the 2022 World Cup

The World Cup is one of the very most popular global events.  The competition is well managed to provide maximum excitement.  Unfortunately it is controlled by some with money interests.

My notes are a bit random as for me it was hard to sort such a wide assortment of noteworthy things.

 Qatar came out on top of the bidding process.  Normally the World Cup is run in the summer months and leagues around the world cater to that.  The temperature would be unbearable in the summer months and so they offered a schedule for November and December.   They assured everyone would be welcome.  They even made accommodation for alcohol consumption.  Check this expose of corruption inside
FIFA:  http://www.therealjohndavidson.com/2022/11/fifa-uncovered.html

It is a mammoth task for construction and they promised a timely completion.  They accomplished it at the expense of several hundred dead foreign workers.  Locally I was surprised that here in Ontario they are allowing alcohol in some bars as early as 7:00 in the mornings of games.  No doubt this will help increase attendance and boost profits for those who were able to get the rules bent.  Irony is that the weekend before the games start it was declared that after all there would be no alcohol served at the Qatar games despite a contract.  It has been pointed out that many stadiums have forbidden alcohol in total or for certain times of the game.

 Now as it turned out, although they did not check for gays, they forbade open displays of affection for either heterosexuals or homosexuals.  The German starting team posed with their mouths covered to protest the ban on One Love arm bands.  The Netherlands invited some migrant workers to a practice plus promised to auction off uniforms at end with money going to migrant workers.  The Netherlands invited some migrant workers to a practice plus promised to auction off uniforms at end with money going to migrant workers.

One limited effect was with Iran that was suffering from riots back home regarding restrictions against women.  Many of the players sympathized and early indicated their support for the world to see.  Iranians refuse to sing their national anthem.  Put their arms on each other rather that their tradition with hands on heart.  Declined to celebrate their goals as had been a habit, that had  been curtailed during league play after riots started.  They entered the stadium with Persian flags.  Some of their fans booed the Iranian national anthem.  T shirts with the protest slogan "Women, Life, Freedom"  Other T Shirts had names of female protesters on them.  It must  be added that many were dressed conservatively.  Many players, guests and journalists  were reprimanded or stopped from entering the stadiums.  However we are told that threats were made to their families and they desisted. Similarly some of the fans also supported the protests and eventually Iranian agents were brought in to curb disturbances.  FIFA and traditional Iranians have tried to lock down Iranian protests.   

One cause that was allowed was for the Palestinians.  A lot of visitors had not seen their issues expressed.  They displayed banners inside stadium.  

Feminism was boosted as more female referees than in previous games  For the third game of the group section, Germany vs. Costa Rico there were four females forming the referee team--Stephanie Frapart of France will the head referee and Neuza Back of Brazil and Karn Diaz of Mexico will call the offsides.  Kathryn Nesbitt will deal with video calls.  From Rwanda and Japan are two more females included.

Not paid a lot of attention to soccer in the off years pleased to see advances in coverage making it easier for non fans to be converted.  Tv. coverage had a few embellishments new to me.  Injury time had a separate spot.  Injury time was presented as a minimum of letting us know the referee had some discretion.  Offsides were visually presented and easily understood.

Stadium architecture really beautiful.  

The Japanese set a trend.  They started as a group to clean up stadium after a game, including ones they were not part of. This trend was picked up by Tunisia and then Saudi Arabia.

Fans put on displays, but I think Senegal deserves top honors.  They had a well coordinated dance, costume and drums routine that made me wish they had gone further in the knock out rounds. Many national visitors took to wearing Arabic head gear.

Argentina allowed Saudi Arabia a colossal upset in their first game.  The knockout formula does up the intensity, but the World Cup format allows for ties and even defeats to not be eliminated.  This upset illustrates that good teams can have off games and go on to learn.  All teams are guaranteed at least three games which gives them a chance to play against international competition.  More visitors have a reason to stay longer.

First game with host Qatar, outclassed by Ecuador--several yellow cards trying to contain Ecuador players.  Good cheering section, but all men.  Women a little more evident with Ecuador.

Upsets to create new excitement:  Saudi Arabia over Argentina, Japan over Germany, and Spain, Morocco over Belgium and Portugal.  More goals than ever.

