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Writer Provocateur
There’s an artisan-like air to the image of a female writer. A certain fragility and an odd strength that the pen lends her, coarse suggestiveness of phallic symbolism aside. There is a delicateness about the female writer. Hearty broadstrokes are usually in rare supply. The writing doesn’t leave deep vigorous impressions on paper, it simply whirls around the page smokily. And gentle persuasion often outweighs enthusiastic opinionatedness. There is also an anonymity about the female writer. She’s rarely visible. Sometimes out of choice, others enforced.
It’s the latter that forms the catalyst for this piece. That, along with some article here at PFC a couple of months ago by an aspiring writer that implied how much easier it is for the female of his species to get work, thanks to her ‘assets’. I am a little at sea about how acquiring a 34-25-34 figure (that’s the new 36-26-36, guys, now that Zero is the new Size Two, it’s our own mysterious math) would make someone perceive it as a higher qualification to write a screenplay. But the aforementioned erudite (I use the word with utter sarcasm, in case it’s missed) gentleman isn’t entirely to blame.
I remember reading an interview of this much-revered and talented filmmaker who said that he hired a female music composer because she’d come for their first meeting dressed in jeans and a top. ‘I took her on because I’d never met a music composer who wore jeans and a top’. My outfit of choice is jeans and a top. Easier therefore, I guess, to give credit for any assignment I get to my attire and because some other poor sod has ‘never seen a writer who wore jeans and a top’! There goes the ‘female artist’, that still-born fallacy. All she does is eat men like air.
While I am greatly amused by the ‘Why do they call it PMS? Because Mad Cow Disease was taken’ kind of jokes, while I sneer at feminists because I love having doors opened and chairs pulled out for me, while I pointedly ignore the ‘Celebrate your womanhood and forward this mail to all the sisters out there or bad luck will follow you for seven years and your all your stilettoes will break at their heels and all your dresses will shrink two sizes and the man of your dreams will turn into a hyena’ messages in my inbox, I do get greatly offended when my gender gets top billing over whatever degree of talent I possess.
‘I would venture to guess that Anon, who wrote so many poems without signing them, was often a woman,’ Virginia Woolf conjectured. Anon was probably on to something. Glass ceilings might be shattering all around us, but perceptions remain the same. Just that ‘She must’ve slept with the boss to get that promotion’ is replaced by ‘She got it because she’s female and she has erm, ‘assets’, you know…’ We know, we know, you aren’t talking real estate.
Funnily, I’ve had a few opportunities of my own to be ‘Anon’. A meeting was arranged for me with this director just after my first film wrapped up. He walked in late, snapped to his secretary about this ‘writer chap Bhavani something’ who was to be sent right in. Most of my invites and a couple of my contracts tag me ‘Mister’, callers continue to speak over the phone addressing me as ‘Sir’, even after hearing my voice, one person delivering something from a production office asked for my father, Mr. Bhavani Iyer. Back to the director, his lovely secretary had a smile that refused to leave her face when she ushered me into the man’s office. The sight of the poor chap sputtering, ‘But you’re a girl…’ was worth losing my ‘Anon’ status. He then added, ‘…and so young’, but more on that later, ageism demands a post all its own.
It does strike me as remarkably ridiculous that in this time and age – with all the women astronauts and CEOs and world leaders and Booker winners – the world of cinema, not just here but the world over, is still considered by some underevolved cavemen as a masculine fiefdom where the rightful place for the feminine is underneath frills and ruffles pandering to the big-fat-ego of the big-fat-mighty-man, so she gets her candybar.
Yes, being a female writer has its advantages. The crew doesn’t say ‘fuck’ as much. Kind-hearted spot ‘dadas’ offer you a chair and an umbrella. Some actors even send you ‘thank you’ notes. But what do you know, all ‘assets’ notwithstanding, you still have to be happy on your hands, pour yourself onto the page and submerge into that blessed anonymity because darn it, the screenplay doesn’t write itself.
I still answer “YES” i went to school back home in India on an elephant and my grandfather to date performs the great Indian rope trick along with the snakes… that’s something to say of intelligence, knowledge and sensibility in the most developed part of the world!
You can’t expect more than that, can you?
=d> Brilliant! Brilliant! Brilliant Bhavani! :)
^:)^
Anon WAS a woman, undoubtedly!
Any chance I can bribe you to stay out of RONIN ??
Bhavani,
When you use asides, circular construction and unnecessary $10 words, I assume you’re doing it because what you’re saying isn’t powerful enough. When you write simply - as in in the last paragraph - it is your idea that I am reading. I get my vacuous, lyrical mood swings too when I sit down to write but I usually end the day by deleting those first paragraphs. :) Just a thought.
~Sid
Film Editing, which I think is perhaps the most cinematic craft in the movies has a high representation of the femininie historically and continuing on to today. Scorsese, Spielberg, Tarantino - their editor collaborators are women.
But, here’s the rub. Back in the day, when women weren’t considered smart enough to be able to do anything useful behind the camera, editing was the profession that they were allowed into.
You wanna know why? Because splicing film together seemed similar to sewing, weaving, etc., and hence was considered a profession that women would naturally take to and men would stay away from. Irony of ironies.
Your writing oozes so much of your literary capability that I need an online dictionary opened along with to understand it thoroughly. Phallic symbolism… delicate yet strong… leads to several interpretations… would have been a better read if was kept simple. Further, to add more to your opinion, nothing gets sold without proper packaging, even a housewife doesn’t purchase something that ain’t packaged well. Lastly, nobody can take you from something that you are not willing to part with. For everything else, there is law. Regards.
Well..if i told you that “I can’t relate to the intricate yet ballistic but still a tad bit too byzantine and labyrinthine words of yours” …alot of people would say –”what a jerk!!” …but if i said that “hey miss… cud u plss simplify so that evry1 can understand” … well still some will say “what a jerk!” but some will agree!!!
Its just that when I’m writing I want everyone to understand the true meaning of the thing I want to express… than to be “impressed” at my writing. I mean….its good to use all this if ur writing a book and “need” an award… but keeping it simple appeals to the masses!!
Just A Thought!
Hail Black!!!!
Kavita, I’m sitting this one out. Just make me an offer I can’t refuse. :) I wouldn’t mind an invite to one of your brunches that you mentioned elsewhere, next time I’m there. I know my way around a kitchen, I’m a great guest, I even bring my own wine…!!! And if I were goin’ for Ronin, I’d make sure you stayed away. You wield a mean pen! Love your wit and writing.
Dabba, I’m not surprised at the seamstress reasoning. And I don’t think a lot has changed since. I find myself offered ‘love stories’ to write more often than not, because my ‘feminine sensibilities’ would make me the ‘perfect choice’ for a romantic subject. You see - woman=soppiness, mushiness, all things needless and frivolous and man=strength, depth and setting the world right. Gender stereotyping at its predictable worst, what can one do.
Sid, Arjun - so you suggest that I write the way you wish I should write. I would but you see, I have this terrible anti-authoritarian chip on my shoulder the size of Colossus that refuses to listen to reason and no amount of dexterity, verbal or physical, seems to cure me of my twisted maximalism. So the vacuous lyrical mood-swings and ballistic byzantine labyrinth are stuck, for life. On a serious note, thanks for reading and for your advice. But I can only write the way I write. And Arjun, ‘tad bit’ is improper usage since both words mean the same thing. If you mean to make fun of my writing, you gotta get it right, else where’s the fun?!!!
Gajendra, it is perhaps my overt literary ability (demonstrated fully by the presence of one Virginia Woolf quote but that’s elephant enough, I guess) that might be responsible for misconstruing your comment. But are you equating a woman writer/ artist with detergent powder/ oven cleaner that a housewife would buy? What is the ‘proper packaging’ for a female writer, do tell.
Fatema, many thanks. You’re way too kind.
Ravptor, I guess beyond a point it’s best to counter ignorance with sarcasm. Unfortunately, oftentimes no one gets the sarcasm and the joke is on us!
Hey Bhavani. interesting reflection on the ‘provoked’. of course, the aspiring writer’s post you’ve referred-to, i insist, comes with a disclaimer pleading ignorance. glad you’ve forgiven him (defeats the purpose if it were to have been an ‘her’).
also like your conferring artisan-al status to the woman-writer. writing, though unanimously referred-to as a craft, hasn’t managed to get writers proclaimed as artisans.
actors seem to be Artists,
on-location crew the Craftsmen while
writers are always, well, WRITERS.
you mind sharing a little bit of the artisan-al status with the male-writer too :-)
maybe stepping-up the accelerator on decrying discrimination of a section of the craft (happily) ASSUMES that the craft itself is not relegated anymore. i pray for the double-triumph..
