Is 'style' over powering 'substance'?

Off-late the two Hindi movies that I watched; both made me ponder over 'style & substance'. Few weeks ago, 'Monica O My Darling' was a 'stylish' attempt to represent 'neo-noir'. It did work largely due to the decorated presentation and the 'substance' - the story had enough plot twists- some organic - a few quite convenient ones still to keep one hooked. 

Take for instance the death reveal of the titular character Monica. It was a convenient plot twist. As viewers, we are smart to identify that the killer could be one of the many characters introduced earlier. What saves the film is the comedy treatment of situations that could have otherwise been a one note scene. Of course the racy late 70's & 80's 'style' music and fantastic lyrics heightened the 'suspense' element. 

This week, I got to watch 'Freddy'. Another film lost to 'style' over substance. The trailer has already revealed to us that Dr. Freddy Ginnwala is a psycho killer. I began watching 'Freddy' expecting that the film would offer some serious rationale behind the motive, something more than what meets the eye. 

Alas, this isn't Drishyam or Drishyam 2 - a perfect crime drama and a strong emotional reason for the protagonist's motive who gets accidentally embroiled in the killing of an unwanted guest.

Freddy lingers largely between a 'revenge' drama and 'neo-noir' theme - where you are to decide if the protagonist's moves are morally correct. Sadly, the backstory for such a knee-jerk killing and eventual planned revenge by Freddy, a reputed Doctor today, is not entirely convincing. C'mon - murder witnesses donot become murderers!

It has been pretty convenient and cliched for Hindi films to add 'Love' (or the lack of it) as the prime reason for plot twists. We saw this with 'Brahmastra' too where the makers shove down our throats the reason why Shiva could over power the ultimate weapon 'Brahmastra'.

The world has perennially been debating whether 'Art imitates Life' or 'Life imitates Art'. Given the chicken and egg situation and the recent spine chilling Delhi murder, where 'ditching love to pieces' rocked our nation, it is disturbing to see love taking ugly turns.

You cannot be telling the audience to root for a sharp, self-assured, perpetrator that suddenly emerged from a nerdy, under confident, insecure character like Freddy and remains unscathed till the end!

Unless of course you want the audience to cheer for the acting prowess and striking presence of Karthik Aryan and immerse them in your 'stylised' decorative cinema over loosely stitched script that puts the blame on a failed love story, bad child-hood trauma as the cause and effect. 

Freddy is available on Disney + Hotstar for you to Judge.

Rajesh Rajgor's Book Review of 'I Don't Want To Meet Lord Krishna!' by Yashaswini K

When Radha Srinivasan, a crime reporter, is chosen to interview Lord Krishna, little did she know that the most fascinating interview of her life would turn into a nightmare. Once the interview gets published, she gets embroiled into one crime case after another. Many people do not believe the interview, but some who do believe, want to meet the Lord. Every now and then Radha finds herself thrust into an adventure fraught with perils. Things go to such an extent that her resistance is frequently tested. Can she over-power the incidents and come out triumphant? What exactly happened that she decides not to meet her favorite God. The incidents that lead to her decision involve the entire story of the novel – I don’t want to meet Lord Krishna!

First and foremost, I really liked the plot that has the mix of fantasy as well as crime. The thought of interviewing Lord Krishna by a crime reporter is exciting. Out of the 24 chapters, the first 12 chapters are really well-sketched out and lives upto my expectations and gives a direction to the book. Be it the pertinent questions of how society interprets religion, the varna system, the first crime incident, although involving Kashmir and the human Karma are very well presented. These chapter are successful in bridging the first interview that Radha publishes to the incident she faces.

However, I would have enjoyed the story further if all the incidents beyond Chapter 12, were inter-related too. Showing Radha face several criminal cases, one after the another and most of the time they are more societal in nature, than having direct relevance to Krishna, is overly ambitious to a character who is a criminal reporter. Writer Yashaswini K, throws in every possible crime scene that you would have read, heard or seen. From Kidnapping to rape and murder – everything finds a way in Radha’s life.

The idea of Krishna and his teachings as a central theme could have made for a more authentic storyline, had Radha used it for solving any one strong criminal case. Instead, the writer makes Radha solve different cases with very little or No connection to Krishna’s teachings established in the first couple of chapters.