A prominent Danish player Christian Eriksen  had had a heart attack 18 months previous and played in all the group games.

Embolo playing for the Swiss team became the first player to score against his birth country, Cameroon

Canada was highly promoted nationally, but I feel expectations were not realistic.  They played fairly well could conceivably have won against Belgium.  In reality they were in a group where the other teams all were more highly ranked.  Their group also included Morocco and Croatia who ended playing for third spot.  Perhaps we need to take consolation in just making the 32 finalists.  Alphonso Davies did well.  The head coach, John Heard felt that Canada needed to get more Canadians in the elite leagues.

Morocco provided a significant breakthrough beating Belgium and Portugal and finishing fourth.  They had boisterous fans, not all African, Arab or Muslim.  Learned that the Moroccan goalie, Yassine Bounou, who won the game in the shootouts was born in Montreal.  Japan and Korea showed some competitiveness.  Still it seems Europe and South America dominate.

Shootouts to decide winners in the knockout round are criticized by some commentators.  After 90 minutes of vigorous competition is already a wearying task and not just for the players, but also the referees and even the fans.  Skills are what are expected and the shootouts provide some of that.  Many sports have concluded fans do not enjoy entertainment that is too long.  Sudden death as in hockey is one option that might be considered, but that might shift emphasis even more to defense.

Milan Borjan, goalie from Hamilton--family had fled from Knin, Croatia to Belgrade Serbia during wars of independence--came to Canada in 2000 when Milan was 8 years old, ending up in Hamilton, but was recognized as talented goalie--  was offered a goalie  position with Belgrade Red Star and rose to be their captain.  He could have chosen to play with Serbia or Croatia for World Cup, but felt gratitude to Canada and chose them--prior to their game against Croatia, coach John Herdman in an effort to boost team morale was quote as saying "fuck Croatia" a quote that Croatians used to motivate themselves. Unfortunately some of the fans decided to taunt Boran at the game with posters that pointed out his family had fled Knin on John Deere tractors.  Milan was quoted in our local Spectator as wishing Croatia success in their next games as he had friends on the team--FIFA who is supposed to be against ethnicism and racism claim, but in 2016 FIFA dropped a special task force that dealt with racism. 

Speaking of goalies.  During the knock out game between France and England, Harry Duke was confronted by his Tottenham team-mate for a penalty kick.  They both knew each other very well.  Harry actually kicked the ball slightly over the net.

Heartbreaks common in third group games.  Tunisia from a fourth position needed to beat #1 France and have Denmark and Australia tie.  Australia led 1-0 near the end as Denmark applied a lot of pressure to tie the game, while Tunisia had a goal.  As Denmark failed to tie, that eliminated Tunisia, but they were still winning when France apparently scored in injury time, but after a small delay the referee was called to see a replay and disallowed the goal letting Tunisia at least claim victory over France.

Human nature was revealed a bit by the reaction of Ronaldo to be taken out of a game and then put as a substitute for the quarter final game.  He displayed disappointment and a little anger.  Recognized as one of the top players in the world he likely wanted to add to his legacy by scoring more goals in the World Cup.  In the first instance, the game didn't affect the next step and Ronald as a critical asset would help his team more by resting.  In the second instance I am not sure how his coach evaluated Switzerland, but it turned out they were not a difficult opponent.  Although flukes could decide a game, the coach did have Ronald available as a substitute should the game turn the wrong way and in fact he did let him after the game was under control.  As it happened his substitute scored three goals and proved he deserves time.   Someday Ronaldo will retire and memories of this behavior will not help unless he learns from it.

The death of Grant Wahl an American journalist convert to football during a game from an aneurism.  Mourned by LeBron James who knew him from his high school basketball career.  Grant had been stopped at one game for wearing a One Love T shirt.

The game for 3rd place which I missed because I misread the schedule could use a boost to make it more meaningful.  Some have pointed out that the two teams are coming tired off a big disappointment and probably just want to go home.  The organizers no doubt want to maximize their profits with a captive audience.  Extra money for the winning players is at best a partial solution.  An idea might be to let the winner an automatic entry for the next World Cup.