& maybe i should write a post about how i’m thought of as Ms.thani. couple of suggestions about Mr.Bhavani -
1. (terrible one), how about a pseudonymn?
2. (much better), how about us trading names??? lol
this post reads, for me, like you’re in the middle of a ‘writing’. my very best & happy writing bhavani..
Hey Bhavani, In my eyes Ms Renu Saluja is the best editor india had.the way she edited her films would put any man to shame.i am still searching for a book written on her. would you know anything about it? would anyone know anything about it? please mail me at ronyd@rediffmail.com.
I make it a habit to read Bhavani’s posts with an online dictionary open.
However, I’d rather damn my lack of a colossal vocabulary (which I severely do) than damn the writer for showing me how short I fall of comprehension for want of such a basic requisite.
Why didn’t someone tell Anurag to make a simple film on ‘Quit Smoking or you’ll get fucked - one way or the other’? Why doesn’t someone tell Sudhir Mishra to create simple characters who do as they say and say what they feel? Cos if they did those things we wouldn’t give a fuck about what they blogged on pfc. They’d be all over the media, hobnobbing the stars and not fighting the battles they do.
If someone is trying to raise the bar, either try to jump higher or quietly go under. Why must we stand up against the bar being raised? This is not alluding only to this post, just a general wonderment.
Bhavani, super article..enjoyed reading every bit..post ur article on the ageism..waiting for it..laughing out loud on jst thinking abt it. cheers…
Bhavani, I am still trying to get over your way with words!!
Phew!!..way too good!!
my first reading of one of your posts, Bhawani. Thoroughly enjoyed it — and please continue to write like you do. I’m glad you say we’re stuck for life.
cheers.
&*(^(!
and I typo your name. typical.
bhaVani, bhavani. I got it now. sorry.
Bhavani… I never compared an artist or a writer with detergent. I compared a decision making process of a housewife (a simplistic household decision)to a business decision by a producer of a film and the relevance of packaging to this decision. Now what packaging would suit an artist is what I thought you discussed in your article. Anyways, your post has improved my comprehension and vocabulary skills some what. Thanks. I love your posts.
bhavani, why blame others when even without seeing the name of the author one can usually make out whether it’s written by a female or not? won’t you agree that the gender of most filmmakers as well gets stamped in the face of the audience? that’s one thing atleast i admire about farah khan that she makes movies as a filmmaker first, female later. that’s another matter altogether that i hink she is the worst director around….
mira nair though i admire for bringing that feminine sensitivity to her films without a seemingly conscious effort on her part. but won’t u agree kapana lajmi, deepa mehta or tanuja chandra are a bit guilty of making overtly feminist works?
i guess the english language may have dropped the authoress in favour of author, but unless the ‘esses’ drop it from their style of writing, u can’t expect men to talk real estate ‘assets’. right?
other than that loved ur post and style of writing.. :d
Such natural flair for language Bhavani! Kudos!
“But the aforementioned erudite (I use the word with utter sarcasm, in case it
This write-up is being talked about more for it’s verbal flair than the point it’s trying to make.
:-?
arre i m all for feminist work, but just seeing the works of kalpana lajmi as an example, the feminism is so in the face, it kind of alienates male viewers. atleast i am unable to watch her movies. even the religious symbolism used in those movies is so loaded.. every female protagonist becomes akin to durga and ends up killing the aggressor. i mean, why in every movie? are all males meant to be avenged by killing? do they really expect men to cower from doing wrong by seeing the ‘power’ of women? i guess they would have made ppl more sensitive towards the addressed issues if they showed the reforming of the oppressor. that was my point. and about the last argument, by dropping the ‘esses’ i meant dropping the ‘ess’ from authoress. that author’ess’es should feel like an ‘author’ first and gain a unified sensitized pt. of view… and the 2nd part of that argument was a reference to a line in bhavani’s article itself, i guess it does feel a bit absurd and out of place when i read it now (considering ppl other than the author also read the comments), but unfortunately pfc does not have the option of editing one’s post….
Thani, how’d you guess?!! Yes, am smack in the middle of writing. Needed to take a break from writing the script, so wrote this post sometime last midnight. Sure, you can share it, artisan you shall be. The female of the species is also more generous, y’see! Exchanging names, there’s an idea… But you’ve gotta deal with the fact that Bhavani also is pronounced Bhagnani, Bhagwati, Bhavan, Bhuvan, Bhavin, Bhavini, Bhavna… anything but Bhavani. You’d be better off choosing a simpler name!
Raja, thank you so very much. Since this is your first read of my posts, you mustn’t be aware of how often I’m asked to explain ‘what the f…’ my posts meant. Quite often, I need to write a corrigendum of sorts because my post ‘makes no sense’. But I write the only way I know how to. You can lead this horse to the pond, but she just don’t drink! Just for your wonderful words of encouragement, I’ll overlook the typo… :)
Premal, Indraneel, thank you.
Kartick, online dictionary? Really? Now, I would find that so much easier to believe if I hadn’t read your writings! :)
Gajendra, thanks. I guess I didn’t get your drift with the ‘packaging’ theory.
Mini, thank you.
Neeraja, I’ve realised that most ‘erudite’-seeming gentlemen share this perception. On my second day at work as a journalist, I was coordinating a photo shoot with a friend, who had also just joined the magazine. The designer working on the shoot looked at the two of us and said, ‘what are you girls doing as journalists? You should be in front of the camera’. The general idea being that if you are an even remotely presentable female, you aren’t entitled to a brain. And if you do choose a career that needs some function out of the brain and manage to get a stranglehold somewhere, Cut To: ‘assets’.
KJ, even I was wondering what you meant by “u can
Yes Bhavani, same page .. its a mix now, though.
Point or not, though, the verbal flair is much appreciated - makes for delightful reading.
Its inconcievable that someone thought that in this time and age a script by a woman writer would be evaluated in conjuction with her ‘figure’ or ‘assets’!
With actresses its plausible,but with writers…its absolutely ridiclous.
Women writers and Directors have shattered many a glass ceiling in India,perhaps more than in Hollywood.
Bhavini,one the first posts I read and commented on PFC was ‘In their shoes’. That post too attracted comments about your style of writing.As you admit,this style of writing is incorrigible now and so be it,because it helps readers stay acquainted with a style of writing not often seen on blogs.
Wanted to shoot a response to allegations of Bhavani’s writing’s being too difficult to understand like it was HER fault, but then Kartick beat me to it. So not wanting to be repetitive all I will say is - there are two sides of a coin while dealing with anything creative and before writing off the creator it is always better to understand and accept one’s own sensibilities, abilities (and even disabilities.)
But that’s not what the post is about. The post is about the male-centricity of Bollywood and how it excels in stereotyping everything that is not male, hell, actually that too. And this inherent stereotyping is the result we make the kind of movies we do and women appear the way they do in films.
And this is something that people, especially men, from within or without will find it difficult or impossible to understand. In fact, it is so steeped in Bollywood culture that sometimes we women too find it difficult to differentiate the reason behind the treatment meted out to us, good or bad.
And how do I know? I have worked (still working actually) as an AD in aamchi Bollywood for three years and face it everyday. The maleness of the industry is as nauseating as is advantageous sometimes. But it is a truth that we women get treated according to stereotypes that dear Bollywood has cooked for itself and has been sitting on like a dead duck for years. And then there are zillion stark and subtle ways where we are treated as ‘women’=incapable of certain things.
Where will it end? I think nowhere and definitely not soon enough. One of the reasons women directors make the kind of movies they do.
P.S.: Bhavani, I wasn’t being kind. I sincerely felt what I wrote when I applauded you. I understand keen expression and fluidity of words and I admire the way you effortlessly play with both. Not to mention the humour.
Fatema, I concur with every word you’ve written, and then some. There are too many instances that one would rather not remark on or mention due to various reasons, but at times the testosterone-laden world of Hindi films (I know only this one) can overwhelm you and at times leave a terrible aftertaste. Conditioning and the way things have always been makes it very difficult for anyone to anticipate or expect any change in the male perception towards female presence, it gets totally laden with gender/ sex context, warranted or otherwise.
You’re right when you say that no one, the men especially, would not get or fathom the extent to which this carries forth. And it is really unfortunate when even the women working in capacities that don’t require advantages that being personable gives, begin to question whether they’re getting the job because they’re good or because they’re women.