Although, I wasn’t sure where the book was headed until the very last few pages, I will give writer Yashaswini K credit for constructing independent stories on the lines of Sherlock Homes. She builds up a strong cast of secondary characters who are all well-fleshed out and have their own plot threads. Apart from the central character Radha, her brother Karthik and Karthik’s friend Keshav are pick of the lot. Even Lord Krishna, emerges as the best thing throughout the length of the book. In fact, some of Krishna’s character traits like being smart and mischievous are also seen in Radha’s behavior. Hence, by the time, Radha says ‘I Don’t Want to Meet Lord Krishna’ you sense that this is just a temporary anguish, there is more than what meets the eye.

Click 'here' to buy the Book

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Rajesh Rajgor's Book Review of Life's Amazing Secrets - Gaur Gopal Das

When I went to school, they asked me what I wanted to be when I grew up. I wrote down “happy.” They told me I didn’t understand the assignment and I told them they didn’t understand life.” This tale has been widely circulated over the internet and is hugely popular in context to human happiness!

If I were to sum up the essence of Gaur Gopal Das’s debut book, Life’s Amazing Secret, it is nothing but to be happy in any situation. One of the most popular monks and life coach, Gaur Gopal Das- also known as Gopal Prabhu, shares his precious insights, broadly on four wheels on which human happiness resides. These are precisely on our Personal life, Relationships, Work life, and Social Contributions. Did he succeed in helping us find the key to happiness? Let’s find out.

What appealed to me the most is Prabhu’s narration, done through his conversation with his wealthy young friend Harry, while navigating their way through Mumbai’s horrendous traffic. It subtly points at the fact that wealth alone cannot make one Happy. While doing so the writer not only tells us the importance of life as a journey but also helps us understand the fact that happiness is not solely depended on external environment. During the course of the conversation he touches upon all the possible concepts associated with ultimate human happiness. These range from gratitude, worries, spiritual practice, relationships, amalgamation of spirituality and integrity at work, competition, selfless sacrifice, etc. 

Gopal Prabhu skillfully establishes that happiness is knowing ourselves and our expectations well. He weaves in short chapters that are packed with captivating stories, humor and sound advice. They are aimed at helping readers identify and get rid of their self-sabotaging thoughts and habits that prohibit them from achieving the success that they want. One such chapter is Das propagating readers to view life on the spectrum with an ice cream on one end and a candle on the other. The philosophy of an ice cream is to enjoy life before it melts and that of the candle is to give light to others before it melts. Hence in order to be happy throughout our existence, we should shift our attitude from being an ice cream to a candle. Which simply means starting from being selfish to becoming selfless.

However, this can be achieved by individuals who know their purpose, which can be discovered with four traits explained in the Japanese model ‘ikigai’ reason to live. So, if you haven’t figured out your purpose yet answer a few questions – What do you love? What are you good at? What can you get paid for? and What does the world need? Honest answers to these will definitely lead you towards a balanced and purposeful life.

Perhaps the book also helps you re-define success or identify what success means to you. After reading this book, you will have a better understanding of why you act the way you do and how to accept the things that you cannot change. Examples like the founders of WhatsApp did not get jobs at Twitter and Facebook when they applied and later the app was bought by facebook, drives the point that, what we may see as a failure for us currently, shall turn to be the best thing to have happened to us! Gaur Gopal Das also attributes how he could not control the virality of ‘his out of context’ video that was circulated on whatsapp which later made him the internet sensation that he is today. This was possible only because he saw both good and bad side of the video but chose to focus on good and neglect the bad! Only if all of us could do that, each one of us would perennially be happy.

Rajesh Rajgor's review of a Gujarati Novel - 'Be Aakash' by Shobhana Shah

Ms. Shobhana Shah’s Gujarati language novel ‘Be Aakash’ (Two Skies) is a passionate tale of simple human sentiments which manages to scratch beyond the known. Breaking the common travel myths like 'English is spoken everywhere' and it is 'difficult to relate with a foreigner due to their different ethnicity', the story takes note of light beautiful emotional attachment between the hero Keyur and the Japanese girl. However, it doesn't just end there, through the lead character, the book is a tale of adventure, novelty and quirky account of his accidental encounter with a Japanese robot! 