An important deal overlooked for many years.  It is not "Lye on Nel", but rather "Lee o Nel" Messi.

The final was very exciting.  France were down two goals at half, but tied it in regulation.  Then two goals in extra time.  During the shoot out the Argentine goalie stopped one and benefited with one wide shot.  President Emmanuel Macron cheering on France and after consoling Mbappe helped give out medallions. The Golden Boot went to Kylian Mbappe having scored three goals to pull ahead of Messi who only score two goals in the finals game,  The Golden Ball trophy symbolizing the best overall player went to Lionel Messi,with Mbappe second and the last Cup winner, Croatian Luka Modric third.  The Golden Glove award for the top goalie when to Argentine Emilian Martinez.  To cap off the Argentine awards, Enzo Fernandez won the Youth Award.  An irony is that Messi and Mbappe will be team mates at Paris St. Germain.

At the final game the FIFA team trophy was unveiled by a favorite actress Deepika Padukone.

Several countries, including Denmark have discussed leaving FIFA.   My wish is that it be cleaned up, but the lure of money is overwhelming.

I would like to end by paraphrasing a quote I heard from Ismaila Alfa which he attributed to a Uruguayan poet, (I think it must have been Eduardo Galeano).  "When football is well played it is like a dance with a ball."

Two previous blogs on World Cup might illustrate some evolution of appreciation.  http://www.therealjohndavidson.com/2018/07/world-cup-2018.htm and http://www.therealjohndavidson.com/2014/07/what-world-cup-means-to-me.html

Some thoughts on Women's World Cup;   http://www.therealjohndavidson.com/2019/07/womens-world-cup.html

SHAH RUKH KHAN, WORLD'S MOST FAMOUS ACTOR PART 2

After seeing a dozen or so Shah Rukh Khan's movies, I was really hooked and decided to search for more of his earlier movies as well as check out new releases.  This post is not in chronological order.

An early big breakthrough came with Kajol in "Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge" (1995).  This time he played an NRI (Non Resident Indian)  based in London looking for a wild trip with his friends to Switzerland.  Kajol played a relatively innocent girl with a very strict father using persuasion to go with some girl friends to Switzerland.  Of course they meet, go through a few misunderstandings and feel they are meant for each other.  Her father does not approve and takes her off to India for an arranged marriage, but our hero pursues.  Anupam Kher played a supportive father.  Aditya Chopra directed  This is considered one of the most romantic movies of all time and is now the longest running film in the world, engendering a lot of references in other movies.  Shot in England, Switzerland and India.  Bollywood was fond of foreign scenes and this movie helped boost Swiss tourism.

Before that breakthrough Shah Rukh Khan made a decision that could have killed his career.  For 1993 he decided to take on a negative role, in fact in three movies--"Darr," "Baaziger" and "Anjaam" where he was not only mean, but psychotic.  He earned acting awards and became a hit with the public.

While going back to watch some of his earlier movies I discovered Juhi Chawla who often was his leading lady, apparently the first time only after her approval.   She became another favorite.  "Phir Bhi Dil Hai Hindustani" "Rajo Ban Gaya Gentleman" "Yes Boss" (her mother died in an accident while she was filming) "Duplicate" "One 2 Ka 4" where the two were usually the highlight of the movie.  Juhi became Shah Rukh's business partner for both a production house, Red Hot Chilies and a cricket team.  She also got involved with producing.  Her career illustrates that the aging male actors are more often matched to a younger actress--I followed some of Juhi's other movies some of which were very interesting and enjoyable "3 Deewarin" directed by Nagesh Kukunoor; "My Brother Nikhil" about HIV,  "I Am" which also covered some controversial topics for which she was an associate producer), "Gulaab Gang" in a negative role; "Swami," "Paheli in a supporting role; "Boothnath" as Shah Rukh's wife, but his role was only a cameo;   I got excited when she was listed with a major Hollywood film, "One-hundred Foot Journey," but she was killed off near the beginning.  She had been Miss India in 1984,

"Pardes" (1997) filmed in Las Vegas and British Columbia.  Another angle on the NRI.  A rich man in America  wants his son to have a real Indian wife.  Shah Rukh plays the adoptive son who tries to mediate the marriage, but his efforts result in a lot of chaos as the son is very spoiled and the adopted brother is very conflicted.  One complaint from this film (and many other Bollywood efforts) is the fighting--the action seems real enough, but they add in extra sound that makes it less realistic.  Of course Shah Rukh Khan's virtues result in a happy ending.