I remarked on you being kind because of the kind of messages that followed, it’s kind of a given with all my posts. I almost get disappointed when my ‘literary’ and ‘trying to impress’ writing isn’t attacked. And how stupid am I that I keep trying to impress and still use the same ‘ballistic byzantine labyrinth of words’!!! :) That apart, have we met somewhere before?
Turrtle, thanks. I think. :)
Arun, it is an inconceivable thought, but one that most have to put up with. And I don’t think this sexism is a consequence of any great cruelty or need to put women down, it’s just careless thoughtlessness and like I mentioned earlier, a lifetime of conditioning.
Exactly! And what are we, mere women, in front of a lifetime (and centuries) of conditioning.
But then I wonder all the time how should a woman handle her sexuality at her work-place to avoid facing this? Whether to be asexual (which I succeed in being and totally un-understood,gets termed as un-womanly, or manly, or one-of-the-boys, etc something I take with a pinch of salt and not necessarily as a compliment :) Sorry guys! ) or flash one’s sexuality brazenly, with a don’t-care-a-damn attitude and risk being termed as ‘fast, ‘bold’ and what not. Most women I encounter in the field seem to be defying, denying or struggling with this question. I understand the excessive drinking, smoking, language and over-the-top brazenness all to be as a result of this dilemma. Am I being too simplistic and extrapolating things too much?
Bhavani, excellent post this. I’m all for equality, so would suggest that women (directors) should also eye male artistes for their ‘assets’ instead of merely their talents, thereby levelling the playing field :)
And no, we haven’t met Bhavani but it’s definitely my wish to change that if possible! :)
Bhavani:
Last year in Hyd when I did Not enjoy/like a play, one of my male acquaintances said
“obviously, a Woman wrote that, why will you like it”
Duh??
See how insidious it is?
Ascribing to me thoughts and feelings that I would never DARE to have!!
Envy because of belonging to same GENDER??
hence naturally competing for the same goal: MEN??
I should send him this post and your generous praise asap.
Since Kartick/Fatema/Mini/Neeraja/Raja/Arun/Thani etc have defended you,,though you have no need for it I might add,I will not go about bashing the naysayers, though I am much incensed.
Will leave you with a wonderful book that I am reading in case you have not chanced upon it already: Fire in the Blood by Irene Nemirovsky.
As for my ‘bribe’
A weekend in DC with K!
Saturday:
Breakfast/Picnic at Theodore Roosevelt Island
Walk along Potomac with Monuments in view
Yoga by the river.
Lunch at the Native American Museum
Politics and Prose for meeting writers
Busboys and Poets for a poetry session
Evening Cruise along the Potomac
Political Comedy - Capitol Steps
or Shear Madness at Kennedy Centre
Ethiopian Dinner at Adams Morgan
Dessert at Tryst - Strawberries and Chocolate
Sunday:
Early morning drive to Shenandoah Mountains
Hike the Old Rag
Fusion Food for the “Brunch” - Chef de K
Ice Skating if winter
Kayaking if summer
Tango/Waltz at the Spanish Ballroom to live music
Telugu Dinner with PFCians in town - Chef de K
Bribe enough? Will be expecting you.
Fatema:
Girl we need to talk!!
I faced the exact same stuff for two years in Hyd.
If I tried to look like an amma and hide behind salwars/duppattas no one took me seriously,
Add to it I can’t do gaalis, don’t smoke/drink etc
in fact my director would say, why don’t you wear jeans? Its so convenient. To whom? Him?
And have a unit of 150 men looking at me?
NO thanks.
Though on the FACE of it for all its faults,
the Industry in Hyd is quite respectful of ‘married woman from States’,I did notice that the other female ADs were either ‘Manly’ or ‘Taken’.
It did irk me no end to realize that if I were single and local,it would have been mighty tough to withstand the unwanted testosterone directed my way.
All is not lost though, if you persist you meet some lovely souls [ in male bodies ] who befriend you for your true self and not sex,
I made great friends with the sound guys/crane guys/camera guys/production guys
avoid the Heroes and your Colleagues :)
In 2007, The Washington Post talks of what Hillary WEARS and how much CLEAVAGE she shows - at her age!! - so we have a looooong way to go,
Fight it by being who you are,
what you are comfortable with,
by wearing what you feel is professional and does not attract undue attention to your physical self, you can always look glamorous after work.
Kavita, you are too sweet!!! And you don’t know what you’re getting yourself into, I have every intention of taking you up on this fantastic offer! I haven’t read ‘Fire in the Blood’, but have read her ‘Suite Fran
PraaN Jaaye Par Vachan Na Jaaye !
forgot to mention the airport pick/drop
:d
Bhavani: Nice article. So what happens? Does one get accustomed to the sexist practices of the industry? Nature of the beast? Do the women in the industry get used to all this and learn to shrug it or is there a change now?
“A certain fragility and an odd strength that the pen lends her, coarse suggestiveness of phallic symbolism aside.”
Apologies. Previous post was incomplete.
——————–
Bhavani: Nice article. So what happens? Does one get accustomed to the sexist practices of the industry? Nature of the beast? Do the women in the industry get used to all this and learn to shrug it or is there a change now?
Was this personal? Was this a social commentary? was this a state of mind extrapolated over some words?
I might sound like a sexist here… But, I find feeding of an unpleasent truth to a woman a tougher proposition when compared to a man. But at the same time those women who are strong enough to accept the greyest of their underlying emotions when protrayed in art are the ones who are capable of changin the face of art…
It was Pauline Kael who had single-handedly championed movies like “Last Tango in Paris” and “Bonnie And Clyde” while many a male critics were terming them as repuganant and “against the tide”…. Like I said, a woman, if she is true to herself while judging art can be of a bigger service to art than a man judging it… But, again the ones who r capable of doing it and few and far in between…
And finally, gender is more about personality than anything else. Like Khushwanth Singh had once stated..”In the Indian Parliament today, only Indira Gandhi is a man.. all the others r women”
KJ, do you really think these female directors you named made films about women? They were so shockingly lacking in subtlety and complexity, they might well be a man
//I would be very interested to see if you can translate this utterly feminine gift you possess into a film that you direct//
Sorry for intervening for one bit..
What gift? Rajveer dear, great men are those who even at the expense of being what he is, can also accomodate all the traits of being a great woman. The same truth if analysed in transverse is an attrib that makes a great woman. Much like Bhavani’s opening lines, your statement seems to suggest that subtelty and not being overtly suggestive are traits that solely define women. Not true. Nor can you define these traits as the alpha and omega of gr8 creations. Gr8 creations are like they are, for no rhyme or reason. Its the creator’s sensibilty, irrespective of whether he is a man or a woman that makes a gr8 piece.
Sofia Coppola is a gr8 man, Ingmar Bergman was a great woman…
Hi Bhavani
A well written post as always. I know you would be very busy but could you review a screenplay that I have written? Any feedback will help me improve.
If interested, you can email me at anbharadwaj@yahoo.com
Thanks,
Makes quite an interesting reading, Bhavani, of your experiences and of your views. But ultimately, one will be counted by the quality of work, not by gender, I guess. Some of our finest filmmakers (including the expatriate kind) are female, like Mira Nair, but I am sure they would have come up with equally wonderful work had they been male, though maybe from a different point of view! And yes, some filmmakers have made atrocious films, despite being female! Being female helps one get jobs easily in the industry? Well, I have my doubts, though being a real insider, you will know better. Tell that ‘aspiring writer’ who said it is easier for female writers to get work easily because of her ‘assets’ to simply FO. What say?
@sreehari
’stolen words from my mouth’ and some more….
Hey People… look what I found at http://www.bollycat.com/movies/black
..
well this does tell something about the “AmAzInG” writing skills of our dear bhavani doesnt it….
hmmmm… thats very “creative” hmmmm…Ms.Iyer
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>.
ok guys i`m also indian and noticed that MANY of the MOvies on this site listed as copies of Hollywood Movies are not(Kuch Kuch Hota HAI,Lagaan…etc)
BUT BLACK IS A COPY
NOT JUST INSPIRED OR BASED ON THE LIFE OF HELLEN KELLER But and ACTUAL COPY of The Miracle worker.
now most of u who are doubting this all i can ask is “HAVE U SEEN BOTH MOVIES(Black and The Miracly worker)? cause The miracle worker is a very old movie(and in black and white)
if u`ve seen it then THERE`S NO WAY YOU CAN SAY THAT BLACK ISN`T A COPY.