Mr. Rajesh Rajgor with Ms. Shobhana Shah at the launch.

With the growing bond between men & machine in the modern times, the story delves into the profound relationship of Japanese and Indian culture covering a nuance take on food, spirituality, infrastructure, intelligence, education and the important of all, value for humanity. These aspects are unfolding around Keyur (a man) and a robot (a machine), and Ms. Shah has managed a snugly interwoven travelogue, with a mix of incidents common to both cultures.

Through the science fiction narrative, the book manages to unravel ancient traditions associated with black magic, geisha or geigi – Japanese women who entertain through performing arts -, origami (art of folding paper), sumo-wrestling, ikebana (art of flower management) and engineering marvels such as the bullet train!

Amid the familiar setting, Ms. Shah also manages to package insights on human trafficking, role of media, police and underworld to give an engaging read. It offers a spirited insight into the lives of a simple Indian family who falls into the trap of unintended fame but who with its mind at the right spot fixes the unknown with ethics and integrity.

The offbeat guide, documenting various facets of Japan and India is full of emotions and on the outset, may seems like just another story by an author trying to make a mark for herself. But Shobhna Shah’s debut novel is much more than that. Through her indulgence in the intellectual pursuits, Shah unravels the absorbent culture of Japan– a country inseparable from its spiritual and religious fervor as much as it is of hard work, robotics and artificial intelligence (augmented reality). ‘Be Aakash’ is thus an extensive understanding of the fascinating Japan which is deeply rooted in Indian ethos and keeps the reader curious till the end.

The book can be bought from the following links.:
Amazon and Gujarati Books

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5 Reasons Why Garba Songs Are Chart-busters in Bollywood

Garba is a dance form originated in Gujarat and performed during Navaratri – a 9 day festival of Goddess Durga. Along with Dandiya Raas, that is also associated with the playfulness of Krishna & Radha, it is the most favorite dance forms of Navratri evenings in India.

It is therefore easier for our Hindi films, that prominently features song and dance, to adopt its romantic sequence to suit the traditional Navaratri songs. Here our 5 reasons why Garba songs are chartbusters in Hindi Movies.

1. Foot tapping beats: One of the reasons why Garba songs are enjoyed by people of all age group is because of its natural foot tapping beats. Whatever the lyrics are, the music can make even the non-dancers excited. The best example has to be this song from the movie Krantiveer, ‘Jai Ambe Jagdambe Maa’ where even Nana Patekar, not known for his dance, is seen dancing to the Dandiya tunes. Another similar example is the uncomfortable Rajkummar Rao being put to dance in “Oh Shubhaaramb” song from Kai Po Che. Dekha there is no excuse that you can give to escape from the Garba dance!
2. Efficacious in romance: One of the reasons why Garba songs in Bollywood are so popular is that it effectively leads to a romantic relationship between the lead pair. Be it a garba or dandiya, the co-ordinated dance moves lead to teasing between the couple and hence helps the romantic angle to bloom effortlessly. Many songs in the garba category are testimony to this point. Be it the ‘Ghunghat Mein Chand Hoga’ from Khoobsurat which takes forwards Sanjay Dutt and Urmila Matondkar’s love story or the most famous ‘Dholi Taaro Dhol Baajey’ from Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam that etches love for Sameer’s in Nandini’s heart permanently. Truly, a song to watch for the pair’s playfulness. 
3. Colour & Vigour: Contrary to the negative connotation to the colour red in the western part of the world, the east considers red to be the color of love, seduction and power.  the red bangles or the red costume with drapes and accessories around the lead pair or the decorative use of red to design a set, the colour, often seals the relationship between the lead with warmth. It also invokes vigour and enthusiasm and appeals to the viewers to groove along. This point is aptly shown in another Sanjay Leela Bhansali song ‘Nagada Sang Dhol Bajey’ from Goliyon Ki Raas Leela: Ram Leela.
4. Suits any Sequence: You may be in Uttarayan, the festival of Kite flying, Holi, the festival of colours, a garba can be used practically anywhere and still, it will get you the desired result. Take for instance the song ‘Udi Udi Jaaye’ in Raees that starts off as a song for Uttarayan and shifts to a proper Garba (circular movements) or ‘Lahu Munh Lag Gaya’ from Goliyon Ki Raas Leela: Ram Leela that starts with the leads applying colour to each other.
5. Appeals to Indian Diaspora: What also gives Garba a universal appeal, just like the Punjabi songs, is the celebration of Navratri by the migrated Guajarati’s. Hence garba songs are a huge hit, from USA to Australia. The current sensational song ‘Chogada Tara’ is popular also because it shows the protagonist dance to garba at the Potters Field Park and Tower Bridge in the UK capital. Set against the backdrop of Gujarat, the film revolves around the love story between Sushrut (Aayush Sharma) and Manisha (Warina Hussain).