"Mohabbatein"(2000) against Amitabh Bachchan whose daughter played by his real future daughter in law Aishawarya Rai had committed suicide.  Shah Rukh, not known to the father of his lover applied and got a job.  For the most part he counsels some young students to make the most of their lives.  He runs up against Amitabh who is very conservative and resentful.  Aishawarya appears onlyas a ghost.  Directed by Aditya Chopra

"Chalte Chalte" (2007)  was a different kind of romance.  Shah Rukh Khan playing a truck owner/driver meets sophisticated Rani Mukerji and after a fairly short romance gets married.  Class conflicts are fairly normal, but they carry on with verbal fighting through to the end of the movie.  You could say the bickering made it more realistic.  Filmed in Greece.

"Hey Ram" (2000) was directed and written by Kamal Hassan who also played the lead who married Rani Mukerji.  Shah Rukh had a relatively small role.  This movie climaxes with the assassination of Gandhi.

"Dil Se" (1998) was directed by Mani Ratnam and was considered a major success on several fronts including Shah Rukh's acting.  He played a man infatuated with a woman, Manisha Kairola who is bent on a suicide bombing mission.  At one point Shah Rukh's character has a marriage of convenience which happens with Preity Zinta in her debut movie.  The music by A. R. Rahman was considered very good with one song, "Chaiyyan Chaiyyan" being used in a Hollywood movie by Spike Lee, "The Inside Man."  The choreography by Farah Khan was considered exceptional including a sequence on a moving train.

"My Name is Khan" (2010) represented an acting challenge for Shah Rukh. In it he plays a man with Aspberger's syndrome.  He is a Muslim who surprisingly marries a non Muslim, Kajol and after an unfortunate incident needs to prove he is not a terrorist.  He travels across the United States and has many interesting adventures.  Some memorable music from Shankar Ehsaan Loy.

"Ra-One" (2011) was a science fiction action film intended by Shah Rukh to demonstrate Bollywood technological skills and in fact did win awards for special effects.  He plays a dual role, a mild mannered engineer and a dynamic video character.  Most noted for an infectious dance song, "Chamak Chalo" performed by American rapper Akon and written by Vishal-Shekhar.  Also starred Kareena Kapoor.

He broke his vow not to lip lock (kiss on the mouth) with Katrina Kaif in the last film directed by Yash Chopra and written by Aditya Chopra  "Jab Tak Hai Jaan" (2012).  He plays a man abandoned by a woman who loves him, due to a religious vow and then Shah Rukh becomes a bomb disposal expert.  Also starred Anushka Sharma as an annoying reporter.  Music by A R Rahman. Filmed in Kashmir and London.

"Chennai Express" (2013) saw him reunited with Deepika Padukone in an action romance comedy.  At the time it was the highest grossing Bollywood film to date.

"Dilwale" (2015) with Kajol was really a commercial effort and a disappointment.  Filmed in Dubai (where Shah Rukh owns property)

In"Fan" (2016) he had a dual role with the aid of CGI and prosthetics where he plays the mature star and an obsessive young fan.  A well done movie.  It shows how a movie star (like Shah Rukh himself) can become arrogant and detached from his fans.  It also illustrates how obsessive a fan can become.  Filmed in England, India and Croatia.

Next film is "Raes" and he plays a bad guy.  Animated version of "Kuch Kuch Hota Hai" to come out as "Kuchie Kuchie Hota Hai" 

The three stars atop Bollywood are all Muslim:  Salman Khan, Shah Rukh Khan and Aamir Khan, but all in their late 40's and mostly romancing much younger women.

In real life he was born and raised in New Delhi and did very well in school including sports.  He fancied a Hindu girl, but found her parents didn't like the idea of inter-religious dating.  Eventually he won them over.  Shah Rukh and Gauri, now have three children with the youngest being born through a surrogate.  Gauri is often a producer with his films.  His son has done some minor appearances in movies and dubbed for a Disney animated film.