Black goes it`s own way from the point where the little girl grows up(where she becomes Rani:)
so i guess i`ll give it credit the last part(about the last 45minutes or so)
in the Moracle worker when the MOther found out that the Baby was Deaf and Blind she was Snapping her Fingers the EXACT SAME WAY as the mother in Black.
in the Moracle worker there was that seen where the little girl accidentally thre her baby sister out of the cradle and then the father started beating her(exactly as it happened in Black)
In Black while it wasn`t Made clear that Amitabh was Half Blind we know there was something wrong with his eyes(the part with the eye drps when we first see him kinda gives it away)
then came the Table/Dinner Scene
wher she was taking food from everyone`s plate across the table but Amitabh wouldn`t let her take form His,
NOW IF AFTER LOOKING AT THIS SCENE AND STILL SAYING THIS MOVIE IS NOT A COPY THENYOIU`RE PRETTY Mucn in Denial or a Bollywood Fanboy.
and finally came the Breakthrough Scese,this in Black was outside near the POND WHEN all hope had seem to be lost the little girl finally came through and started knowing everything(Water,Grass..etc)
This again happend the exact same way in Miracle worker.
at this point Miracle worker ends.
but Black being a Bollywood film the Milked it a little more and kept going(obviously this is where she grew up and pretty much the only original part of the movie)
so to sum up the First half0three quarter of black is a Direct copy of The Miraly worker as Murder is a Direct copy of Unfaithful.
if anyone wants to dout this then please look at the moracly worker first and then say something.
@KJ
I don’t like Kalpana Lajmi’s work either. I was just saying that her work should be judged on the basis of how good/bad her movies are. You can’t just dismiss her on the basis that she (only)makes woman-oriented films.
@Kavita
“Envy because of belonging to same GENDER??”
God! you have no idea, how mad that makes me!
by the way, alluring weekend plan :) What’s a typical Telugu dinner like?
@Anand G
I think that Sudha Malhotra composed ‘Tum mujhe bhool bhi jao…’ (but not credited, I guess)
Also, I have a feeling that I heard someone talking about a woman music director from 50’s or 60’s. I don’t remember the name, will have to ask mum :)
@Anand G
Usha Khanna was an established mainstream music director from the 60s to the 80s. Lata Mangeshkar also composed for a few films in the 50s and 60s.
Anand G, the only female composer that I can immediately recall is Usha Khanna too. There was this song ‘Mummy ne meri tumhe chai pe bulaya hai’ - our very own version of ‘Come into my parlour’ :) I think she composed that.
Sreehari, I have been under the assumption that this is a blog and a space that allows me to write what I wish, so I’m guessing I don’t need to explain or justify why I wrote what I did… Although, I did mention the catalysts for my wordy ’state of mind extrapolation’, if you need more details, I’d be happy to provide them.
And are you seriously telling me that the Khushwant Singh quote was meant to be a compliment? Indira Gandhi is the only man = the only sensible person and the rest of the parliament are women = silly nincompoops? And you go on to scorn me for seeming to suggest that sensitivity is a woman’s prerogative, while stating that heroism/ valor/ what-have you are a man’s? Quite contrary, aren’t we?
But I totally agree with you that gender has nothing whatsoever to do with whether you are a good filmmaker/ writer/ artist. And in any case this post wasn’t about women being better, reading it without your haughty hat on would’ve made that amply clear.
Rajveer, thank you for being so effusive and overly generous in your praise. It’s entirely undeserved, as a kind few have jumped to assure you.
Utpal, thank you for reading.
Arjun, I was wondering how no one had yet bludgeoned me with ‘Black’. Thank you for your time.
Bhavani, you very nicely said that the screenplay does not write itself! Awesome…GREAT article! Okay…Now you are here again…There was this question lying unanswered in one of your articles….Lemme repeat again…
Okay agreed that finally what matters is “talent” but tell me…Your stint as the editor of a film magazine help you in getting easy access to people?
In Black, To what extent was Sanjay Leela Bhansali was involved in writing the screenplay?
Was Aamir justified on his comments on Black?
What would you say went wrong in Main Aisa Hi Hoon or Swamy?
When do you think we can see Love Story 2050? Hopefully in 2008?
Bhavani,
First things first..
Never once have I, unlike other people here, judged your work… In sync with the decorum that a blog space offers, I too was just exercising my right to comment over an article that expressed an opinion. If u want total abstainment while being a part of a public forum, then I have to question the very existence of such a galaxy..
Also, Khushwanth Singh wasn’t basing his opinion over what needs to be perceived as Right or Wrong, but he was doing so based on the larger perspective that prevails, over who is the stronger sex. It’s like saying, “Jerry Seinfeld is the Picasso of stand-up comedy”. The comparison here is implied to match upto the larger opinion that persists about Picasso being a gr8 sculptur and painter. Obviously the statement in itself wont make sense to someone who doesnt think too highly of Picasso. I hope you get the difference between quoting something and validating it to its bare minimum.
And transferred ephitets like “haughty” for describing my hat, isnt justified just because I happened to express something. My hat might just mean to me what your work means to you. So, lets just keep this discussion primarily based on our opinions and dont let it spillover onto matters sentimental:)
Machchar, ah, I was this close to believing you meant the praise, and then I notice the quotes around ‘talent’. You are getting predictable… :)
I did notice your questions in my previous post, the insinuations made me decide to ignore them. But what the hey, I’ll answer your questions in the same spirit they’re asked.
My stint as editor of a leading film magazine made me feel very special. At 20, I was being treated like royalty, my office would be full of bouquets on my birthday, I was earning more money than I knew what to do with. And yes, I would lie draped over a couch in a slinky black dress with a cigarette langorously extended from one hand on a cigarette holder while I held a wine glass in another. Actually, make that champagne. Access? Yes, the person it gave me access to was Anurag Kashyap, who with shocking lapse of judgment, actually believed I was a good writer and told me that I must write for the movies. The smell of all the flowers from the bouquets in my office was giving me a headache, the champagne was giving me a hangover, so I just did as Anurag bade.
In my very first post, someone commented that all I must’ve done with ‘Black’ was pointed at a DVD of ‘The Miracle Worker’. Actually, I did a little more than that. I actually got off the chair and pulled out the DVD and handed it to Sanjay. Screenplay? What screenplay? Haven’t you heard, it’s a frame-by-frame copy of ‘The Miracle Worker’.
Main Aisa Hi Hoon and Swami - what went wrong was me. See, I didn’t point to the right DVD.
Love Story 2050 - I am not aware of when it will release.
Aamir on ‘Black’ - No comments.
A couple of things. Don’t go by all that imdb says, there are about eight other films under production that it doesn’t list, else your questionnaire could’ve been much longer. And second, you’d make a great journalist.
Arjun, tongue in cheek response from Bhavani notwithstanding, the similarities you quote of Black with Miracle Worker are way too many to be coincidental.
But hey, that’s ok….the girl was trying to break into the biz and it would be hard to turn down someone like Bhansali even if he came to you with a dvd and asked you to transcribe it, especially if you were just starting out as a writer.
You cannot deny, the girl has talent.
Irony
Things i have heard very often on most of the thread.. For any doubts.. Upar Dekho..
—————————————–
” I have been under the assumption that this is a blog and a space that allows me to write what I wish”
Comment : The ability for readers to leave comments in an interactive format is an important part of many blogs. More information here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blog
—————————————-
” I don
Haha Alone. Great post. I had to use at least one intelligent turn of phrase when begging Bhavani to write simply. I had to show her that the problem isn’t that I’m not familiar with $10 words, it’s more that they are not as effective as the ones that work in a forum like this.
Thanks Bhavani for demonstrating that you did read the comments. I wasn’t trying to impose my writing style on you. Reading your post from start to finish looks like you start atop some sort of linguistic high-horse but by the end of the post, things correct themselves and you become more natural and readable. I was simply recognizing how futile the high-horse is. Simply hoping that the style you wind up with by the end of the post is what your real style might be. :)
“I had to show her that the problem isn
Hey Bhavani! I did really like your article that gave a befitting reply to that “aspiring” writer’s rant! There I go again with the quotes! Guess the predictibility is not leaving me ;)
There were no insinuations…As you might have noticed by now…I do shoot straight….WYSIWYG
Congratulations on your “eight” under production projects! You have arrived with Black!!! I mean any “aspiring” writer would give anything to get a first movie with SLB and AB, plus a DVD of an English movie! Life ban gaya! Look…I hope I am not sounding like a loser but if I am…maybe I am a loser ;)
But all I want to tell you as a very common junta…You had the platform…even the access to Anurag is a big thing…ask any struggler on the roads who is desperate to make contacts…So…You had a great start, 8 and many more to come…I sincerely (I mean it) that you really make it huge. All I request is don’t look down on other “aspiring” writers and in future give us better stuff than Main Aisa Hi Hoons and Harry Baweja movies!! :)
Can we expect an encore with SLB?
