o..re!!)

But yours truly - with all political disenchantment and without any clue on what choice to make - wants to know ki jaag ke, arthaat voting booth par pahunchke, karna kya hai????!!

Ji haan, vote to karna hi hai, par kis? kis? kis, kis, kis, kis, kisko?
Kisko vote karoon?!!

Now I do know, we do have enough regional/semi/quasi-national level parties, who have got quite used to calling the shots at the Centre in this age of coalitions.

But I want to zero in on only two - excuse me, all non-BJP, non-Congress, Third/Fourth/United/Disjointed/Secular/Whatever Front waalon and their supporters. Even if you possess an IQ that is as much as Mallika Sherawat's wardrobe, even then, you too would understand, that there are only two main parties in India: the Congress and the BJP.

These are the only 2 parties with whom shall wrest the responsibility of shaping the next government - whether on their own steam through a simple or near-simple majority (which is as likely as Himesh Reshammiya singing with the help of his vocal, and not nasal chords).

Or, one of these 2 parties can form/lead/support (from outside or from within the Cabinet), a coalition of parties where one of these two shall be the dominant, centrifugal partner in the coalition of parties that shall form the government.


Of the two, both seem to me to be equally (in)competent at the following:

• Corrupt: Now come on, we don't need to debate about it, do we? We have made ourselves and our country immune to it even faster than even the good folks who have been trying since so many years to immunise us and our country against polio through the pulse polio campaigns.
  

In fact, it has now come to a stage where corruption is a vice no more; virtue? - more
likely, necessity? - oh sure!

Which party/candidate to select, why and how?

• Communal: Overtly or covertly, directly or indirectly, whether through the direct, blatant, virulent verbal and physical attacks & hate propaganda by one party or through the other's squeamish, milk-them-and-use-them-in-the-name-of-secularism, get-votes-and-keep-promising-the-world attitude.

So, which one to vote for - the one that has Hindu sentiment and vote encashment as its
official warcry, or the one that just feels Muslims were born to live in a constant state of
shoot-at-sight, and it can feed off their insecurity and lack of other worthy options?
What enviable options!

• Apathetic: Don't know what others feel, but I can clearly sense these parties' care-a-damn-lets-get-power attitude.
  Pick any neta - Is anyone at all bothered about the welfare of the citizens and residents of an MP's constituency for the first 4 years 10 months??" What have both parties tried to do, when in power except on just encashing on the opportunity to use the power to achieve all material gains for self/party - in that order - at supersonic speed?

I know everything cannot be solved in 5 years (or even in 50 , for some problems). But I am not even asking for a quick-fix solution to everything. I just need to see intent, genuine intent, genuine effort, genuine concern and corrective action. Is that too much to ask for?
Unfortunately, none of the parties comes to the fore on any of these fronts.

I know, not voting does not mean the problems will be solved, but I need to know how to decide who is worthy of being voted?

How can you trust candidate A over candidate B when you have not only seen A and B, but have also seen the A's and the B's of the past - all happy enough to indulge in achieving their own personal goals and ready to involve themselves in mud-slinging against the other candidate/party at the slightest mention of their own tasks and achievements?

Yes, the answer is in putting your hand up if you feel so strongly disillusioned by things, and to make a difference. Forgive me for being such a pessimist, but I think such is the pre-dominance of these Big Two in politics, that even when the good, clean, meritorious, qualified, deserving and capable people have tried to make a difference, they have lost their voice and say, in the political spectrum of our country and have had to ultimately become subservient to one of the two parties, and pander to their big boss(es).

So where is the voice and clout of the independent in today's politics and what difference would you make, apart from raising some questions in the Question Hour? (that's assuming Parliament's not adjourned sine die, due to some or the other ruckus being created by some or the other party).

Anyway, just wanted to jot down my thoughts on the current scenario - apologies for the gloomy sentiments, and the pessimism - hope to find (and would love to receive through your comments) more answers than questions.

Till then...
Keep the faith, and do vote - just that I myself don't know, for whom? But good for you, if atleast you can put a finger on the pulse, and also on which button of the EVM to press!