For the people who do not know the root cause of the problem I suggest going through the BBC website link below and for others please read on.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/in_depth/south_asia/2002/kashmir_flashpoint/default.stm
The issue of the Amarnath Land Transfer was on the forefront right from the begining of year.
I'll address the issues one by one.
1. Amarnath land row
The trouble started in Jammu & Kashmir on May 26 after the Congress-led Govt decides to transfer 100 acres of forest land to the Amarnath Shrine Board. First there was agitation in Kashmir Valley against the transfer of the land to Sri Amarnath Shrine Board which forced the Government to take back the land allotted to The Board and now for more than a month Jammu is burning demanding the land back for the Sri Amaranth Shrine Board. What has sustained the agitation so long in Jammu? Who provoked it and for what? Is the peace of land a real issue? These are important questions which must be answered satisfactorily. It need not be stressed that it is BJP which is trying to cash in on this agitation and is having its eye not only on election in Jammu and Kashmir but on forthcoming Loksabha election in early 2009.
2. Agitation in Jammu
The agitators in Jammu claim that no party controls the agitation and that people of Jammu – meaning Hindus of Jammu themselves are leading the agitation, not any political party. Though not wholly but partly it is true. Jammu is really on fire.
The agitation in Jammu is indeed draws its dynamics not from 'land for Amarnath' issue but it is highly complex thing. There has long been simmering against "Kashmir Raj" in Jammu region of the state. Basically it is regional divide but unfortunately now it is being turned into communal divide mainly by the BJP by raising the Amarnath land issue. The noted scholar and journalist Shri Balraj Puri who has for years dedicated his life for just and fair settlement of J&K issue has repeatedly pointed out that different region of J&K be given regional autonomy. He also headed a commission to find solution to this problem appointed by Farouq Abdullah Government. However, the report prepared by the Commission, was thrown into the dustbin.
It is important to mention here that during the agitation in Jammu, the mob attacked the police/army and stabbed a sub-inspector and torched a police station and several police vehicles. Policemen were beaten with their own lathis and yet in over 70 days of voilence in Jammu 5 people were killed as compared to the peaceful protests in Valley where more than 30 people were killed. Their only fault they were carrying green flags.
3.Economic Blockade of Kashmir
Was there an economic blockade in Kashmir?? Most of the people in India can say no this is because they are ignorant of many facts which happen in Kashmir and ONLY believe the news comming from NDTV and CNN-IBN (Which is another topic within this blog ie Role of Media). Comming back to the blockade, was there a blockade....the answer is plain YES. I was there and i can vouch for it. Currently Kashmir is connected to outside world only by India’s National Highway No. 1(NH-1). All the supplies, be it medicines, food items etc come into Kashmir through NH-1 all the imports and exports go through this very road. In wake of recent Amarnath Land Transfer controversy(which was a different story all together), Jammu and some other states of India like Punjab imposed an economic blockade on Kashmir Valley for 2 long months stopping all the essential supplies to the Kashmir, leading acute shortage of essential commodities. Empty departmental stores and medicine less hospitals were enough proof of it.
While Government of India and Jammu(including other states) were consistently denying the economic blockade, one needs to be present here in order to witness it. After visiting 30 medical stores i swear I couldn't get a tin of baby food. Such was the condition. Like me there were hunderds of people searching for such stuff.
4. Protests in Kashmir against the blockade
Monday, August 25, 2008
Wednesday, January 23, 2008
Raging Bull (1980)
After a long time it gives an immense pleasure to do a review of Martin Scorsese's movie again. Well today being friday I picked one of his best movie "Raging Bull".
Raging Bull is a cinematic masterpiece which pulls no punches. Based on a true story, Robert De Niro stars as Jake La Motta, a middle-weight boxer from the late-1940s and early-1950s, who basically destroys himself and those around him because of an uncontrollable temper and poor decision-making. Instead of going down as one of the greatest boxers of all time, La Motta ruined his career because he was unable to see the bigger picture. He threw bouts, he got involved with low-life underworld crime figures, he beat his wife , he abused all those closest to him, and he had relationships with young girls who were still considered minors. Even his strongest tie, his younger brother, gets cut during the course of his untimely self-destruction.
The film is shot brilliantly, what Scorsese disliked about the previous boxing films he had seen was the way the fights were shown from ringside, adopting a spectator's view, which protected the audience from the brutality inside the ring. For Raging Bull, Scorsese was determined to get as close as possible to the raw violence of the fights. He filmed inside the ring and make the audience feel every punch. His plan was to shoot the fight scenes as if the viewers were the fighter, and their impressions were the fighter's, and never to insulate the audience from the violence in the ring. The viewers would think, feel, see and hear everything the boxers would.
I keep mentioning in all Martin Scorsese movie reviews that he was again and again robbed of the Oscar awards for eg. for Taxi Driver, Goodfellas and later for Aviator, Gangs of New York. This film was also criminally robbed of 1980's Best Picture and Best Director Academy Awards, by "Ordinary People", another one of those dysfunctional family drama's.
For all those who have not seen, see it. The legendary Mohammed Ali may be boxing's biggest name, but his recent biopic, 'Ali,' falls way short of the high standards set by Raging Bull.
Raging Bull is a cinematic masterpiece which pulls no punches. Based on a true story, Robert De Niro stars as Jake La Motta, a middle-weight boxer from the late-1940s and early-1950s, who basically destroys himself and those around him because of an uncontrollable temper and poor decision-making. Instead of going down as one of the greatest boxers of all time, La Motta ruined his career because he was unable to see the bigger picture. He threw bouts, he got involved with low-life underworld crime figures, he beat his wife , he abused all those closest to him, and he had relationships with young girls who were still considered minors. Even his strongest tie, his younger brother, gets cut during the course of his untimely self-destruction.