P.S: And please always take my comments in the right spirit…I usually take off on people who have a superiority complex and who sit on a high horse or have or had an unfair advantage….Guess I identify too much with strugglers! I hope I am wrong in your case and am sure you deserve all the praises you get!
And hey…You missed the cat…Was there a siamese cat purring besides you in the couch? ;)
aaah!
dabba was here before me…
fuck gender bias…
it just stems from a deeper malaise..
presumptions..assumptions…conditioning..
judgments…
It was “on” by the way…wrong grammar here in this space is sacrilege :D
Machchar, would telling you about the years I did the rounds of meeting people who took my ideas and didn’t pay a penny for it, about the director who made me write two whole scripts for a sum that wouldn’t pay two months rent in Bombay, about sitting and wondering what the heck I was doing so far away from home chucking a life that was there for the asking make you respect me more?
Looking down on aspiring writers? Superiority complex? You do presume too much, don’t you? Now, apart from being the patron saint of all the struggling artists in the world, you’re a mind-reader to boot!
Everyone is a struggler before they get a break. Anurag was one, Sanjay Bhansali was one. I was one too. And no one owes you or anyone else a narration of all the travails they went through, just so you grant them that they’re deserving of where they are. So, do me a favor, get off that high horse you accuse me of sitting on, cut the reverse snobbery that’s so painfully patronising and get a grip on the hypocrisy.
Perhaps you aren’t wrong at all. Perhaps I don’t deserve the praise and the opportunities. But what can you do? Life is unfair.
ouchhh… and bhavani lands a tight blow to the machchar eggactly between his legs….
b4 u start screaming for my blood- all said in jest macha machchar
Bhavani
some great poetry in your honor -
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0fhWX2F6G7Y
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f5fr5Dom-2s
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zzyrHsYTveE
I love Jill Scott
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h4Xu0LW7ilo
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E9y5vVHhzU0
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E9y5vVHhzU0
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LFbE8RBhSDw
I hope you like them.
Bhavani
some great poetry in your honor -
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0fhWX2F6G7Y
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f5fr5Dom-2s
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zzyrHsYTveE
Some more
I love Jill Scott
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h4Xu0LW7ilo
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E9y5vVHhzU0
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E9y5vVHhzU0
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LFbE8RBhSDw
I hope you like them.
It takes courage, to write, especially in
Mainak, I can’t thank you enough. They’re all so good, I ended up watching most of the Def Poetry segments on YouTube. Jill Scott is great. Incredible voice. Erykah Badu and Lauryn Hill are so beautifully weird and deep. Alicia Keys - it’s difficult to get the mind off her stunning face! I loved Sarah Kay - the one about ‘Hands’. But my favourite is Suheir Hammad. She moves you to tears.
‘I don’t know how bad a life has to break in order to kill
I’ve never been so hungry that I willed hunger
Never so angry as to want a gun over a pen
Even as a woman
Even as a Palestinian
Never this broken’
Breathtaking verse. Thanks again, Mainak. In the midst of all the negativity and snideness, this is bliss.
Suchita, courage manifests in different ways. I’m sure it needs a great deal of courage to fashion oneself as the self-appointed anonymous unseen-but-oh-so-potent champion of the struggling downtrodden…! ‘What I go through is struggle and pain, I own struggle and pain. You who’ve ‘arrived’ were placed here, landing straight from heaven’. You can’t argue with such logic, can you?
I know Bhavani.
Suheir Hammad is my fav too. My GF cries every time she watches that. I picked up the DVD of Season one from the library this weekend. And I’m Hooked. I’m gonna watch season 2 tommorow.
I knew you would love these videos. And that was also my intention. To give you some relief from having to constantly explain yourself.
Your life seems very very impressive.
Watch DIVING BELL & THE BUTTERFLY.
Your charmed life reminded me of the life of the character in the film.
Besides from what i figure from your writings, it will be your fav film of recent years.
here is one of my fav poet
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r1e5Jeh2Fk0
Mainak, happened to stumble upon this one. It’s called ‘Palestinian is my name’. I don’t understand the language, but it is so unbearably sad and moving. I wish there was some way to translate the little girl’s poem into English, but it still is devastating.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5lJRvl5dzOY
Bhavani
Check out this artist Saul Williams. He is amazing. There was a movie about him few years back.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jzY2-GRDiPM
I saw him live at UCLA last summer. He is amazing.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saul_Williams
Wow
That girl was really powerfull. Its a proud nationalistic poem about being Paleninian. Its amazing. Thanks.
I will try to get it translated.
have you seen JESUS CAMP?
I just watched it few hrs back.
check this girl out
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YeUz5ZihaqA
Mainak, Saul Williams - wow! ‘The role of darkness is not to be seen as or equated with.. ignorance…’ So commanding, so impassioned. And you saw him perform live, that must’ve been something else. The Diving Bell and the Butterfly, I’ve been meaning to see it for a while, since your post (am I right?) sometime ago. Jesus Camp - another friend recommended it too. But it isn’t available at the library next door. Will look for it though.
Am moved by and deeply appreciate the thought behind sharing the poems. There are days when you can take on the world and days when you’re just that one step away from totally unravelling. Today was closer to the latter. This - the poetry - really really helped.
There is a certain paradox somewhere. I mean you would expect the film world to contain all these liberals (history suggests it) and then you hear about casting couches and cars and then there is this post of yours. Or maybe I am naively wrong in assuming all film people are artists and connoisseurs (producers). Maybe there are a few businessmen lurking there nowadays.
I was made by a woman
Put to age by a woman
But I was played by a wu-man
That don’t make me bitter
It don’t make me any better
I was taught by a woman
Showed to love by a woman
Then, I was laid by a wu-man
That made me no happier
What else could i ask from her?
Why must we then hate our women,
When they act like a wu-maan?
She did what you couldn’t…
Ain’t that all there is to it, maan.
@65 Translation for the palestinian girls poem.
Translation: (by karkoura1)
Filastini = Palestinian
Filastini, my name is Filastini
I wrote my name from all those living in my sqaure
A drop of my tears has been placed on all the addresses
The letters of my name
The letters of my name
The letters of my name follows me, lives with me, feeds me
It flows through my soul and runs through my veins
The mountains and the rivers and caves know me
I screamed the loudest scream to mypeople
Salah al Deen deep inside of me calls me
And all of my arab (blood) calls me for revenge and independence
And my flag that has been folded
On the hills of Hateen
And the sound of the muathin(prayer caller) of al - alqsa calls for help
And thousands of those kidnapped (prisoner of war) call me
And thousands of those in jail call me
Calling our big nation
And calling for those millions
Tell them to Al-Quds, it is the qibla (home/direction) of religion
To destroy the unfairness and the heart of Zion
To destroy the unfairness and the heart of Zion
And to raise the flag on the highest part of the universe
It will scream the words
Filastini, Filastini, Filastini
yo bickle…
how goes???
ennathe bfast… idiyappam motta roast and shtewwww
the filastini reminded me off that sinead oconnor video for some reason
you baastard :) engannunde keralam
Please don’t compare it with sinead :((…it is like comparing shabana azmi who says she can’t imagine leaving her kids hungry and a hungry mother herself.
no comparisons dude…
just oru rememberance
keralam is da place mate…
Dpac..ninte mobile no enthava?
chk mail travis
Neeraja:
“Telugu Food” would need a treatise but if you can pronounce these you are in good company.
Also remember never doubt a Telugu’s taste buds.
If s/he says its good, its DAMN good :))
A Veg sampler:
Chintachiguru Pappu [tuvar dal + tamarind BUDS]
Guthi vankaaya koora [ stuffed brinjal ]
Kaakarkaaya Vaypudu [ fried biter gourd ]
AllamPachadi [ ginger chutney ]
Perugu Pachadi [ dahi chutney ]
Miriyala Chaaru [ pepper rasam ]
Thotakoora Pulusu [ indigenous green leaf sambar ]
Maagaya / Gongura / one of the 1000 odd pickles
Vadiyaalu / Appadaalu [ Paapad/Badi? ]
Neyyi [ ghee ]
Merugu [ curd ]
of course Annam.