One of his strongest interests is in a cricket club he owns, Kolkata Knight Riders who compete at a high level.

On stage he is considered spontaneously humorous and has been asked to host game and award shows.  He has hosted many dinner/parties for other celebrities.  Recently Tim Cook, the CEO of Apple and then cast and crew of an Iranian-Indian film, "Salaam Mumbai."

Concern for making it in the English speaking world--speaks some English in most of his movies.  He has also advocated for improving technical production values.  He smokes in many of his movies (not in" Fan") and is supposedly trying to cut down.

His following is massive--over Asia, Europe, Africa and North America and it is not all from the Indian diaspora.  At his best Shah Rukh Khan is why I love Bollywood, although I have grown to appreciate many other actors and films.  I will be looking for more of his old films and anticipate new ones.

If you missed Part 1 click here:  http://www.therealjohndavidson.com/2016/06/shah-rukh-khan-worlds-most-famous-actor.html

TAMASHA, A WONDERFUL STORY ABOUT STORY TELLING

After almost forty movies this year, including many very good ones such as "Birdman",  this is the first I felt compelled to review.  You might think that a Bollywood movie only reflects my bias, but honestly this has universal themes that will hit most of you.  Like many it has a touching romance and like a few others it has appeal to the intellect, but most of all it a great story about story telling.

It is very confusing at the beginning with elements that may not fit in with your first preconceptions.  Eventually the little streams will join together and make a lot of sense.  Flashbacks help bring the present into context.  Tells the story very well after getting your attention.

Most romance movies depend heavily on misunderstandings.  Most finding oneself stories depend on conflict within the self.  "Tamasha" illustrates both of these dynamics uniquely because it also encompasses the dynamics of story telling.

Imtiaz Ali, the director writer has done a lot of excellent movies such as "Jab We Met" "Rockstar" and "Highway."  It seems likely there are elements of autobiography.  Directing and writing are the two most creative jobs in a movie which is really a story with special effects.  In his commentary Imitaz tells us that one of the mechanisms of the story comes from his brother Arif, also a movie director who had a friend visiting a foreign holiday destination and to have more fun didn't want to give his name or learn the name of a romantic partner.

Ranbir Kapoor, son of Rishi Kapoor got off to a pretty good start in his movie career, but has run a few flops.  This movie should set him back on the right path.  Deepika Padukone has been doing very well and has even deviated off commercial movies to more artistic challenges with success.  The two were a couple a few years ago, but broke up.  Deepika once insulted Ranbir on a tv talk show in a very delicate manner.  However they really fit together very well--both loving and hurting each other.

One other actor deserves mention, Javed Sheikh who plays Ranbir's father.  He displays some subtle emotion when it makes a big difference.

A common thread throughout is story telling.  There is some sort of theatrical presentation at the beginning, but before long the camera switched to a scene with a young boy being enthralled by an older reluctant story teller who he pays.  At first the story teller recounts a tale from Hindu mythology and later of the ancient Greeks.  Later we hear references to Biblical stories.

In the romance Deepika is imagined as a bold thief with access to a fortune in gold.  Ranbir pictures himself as a spy chasing her.  Much later this plays into another connecting mechanism.

A. R. Rahman, known to North Americans for the Oscar winning music in "Slumdog Millionaire"wrote the music. He has written some of the best music ever written for movies.  The music in "Tamasha" is good, but not his best.  I did add one song to my iTunes collection.

Interesting locations.  A major part is in Corsica where the two main characters meet and enjoy the land and seascape.  Other scenes included Kolkotta, Delhi, Simla and Tokyo (where rain cut down the scenery they wanted).  Overall the cinematography is excellent.

The book "Catch 22" was the mechanism to allow them to reconnect.  The man brought a copy to Corsica with a book store mark and  he commented on where he got it.  A few years later it enabled the woman to find our hero in a different city.

This is a very visual movie with lots of ingenuous settings.  Many details are used to make a point, some of which you will catch easily, but others you will appreciate more with a subsequent viewing.

In Bollywood stories are told with scenery, music, dance and of course words.  The viewer will see that based on his story telling talents the hero gains more tools over time.