The film is shot brilliantly, what Scorsese disliked about the previous boxing films he had seen was the way the fights were shown from ringside, adopting a spectator's view, which protected the audience from the brutality inside the ring. For Raging Bull, Scorsese was determined to get as close as possible to the raw violence of the fights. He filmed inside the ring and make the audience feel every punch. His plan was to shoot the fight scenes as if the viewers were the fighter, and their impressions were the fighter's, and never to insulate the audience from the violence in the ring. The viewers would think, feel, see and hear everything the boxers would.
I keep mentioning in all Martin Scorsese movie reviews that he was again and again robbed of the Oscar awards for eg. for Taxi Driver, Goodfellas and later for Aviator, Gangs of New York. This film was also criminally robbed of 1980's Best Picture and Best Director Academy Awards, by "Ordinary People", another one of those dysfunctional family drama's.
For all those who have not seen, see it. The legendary Mohammed Ali may be boxing's biggest name, but his recent biopic, 'Ali,' falls way short of the high standards set by Raging Bull.
Johnny Gaddaar [2007]- Review
Recently saw this movie when one of my friend told me that it is an adaptation of James Hadley Chase's novel. I have read most of the JHC books and will vouch for it that if you read all of his books and act on them you'll one day end up a big fraud. There are so many innovative ways which JHC come up with to con people. Now being an ardent fan of JHC, I made it a point to see this movie but had some apprehensions at first because some years ago even Ketan Mehta tried to adapt a JHC novel, 'The Sucker Punch' into AAR YA PAAR, even some of the dialouges were lifted from the book but i guess he failed in the script. He went too far from what was there in the novel.
Comming back to Johnny Gaddaar I found the story is not lifted from any of JHC's novels, it does follow a somewhat similar plot though. I feel it is Sriram Raghavan's (Of 'Ek Haseena Thi' fame) tribute to many personalities, Vijay Anand, R K Narayan (Rimi Sen is reading 'Guide' in the film), Rama Gopal Verma (Sriram was RGV's assistant), Hitchcock etc. In the opening credits he mentions some of the names like JHC and Vijay Anand.
The movie features the grandson of the legendary singer Mukesh, Neil Nitin Mukesh and what a debut!!!!! I was amazed by the way he has carried out his role. Flawless. Also another brilliant performance by Vinay Pathak after Bheja Fry.
The movie is about a gang whose members are involved in some kind of shady deals. One such deal promises the gang a lot of money, but one member of the gang is lured by the 'Whiff of Money' (Another JHC novel which Neil Mukesh is reading in the train) and began to hatch his own secret plans, leading to unforseen situations for the group. The things go wrong when his plans goes astray. The movie is a relentlessly rigorous take on the wages of crime and what evil men do to their conscience for the sake of money.
Johnny Gaddaar is not a compelling thriller but its witty direction and sincere performances make it a fine thriller, among the best in recent years. It is a much needed respite from song and dance type of movies which are being churned out these days. The soundtrack is groovy, Vishal-Shekhar has done justice to some old song references by mixing them well. Even the songs are a tribute to the olden era (Read Navketan Productions) of thrillers. Songs like Johnny Breakbeat Mera Naam aka 'Johnny Mera Naam', 'Bhule Bisre Geet', 'Revenge of the 70's', are well done.
It is sad that the movie didn't got its due share commercially. But after the movie was well received by the critics, it mustered some figures commercially. I feel it was the most underrated movies of 2007.
Comming back to Johnny Gaddaar I found the story is not lifted from any of JHC's novels, it does follow a somewhat similar plot though. I feel it is Sriram Raghavan's (Of 'Ek Haseena Thi' fame) tribute to many personalities, Vijay Anand, R K Narayan (Rimi Sen is reading 'Guide' in the film), Rama Gopal Verma (Sriram was RGV's assistant), Hitchcock etc. In the opening credits he mentions some of the names like JHC and Vijay Anand.
The movie features the grandson of the legendary singer Mukesh, Neil Nitin Mukesh and what a debut!!!!! I was amazed by the way he has carried out his role. Flawless. Also another brilliant performance by Vinay Pathak after Bheja Fry.
The movie is about a gang whose members are involved in some kind of shady deals. One such deal promises the gang a lot of money, but one member of the gang is lured by the 'Whiff of Money' (Another JHC novel which Neil Mukesh is reading in the train) and began to hatch his own secret plans, leading to unforseen situations for the group. The things go wrong when his plans goes astray. The movie is a relentlessly rigorous take on the wages of crime and what evil men do to their conscience for the sake of money.
Johnny Gaddaar is not a compelling thriller but its witty direction and sincere performances make it a fine thriller, among the best in recent years. It is a much needed respite from song and dance type of movies which are being churned out these days. The soundtrack is groovy, Vishal-Shekhar has done justice to some old song references by mixing them well. Even the songs are a tribute to the olden era (Read Navketan Productions) of thrillers. Songs like Johnny Breakbeat Mera Naam aka 'Johnny Mera Naam', 'Bhule Bisre Geet', 'Revenge of the 70's', are well done.
It is sad that the movie didn't got its due share commercially. But after the movie was well received by the critics, it mustered some figures commercially. I feel it was the most underrated movies of 2007.
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