” Cooking with Pedatha ” is a great book for Andhra Food , and another by Bilkeez Latif for HYD/NIZAMI food.
Madhur Jaffrey’s
“Climbing the Mango Trees” is a revelatory account of her growing up in Old Delhi with some great KAYASTHA cooking.
A wonderful site for veg-cooking is
http://www.nandyala.org/mahanandi
[ hosted by a Telugu of course! most food blogs are by Telugus btw ]
some more Kavita:
Dabba : you can turn a mean verse, NIIICE maan!
Mainak: Jill Scott is a find.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=43JkLiPegBA&feature=related
The Dark Side of the Heart by Elisio Subiela introduced me to Mario Benedetti’s poetry which is unfortunately NOT translated much into English :(
Review of the film:
http://www.popmatters.com/film/reviews/d/dark-side-of-the-heart.shtml
Am looking for Shailja Patel’s poetry on youtube cant find but here is a sample:
JACARANDA TIME
I’d choose to meet my world in jacaranda time,
its shifting dappled light across my face
that tessellates the blossoms into rhyme.
Rain churns Nairobi roadsides into slime
littered with purple flowers like torn lace.
Five-week countdown to election time.
As if this villanelle were the sublime
re-weaving of our fractured, looted space,
I trudge gluey mud, I grope for rhymes.
Kalonzo, Raila, Kibaki tena (1) - pantomime
of sumo wrestlers threatens to efface
thirty-six million silenced (2). When’s their time?
And maybe this is love: hope wrapped in grime.
Relinquish all the might-have-beens. Embrace
each tiny possible, each less-than-perfect rhyme.
So I will choose this lilac song. Now I’m
unfurled to small epiphanies of grace
in bloody struggle. Joy, in jacaranda time,
her lips curved, gentle, round the missing rhyme.
(1) Kalonzo, Raila, Kibaki - candidates vying for the Kenyan presidency
(2) Approximate population of Kenya, 2007
“JACARANDA TIME”, COPYRIGHT SHAILJA PATEL, 2007. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
@ 72 DPac -
Correction. Ishtewww. Vallaatha bfast aanai.
Travis Bickle, thanks for the translation. Dabba, mean verse indeed. My entire post summarised in a 14-line sonnet. You render me redundant… Kavita, isn’t ‘pesarettu’ an Andhra breakfast speciality too? I make it all the time! My parents were born and brought up in Hyderabad, they’d speak Telugu when I was little if they wanted to keep a secret from me! Guthi vankaaya koora - oh, how I miss home!
@dabba.. oraPPalle
Poetry :) keep posting people! :)
@Kavita
thanks :) too much information! :P
I don’t cook with that much enthu.
Actually, I think I would have really enjoyed cooking if it didn’t involve hunting for ingredients :((
@ DPac -
translation please?
@dabba.. oraPPalle =(sure na)
Yes Bhavani Pesarattu is from Andhra, and if it is MLA Pesarattu it comes with a filling of Upma!!
Wow your parents are from Hyd? Where? They still live there?
@ george, DPac -
It’s so hard to transliterate malayalam, and tamizh in english. Telugu too. Maybe it’s just a question of not seeing it enough so the conventions have not been established as they have for Hindi. I never know where to lay the emphasis and can’t understand what someone is saying like oraPPale for instance. Thanks btw.
Kavita…My fav of all is Guthi vankaya koora with poori or roti….I’m gonna have my mom’s after 3.5yrs…I can live my whole life with gongura…I simply love it…
thanks for reminding those andhra dishes….
Bhavani…your parents from hyderabad thats suprising!!!!…… kahan se hai???
Varun that reminds me
to have lunch…
this PFC business is getting too addictive
….unfortunately have only Pasta form last night’s dinner:(
Lucky you with Amma in town, where you put up?
Gongura is HIBISCUS CANNABIUM , related to Marijuana
that explains YOUR addiction!
D pac etta
u like puttu and yethaikka puzhungiyadhu .. my fav … and that pazham jam !!! u tasted it ???
appam and motta stew also is good !!
Amma is in Hyd….me in Houston…going to swades after 3.5 yrs for 20 days vacation…..
Geroge I like aviyal(its like majjiga pulusu with vegetable) and beans poriyal….. dono if its mallu or tamil??….
@ varun
i am myself confused abt certain origins !!! i too like aviyal not wen it is done to my name “george” .. he he ..
beans poriyal n stuff are typically southindian i guess .. not sure .. but usually the coconut goes in as permanent member in all dishes from kerala!!
George/Varun
Yaar chayn say khaanay nahi dogay?
AVIYAL: MALLU. Todaly.Any and All veggies cooked with GROUND Coconut/Jeera/Green Chillies and/if Curd.
PORIYAL: TAMIZH. Fried veggies mostly Single or in a combo of Two with fresh grated Coconut.
Purinjaacha?
Varun: Bon Voyage.
Kavita - they used to live in Hyderabad some thirty years ago, much before I was born. Begumpet, I think. Now, in beautiful beautiful Bangalore. I can live on Pesarettu, it’s one of my favourites. I like to pair it with aviyal or mor kozhumbu (Tamil, definition similar to Aviyal but less thicker in consistency, don’t kill me if I’m all wrong!), is that weird?
Varun, my dad feels rejuvenated with a dash of gongura with every meal to this day! Beans poriyal, ah you’re naming all my favourites!
@ 96 BIyer -
What would be a more suitable punishment for you if you are Capital averse?
Mor Kuzhambu is nothing like Aviyal. The former is sour butter milk based, similar to Gujarati Kadi. The latter is all cholesterol infused glory.
man dabba knows his aviyal quite well !!! u r absolutely ryt !!! if we cud relate Mor Kuzhambu to Aviyal … then we can also relate payasam and horlicks!!!
Dabba, my name’s been subjected to much worse than capital punishment… :) The mor kozhambu I’ve always cooked has been similar to aviyal. Maybe it’s my parents’ Hyderabadi hybrid version, not the pure Tamil one.
@ Bhavani -
Very punny…I meant funny.
One day I will dazzle you all with my aviyal, and mor kuzhambu skillz…my ability to eat it that is.
@george….
im on strict seafood diet all the 30 days im gonna be here :-)
@dabba,
‘transliterations’ apart orappalle is fultu trivandrum slang…
you get region specific slang every where in kerala (same would be the case in TN- palghat tamizh is a riot)
@bhavani,
u sure picked the most experiment friendly dish. aviyal, as the name suggests, can be made with anything…
dabbas aviyal is aviyal so is urs… :-)
comment deleted. Admin note : bikassaab, scooter par ghoomana hai to kahin aur jayiye.
an interesting digression…
here is the link..dawkins is my fav. author by the way..
http://physics.nyu.edu/~as2/dawkins.html
ari, e konchi hai? humre sath nainsafi ho gayil. hum bhavani ji ka bahut bada fan hu, ye admin ji humre sath bura bartav kar rahe hain. hum bhavani ji ki ijjat karte hain, apko hum majak dikhte hain? inki filim dekh kar hum sootne jaate hain, aur aap humre sath aisa karte hain? maana ki hum unke jitne pade likhe nahiye hain, iska ye matlab to nahi ki aap sabke samne humko baijjat karenge?
Bhavani
So you make Pesarattu at home in Mumbai? Wow!!
very healthy deffy :) Mung Dal Dosa.
Since your parents are in B’lore
have you tried ‘Congress’?
Small Peanuts with an amazing masala that only the
Basavangudi BangaLuris know….
I stack up on it each time I visit.
- Darn… this is turning into a PFC - Passion for Cooking and I’m hungry!
:d
u just have to drive east Oz.
dont fly too expensive this time of the year!
@57: Bhavani…First of all…What exactly are you trying to say through your article?
Did you even read that aspiring writers article clearly before you started moving your “magic” words wand and started to dazzle us again?
You never lived his struggles so don’t assume and presume you know everything about struggle! It was his POV and he posted it! And he did make sure that he does not mean the whole female clan that you have to hold a flag and start an article about it!
Okay…Coming to your struggles! WOW….What a struggle man! shucks! Come out of this hollow personality…As someone said, in this industry, you don’t need intelligence, you just need to talk intelligent. Do you understand just because you are a female does not mean I have to write here with kid gloves?
Till the time you come out with a mind blowing project, I will keep my respect reserved.
Just imagine….Someone who has been an editor for a major major film magazine, has friends like Anurag to introduce people….Even for them, there is so much struggle according to you….