So, that was the list guys, write down in the comments section below, if you think there are many such reasons for the popularity of Garba songs in Hindi Movies.

Rajesh Rajgor's Book Review of Shyam: An Illustrated Retelling Of the Bhagavata

Who doesn’t know the popular Hindu deity Lord Krishna? He is the 8th Avatar of Lord Vishnu aka the creator of the universe, the source of all that exists! Krishna is adored in many different forms, for some he is who steals butter (makkhan chor) who started the formation of human pyramid to break the now famous dahi-handi, he is known for his Raas Leela with Radha and Gopis, He who is the Charioteer of Arjun in Mahabharta, and the narrator of Bhagavat Geeta. So, what is it that Author Devdutt Pattanaik wants to decode with his new book Shaym an Illustrated retelling of Bhagavata…. Let’s find out…

The book makes a strong case for ‘Jo Hota Hai Ache Ke Liye Hota Hai’ Every action, good or bad, has an equal and opposite reaction. Even though Krishna sided the Pandavas, to establish dharma that the mighty should protect the weak, poor and meek, he faced Gandhari’s (mother of Kauravas) anger, who felt Krishna could have averted the war!

Pattanaik’s book is a treasure of many such anecdotes. It is by far a thoroughly researched work about Krishna. It puts forth several references, insights and trivia in the grey boxes below the main story that invokes your imagination about the broader mythology associated with the main story. Kuch references Harivamsa se hain (that speaks of his pastoral foster family), toh Kuch Vishnu Purana (that refers to him as Vishnu’s avatar), There are a few mentions of Shrimad Bhagavata Purana and the Geet Govind of Jayadeva (that introduces us elaborately to Radha). Parallels from Greek mythology and references from Jain mythology builds up a good back story for the main story. Also, how Krishna is a purna purush (Perfect Man) and that he sees good in everything is well narrated in incidents of him accepting female attire as a punishment and also in an exchange of clothes with Radha! Something that challenges the many fake masculinity images of contemporary Indian men. There are various points at which Pattnaik also makes a note of how ancient India had no inhibitions in accepting a dark skin hero, which is so unlike the modern-day obsession about fairer complexions.

However, despite its various highs, I was disappointed in the area where Krishna as a narrator recites the Bhagavat Geeta to Arjuna. Having picked up the book thinking the it could also simplify the different chapters of the Bhagavat Geeta, the book fails to rise beyond the central message of Geeta- that is your Karma is more important than your emotional connect. Similarly, a few of you, who have grown up watching Shri Krishna on television or read about it in other books, may find the chapters dealing with his pranks during his infant to cowherd known. Also, until you warm up to the recurring boxes that puts various mythologies in perspective, you may find the break of flow from the main story a bit confusing and overwhelming to hold on to. Reference to various new names and their relationships to Krishna is hard to keep up with. But we can hardly, blame the writer for that. In fact, he has to be applauded for collating it all together in one book.

In a nutshell, the book will help you understand Krishna, before his birth, his life on earth and his life after death. It will help you accept things as they are and find good behind every thing happening to you. The true purpose is achieved when the writer succeeds in giving each one of us a distinct ‘meaning’ within the infinite possibilities that life offers us. As the writer himself describes, ‘Within Infinite myth is an eternal truth, who sees it all? Varuna has but a thousand eyes, Indra a hundred, you and I only two.’