Story telling is important to us all.  I remember writing about how important stories are to selling products and ideas:  see  http://www.therealjohndavidson.com/2011/06/tell-to-win-offers-winning-formula.html People don't buy statistics at least not until after they hear the story.  The best story tellers use all sorts of tools when they get the opportunity.

The Bollywood Gender Gap and Culture

What makes you decide which movie to watch?  Of course some of us look at a lot of details, but for this post I am interested in whether the male lead or the female lead influences your decision.  Even this can be a bit difficult as many of us go as a couple and have to consider the opinion of our companion.  Even with same gender groups, decisions may partly be made by whether or not they are looking for the opposite sex or to affirm their own gender culture.

Most of us very definitely like to look at the opposite sex and the more attractive the better.  Men also  like to see what masculinity standards and which approaches to desirable women work.   Women also want to see what fashion (and behaviour) standards are important. Members of the LGBT community might spin things a little differently, but have a definite interest in gender issues.

With all that, it is fair to say that we are attracted to both male and female leads and roughly equally.  Strange to say that is not reflected in their pay.  Some reports regarding Bollywood point out that in the past the male lead has been paid as much as ten times what the female lead is paid.  Also there are more significant male roles in the film industry.

India, like many other cultures has a long history of male dominance.  Men are the ones with the aggressive hormones that lead to fighting and bossing.  And they have been the ones controlling the money.   With men dominating families in real life it was naturally reflected in films.  Not getting pregnant helps men develop leverage for salary negotiations, but really it is primarily their traditional position in families.

Negotiating for compensation for films can be complicated.  Seldom is it a straight fee, often it is a share of the profits with different calculations used.  Females are less inclined to accept share of box office receipts in lieu of a larger fee.  Both established actors and actresses can make a big part of their income from product endorsements.

Athletes were at one time demanding what seemed like large amounts of money and one of the rationalizations was that their careers were short and risky.  Actresses, particularly the ones whose avatar must reflect youthfulness and attractiveness are subject to a short big income career.  In India years ago it was taken for granted that when a woman gets married she retires from whatever work she was doing to concentrate on household duties..


Today more Indian women are working outside the home and more unmarried couples are attending movies as dates.  If a young man wants to make an impression he will have to consider what his prospective date would be attracted to.  Women want to see their lives reflected in what is shown on screen and this is starting to happen.

To me one of the reasons Western societies have gained prominence has been their willingness to give women more credit and more responsibility.  Getting the vote was a big breakthrough and so was their contributions to war efforts. Glamour is still important (to both sexes), but as women achieve more economic, social and political power they need to be represented by a wider range of activities. Women  in India are more visible in policing, the military, politics, business and even boxing.

Women consumers have enough clout that women centric movies are more common.  Examples include "Kahanni," "Queen," "Mary Kom," "Mardaani," and "English Vinglish."  There are still plenty of male oriented films with the women serving merely as props for the men, but there are changes there as well

Bollywood actresses are looking for something more meaningful than complementing the male lead.

Nandita Das has played her share of romantic roles, but has sought more meaningful roles--for my first awareness she played a gun toting rebel in "A Peck on the Cheek.." In " Provoked" had her playing an activist in a wife abuse case.   She has written and directed "Firaaq" concerning the aftermath of the Gujarti riots. She had had key roles in Canadian Deepa Metha's films "Earth" and "Fire" set in India. The latter film was very controversial with Nandita's role at the centre.

Juhi Chawla basically played romantic roles in her early career, but was smart enough to accumulate resources to get involved in film production and has produced four movies. Rani Mukerji (who recently married a producer), Vidya Balan (also married a producer), Kangana Ranaut and Priyanka Chopra have all had leading glamorous romantic roles, but have sought more meaningful roles and more money.  Deepika Padukone is supposed to have received bigger contracts in recognition that she does attract big audiences.

Mira Nair got started with documentaries and then in1988 directed and helped write "Salaam Bombay" which was nominated for the Oscar best foreign film.  She is most famous probably for "Monsoon Wedding"  I was very struck by "The Namesake."

Farah Khan was a noted choreographer for popular dance sequences.  Her ability to organize the most elaborate dance routines gave her the opportunity to direct "Main Hoon Na" and continues to direct big budget films.