What about people who don’t have a eff of a contact in this city? Who have big dreams but don’t know where to start? Can you even compare with their struggles? So just because you are so fluent with your words does not mean you hypnotize people with your jing bang….Accept that what that aspiring writer wrote might be true - FROM HIS POV!
Let’s not get into everyone is a struggler blah blah….
And I guess you are talking about a 25 grand a month flat rent… :D
Machchar,
Nice nick you have chosen for yourself. Quite matching your attitude and mind. Quite nicely petty. Good!
And if you have finished exhibiting your utter disdain for Bhavani and her work (AND struggles) we can get back to talkin that for which PfC exists. Cinema, remember?
DISCLAIMER: I do NOT know Bhavani, have interacted with her for the FIRST time on this post and shared about THREE posts with her. So I am not doing a policeman act for her. But, yes, I am doing a policeman act for PfC though.
machchar all of what you say is probably true …
its all about contacts here ..its not what you know but who you know and all that
but here from what i gather bhavani is only venting her anger at the attitude of male producers /directors making it easire for a woman with an attractive figure to get work ….even if its something liek composing music or writing a screenplay . and she aint denying that as untrue ..she has even given the example of RGV …she is just angry ..and she too wishes this wanst true. i hope you read this article again .
@machhar…of ‘my struggle is greater than yours fame’…and “it is i who am the proprietor of lowest common denominator of snobbery”fame..and “yes my struggle is the only struggle in this world”
..you write well…have an eye for obsevation..and are really connected wield your pen with awesome street-”circuit”ry…but what makes you think that bhavani’s struggle against male stereotype is no struggle..
..every one struggles machhar..!..a rich kid struggles to avoid temptations of being spoilt..a women living in a rented flat @25k per month struggles against female stereotypes…a gifted kid struggles to realise the aspirations of his parents…
..ok u hv seen the streets and all..and hv struggled also…but that does not give you right to decry every other fight..
..is bhavani posting here tht she has created a great piece of art..then why are you out wid your swords..that she had to struggle less yet she could not come wid a great script…
..by your token..a mithun chakravarty would laugh at struggle of shahrukh khan…a dileep kumar would fawn at struggle of amitabh bachhan..
..she has no where claimed that her struggle against being stereotyped..is greater than ur struggle as an aspiring writer…has she..?
…and here you are..wid an entire excercise in reverse-snobbery…
..i dont know what u do..but by this time..i hv guessed that u r a struggling writer..who so much identifies wid struggle n frustration that he wants to cut out those who present their subtle truggles…
..and in doing this..more so against a writer who at least has written some scripts n has some movies by her name….you sound like a frustrated loser..
p.s.
…and yes..it would sound pithy but yes…world measures people by their achievements and not their struggles…by the way..what is your achievement..we hv not heard of machhared script or movie…?..and even if u hv achieved smthing then it would sound foolish as the star examples i gv u..
hey anupam i agree with you more or less ..but its too harsh on a little machchar…i think machchar got wild and ready to bite because of the term’ aspiring writer’ used by bhavani . must say either he has misunderstood or it was in used by bhavani in bad taste.
Circuit is sitting in front of a computer and is laughing. Munna notices this and walks towards him….
Munnabhai: Abbe Circuit…Paagal hogaya kya? Aisa kyon hass rela hain?
Circuit: Bhai…Jab sey main computer seekha na…Yeh Internet pe PFC bolke ek jagah hain…Udhar jaata hu…Mast comedy hain udhar….
Munnabhai: Arre…Udhar toh apna Macchar bhi jaata hain na?
Circuit: Haan bhai..Abhi latest Machchar aur woh french lady Bhavani Iyer ka kuch padh raha hu…
Munnabhai: Bhavani Iyer aur french? Naam toh Indian lagta hain?
Circuit: Haan bhai magar woh jo bhi likhti na, mujhe bilkul samajh mein nahi aata!!! Socha shayad french mein likh rahi hogi…
Munnabhai: Toh ab kya panga hua udhar…
Circuit: Nahi bhai…Ab kya hua…Kuch din pehle ek writer ne kuch likha…uska reaction mein Bhavani Iyer aur kuch likh diya aur uss writer ko “Aspiring writer” boli….
Munnabhai: Toh?
Circuit: Arre bhai…Tum samjha nahi? Uss writer ke baarien mein iss memsaab ko kuch bhi pata nahi…yeh black likh diya aur baaki sab aspiring writer ban gaye…Aur Machchar sey jhagda kar rahi hain ki usne bhi struggle kiya!! Usko ek mahine mein sirf pacchees hazaar mila ek kaam ke liye!
Munnabhai: HAHAHAHA! Arre Circuit…Duniya cheez hain na…public school mein joh padtha hain…woh govt school ke bacche ko kaisa dekhta hain?
Circuit: Keeda jaisa…
Munnabhai: Bilkul…Yeh log badi badi baath seekh lete hain magar acchapan aur humli….hum…
Circuit: Humility bhai…
Munnabhai: Haan wohich…usko nahi seekhte…Inke mann mein hamesha yeh rehta hain ki kamiyaabi sirf inka birth right hain…aur Machchar jaisa log kuch bole toh usko frustrated bolte hain…
Circuit: Duniya hain bhai….Bhai…Ekdum mast idea sunn…itne saal hum local gundagiri karrele hain…Udhar ek english class join karte hain aur global level mein gundagiri karthe hain….
Munnabhai: Circuit…Gundagiri is passe! Gandhigiri is trendylicious!!
Circuit: Aila…bhai…tu bhi french ban gaya!!
Hi Bhavani, Please ignore the above comments. My apologies and I did really behave like an ass. I am sorry and hope you forgive me.
Sometimes Machchar can also be stupid ;)
machchar that does prove i was right …you indeed did take offence to ‘aspiring writer’ ….machchar though u dont like me much but i understand u :)
aj you were absolutely spot on buddy!! Btw, where did I say I don’t like you? :D Yaar….cool!!
Coming back to my comments again, I did behave impulsively and would again apologize publicly.
Psst: Bhavani, You don’t have to assume that any tom dick and bhojpuri harry’s messages are posted by me. I don’t stoop down to such a level.
Machchar
Its nice of you to apologize….it takes guts.
And I do enjoy your Munnabhai scenarios a lot, they are a riot……but
For you and everyone out there who has a problem with someone like Bhavani using her vocabulary and her skills here is what I have to say:
Take Sex.
You can do it one way. Which most people stick to.
And then you can do it in so many other ways.
If a person has the knack, technique , inclination, expertise, out-of-the-box-mindset ie
Then there was Vatsyayana who goes and writes a treatise on it.
And there is Khajuraho, there is Bollywood,
there is Pornography.
There are saints and sages who actually don’t need any, Heavens Bless Them
So if someone is not satisfied with taking it lying down and wants to innovate, explore and experiment you should not be envious coz NO ONE is stopping you from trying something new except your mind sets.
The only reason you are not doing anything to prevent the monotony, could be that you are lazy or you don’t have a willing partner?
So change the partner or get busy.
We could belong to any category and still enjoy sex without resorting to saying that the other who is writing a treatise is showing off, please!
Being different takes effort, discipline and lots of fearless risk taking. You see a word you don’t understand , you look up the dictionary, learn it, use it, say it a 1000 times to make it your own. We all learnt that way.
I was not born speaking English or Hindi. I speak Telugu at home. I went to schools which had no concrete buildings,leaking roofs,no furniture, no teachers, no nothing in places you might have never heard of.In 12std there were only 7 of us , with NO LABS , in a science stream!!
So what do you do?
Crib about Rahul Gandhi’s genes ?
It is unbelievable that you all can assume people with position do not have to struggle/never struggled.
We grew up in an era where talking about one’s achievements or struggles was considered declasse.
Since today’s generation doesn’t have any such qualms we discuss these issues as if they are the most important part of our lives.
What is important is what you do with these successes and struggles.
When she says ‘aspiring’ writer, she said so in quotes since the ‘aspiring’ writer is still not ‘out there’ on the market,officially.
just as I am an ‘aspiring film maker’- since one does not become qualified to be called a film maker by assisting other film makers.
She was also appalled at how men assume its easy for a woman to get things done. It is not at all funny. Women have to deal with these issues day in and out and I agree men have their own set of problems but….
It is so easy to look for excuses for other’s successes beyond their talents
and excuses for our own inadequacies will always lie on those ‘others’.
I could not do this because of so-and-so/such-and-such!!
Come off it guys, show some martial spirit and fight it. Be classy about it, give it elegance, make it seem like an art, make it seem WORTHWHILE.
At least do the cribbing AFTER you have had a long EPIC battle not a silly street fight with life.
Kavita, Thanks for your kind words and advice. I will definitely take sex!
But tell me, where did I tell her that I did not like her language? Can you even show me one comment which says so? I never had any problems with her writing and it definitely is NOT the case of I-don’t-have-it-so-hate-everyone-who-has-it!
I do enjoy her articles and sometimes did make a few “witty” comments which was not in bad taste. I never attacked her personally and I hope that everyone takes me in the right spirit. If I know I effed up, I will have no qualms in apologizing.
Coming to this article…That “aspiring” word was not in quotes. I thought I sensed an underlying feeling of superiority in Bhavani’s words and hence my comments. I guess I might be wrong and have even apologized for that.
My arguments with her have nothing to do with “struggles” and I respect and understand that everyone struggles in life. I never tried to belittle anyone’s struggle and if I did inadvertently, please forgive me.
So next time Kavita, understand what I am trying to say and write a bhashan ;)
well you are a bad influence Machchar, I got carried away too :)
the bhashan was not directed against you per se but in general was thinking about all that was going on here…..
anyways Truce?
Now everybody take sex.
Who is giving it?
Is there a Menu?
khajurao, bollywood, Porno….
With the music of
EVERYBODY WAS KUNFU-FIGHTING…..
good day Mainak bro !! kya haal hain …
good choice of music mainak,
who is giving it?
to each his own :d
quite a ’sexed’ up advice..n voila..!..even machhar bhai is a convert…k3 gurumaata kya baat hai..!
THIS IS JUST FOR BHAVINI.WHEN LOVE BECKONS TO U,FOLLOW HIM,THOUGH HIS WAYS ARE HARD AND STEEP.AND WHEN HIS WINGS ENFOLDYOU YIELD TO HIM,THOUGH THE SWORD HIDDEN AMONG HIS PINIONS MAY WOUND U AND WHEN HE SPEAKS TO U BEALIEVE IN HIM.BUT IF IN YOUR FEAR YOU WOULD SEEK ONLT LOVE’S PEACE AND LOVE’S PLEASURE,THEN IT IS BETTET FOR U THAT YOU COVER YOURNAKEDNESS AND PASS OUT OF LOVE’S THRESHING-FLOOR.LOVE GIVES NAUGHT BUT ITSELF AND TAKES NOT BUT FROM ITSELF.(THIS IS FROM MY FAVOURITE BOOK”THE PROPHET”)
Mehulbhai….
Caps buttun ko off rakhneka.
Meri aankhen aisi hi kamjor hai itna picture dekh dekh ke… tumhara caps padhne ka try kiya to SINUS wapas aanelaga.
Georgie!
Aaj ka meuzik
http://hypem.com/search/Royksopp/1/
Check out the tracks -
Eple
What else is there
Remind me
Basically all the original songs.
By the way, I can’t resist posting this bit from one of “Friends” episodes…
Monica: (About Joey
I used a thesaurus and this is what I got!! :D
Why is Mainak so engrossed in Sex? Consequently what carte du jour do you approximating? Indian? Italian or Continental?
nicely written
mainak…. dear its your probleme and writing is afterall writing……..
oyee mehul, writing is writing, copy and pasting is not writing! It’s considered howlapan to write in CAPS. If you are a howla (Hyd special), then continue writing in caps ;)
@Mainak
I remember my first comment on Bhavani’s first post. I said that I did not understand anything what she wrote. My second comment was edited by someone of PFC. My third comment was deleted. I am glad that there is someone else, Circuit, says that he did not what she wrote.
Now after a long time I am visiting PFC and I understood what Bhavani wrote. Maybe my English improved.:d
mainak bhai .. finally u show me something that i have heard before ;) … me catchin up … i listened to royksopp almost 2 yrs back … first caught it on VH1.
Mainak yaar i am still waitin for ur mail !!! hope u have re grouped and got things back together after what happened to ur house!!!
i know macacharbhai but i m a writer and not your type of writer, becoz my first book will be published after two months and publishing house is so happy with my work……so wish me luck brother
Was watching Season 2 DVD of Def Poetry.
And This one reminded me of you.
Mainak, :) Thank you!
After Suheir Hammad and Jill Scott, I love Amanda Diva the most. She’s so funky and witty and passionate.
‘I wanted to write some hot shit
But this is what I came up with…’
Yeah, I can understand why this reminded you of me! This is in reply to you, so I hope no one starts badgering me again about my literary ’shit’. This is from T.S Eliot’s ‘The Love Song of Alfred J Prufrock’, he’s one of my favourite poets. Again would easily remind you of me! For your reading pleasure…
“No! I am not Prince Hamlet, nor was meant to be;
Am an attendant lord, one that will do
To swell a progress, start a scene or two,
Advise the prince; no doubt, an easy tool,
Deferential, glad to be of use,
Politic, cautious, and meticulous;
Full of high sentence, but a bit obtuse;
At times, indeed, almost ridiculous
salon se gitanjali sath liye ghoom raha hoon. ek kavita bhi poori nahien padi jati. akhien bhar jati hain, acchhar dikhne band ho jate hain.
east ki poetry ke muqabil waste ke pass sirf ek aadmi hai Walt Whitman.
maine to t s eliot ko pada hai
aapne ghalib ko pada hai
kabhie gulzar sahib se poochiyega ki ghalib ke mayne kya hote hai.
dard minnat kashe dawa na hua
main na achha hua bura na hua
ghalib ka ek sher poore t s eliot per bhari hai.
http://www.urdupoetry.com
@};-@};-@};-
i am an artist at living, my work of art is my life. - Zen master D T Suzuki
@};-@};-@};-
=d>
i need some fresh dose of fossilized language
and all ready forgotten euphemisms
i am always objective, never derogatory ::^o;))
- acche baap ki bigdi aulad >-)
hope you haven’t taken it to the heart @};-
mandir ko todiye, masjid ko dhaiye
dil ko an todiye, ye khuda ka mukam hai <:-p :o)
vishrant bhai nich lines ^:)^^:)^…
ab nirala ki kuch line sun lo…
“ABE SUN BE GULAB
BHUL MAT PAAYI JO TUMNE KHUSBU,RAND AUR AAB
KHOON CHUSHA KHAAD KA TUUNE ASHISTHA
DAAL PE ITRA RAHA TU “CAPITALIST”"
What is your problem? You
@azd
“Enjoy the ride , honey, because you
@Neeraja …u there ?
what’s the problem
i have mussels - and i use them
if i have had boobs - dead sure i would have used them
and what’s wrong in that
everybody use what he/she has
matter of fact is
those who have brain use brain
those who have mussel use mussel
those who have boobs use boobs
everybody uses theirs
and it is good
:o
if my using mussel is not prostitution than why should using boobs be prostitution
:o
mussels has many uses, same way boobs has many uses
:o
scratch this idea from your mind people
it is fucking hypocrisy
if man uses his mussels, he is macho
if woman uses her boobs, she is prostitute >:p
this conditioning has gone so deep in human mind
that even women, using there boobs feel uncomfortable (*)
sometimes i use crab
sorry, couldn’t resist. just trying to inject some levity. not a jab in any way.
sometimes i use crabs
sorry, couldn’t resist. just trying to inject some levity. not a jab in any way.
@ Vishrant…I have begun to like you ! …Do I have an option :P
just for record
i am straight :d
:-h
@P(L)AYBACK
Yes, what?
(You there?)
@Vishrant
First of all, the question is not what method you use to get things done. The question is whether you judge the person based on her work or other attributes.
Coming to what you said, Yes I do think that it’s wrong for a man (or for anyone for that matter), to use physical strength to get things done.
I am sorry but I do not believe in getting things done by hook or crook.
Is killing justified just because someone has guts to hold a gun and shoot and I or you or a lot of people don’t? (bad analogy but who cares!)
@ Neeraja ! Oh ok ! Wanted to say…”Yeah I second that !” :D
oh ok! good :) thanks.
Cat got your tongue, Bhavani? Or do you only respond to compliments?
Neeraja, I wasn
hi
u write really well.
but wtf are u doing on this lame site…unless they are paying you in gold…which seems highly unlikely
btw..do u write for children ??
Bhavani, professional question for you…Is it standard practice in Bombay to ask for a part payment up front for a commissioned project, as a writer, or do you only get it after you submit the first draft? I’m asking because I have a similar situation on hand…
Thanks!