Women directors are now receiving more opportunities and also getting involving in producing decisions.  Gauri Schinde, after doing ad commercials and short films made her feature "English Vinglish" in tribute to her mother who ran a home business and never spoke very good English as a sort of apology.  Sridevi made her comeback in this film.  It might be a step for female directors for women centric movies, but it might be a bigger step for them to direct big budget male oriented movies such as "Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara" directed and written by Zoya Akhtar.

As women direct and produce more films they will give the female perspective more emphasis.  As more consumers accept their critical importance to the success of a film (financially and artistically) they will get closer to pay equality.

As India achieves more gender equality it can create its own momentum.  Real life inspires movies and movies in turn inspire more dreams that reach towards reality.  There will always be gender differences (thank goodness), but it will be better for all when there is more gender equality.

Aarakshan: a study on education inequality

Recently I watched "Aarakshan," a Bollywood movie containing the usual dances, but dealing with a serious issue with a unique impact on India, and with repercussions for the whole world.  Here in North America we talk about privatizing education.  The movie really seems to demonize that idea while at the same time exposing arguments on the other side.  Much like the university quota system used in the United States, India has reserved education spots for the lower castes.

In the movie there is an under handed move to establish private education at the expense of those who cannot afford it.  Teachers are lured away with money and intimidation.  There are personal tensions that involve different castes, religions and of course personalities.  Some members of both high and low caste do their best to make education available to the disadvantaged.   Amitabh Bachanchan stood on the side of the righteous and Manoj Bajpayee played his creepily best as the opponent.  A little romance provided by Saif Ali Khan and Deepika Padukone.   My favorite musical team Shankar, Ehsaan and Loy provided a few songs.

Education, to my way of thinking is the most critical issue in the world.  It impacts on everything else--war and peace, health, climate change, finance, industry, freedom etc.  Money and the profit motive can have a positive impact on the quality of education, but can we afford not to optimize our resources so that every person has an equal chance to improve?

India is deeply enveloped with religion and castes.  From the movie these factors are integral.  In fact it is resistance to the concerns of the higher castes of their children mixing with lower caste children that is a key issue in the movie.  As in America some deserving members of the more favored castes do get left out and "Aarkshan" acknowledges that problem.  In the movie the dedicated, unprejudiced teacher triumphs over the sleazy profit motivated investor.

Religion is a driving force for private schools.  Religious instructions do not belong in public education and in the minds of some this unacceptable.  What is preferable to me is to improve our understanding of other religions.  This has to be neutral, but admittedly that would not satisfy many people.  One can only hope that after a few generations it will become obvious that those who understand alien religions better are in positions of power and influence that more people will seek that type of education.

Evolution is a trigger issue for many people.  It may be many years before it is more widely accepted, but the sooner the better.  Climate change also seems to offend some sensibilities.  In fact to some people there seems to be a conflict between religion and science, admittedly of concern to fewer and fewer people.

The best education should be provided to those with the most talent.  Identifying talent needs to be part of the education system which will result in arguments not only about measurement but definitions of talent.   It seems legitimate that a society would want our future leaders to get the best education, no matter what level they started from.   That doesn't mean that the rest of us do not deserve the best available education.  Short sighted people will resist the taxes necessary to make all this happen, but it should be a much higher priority if we are to survive.

Everyone is entitled to spend their money for anything legal.  Society owes it to itself to make sure public education is not sacrificed.

Prakash Jha is noted for political movies that make you think.  "Aarakshan" is a good movie to provoke thinking on education.

BOLLYWOOD STAR SYSTEM 2013

Is it safe to assume you are familiar with the Hollywood star system?  It boils down to the fact that the masses love celebrity.  To be charitable part of that is a recognition and preference for quality.  Others would say it speaks of superficial glamour overwhelming quality.  Smugly I like to think quality rules my preferences, but in truth we all tend to act as herd members craving acceptance, but also preferring glamour to ugliness and quality to squalor.  Critics seem to feel that the masses poorly appreciate real quality or understand the factors that underly what we should be seeking.

My expertise is certainly limited, but for those not familiar with Bollywood I can point out some of the factors and names of stars to consider.  Those who avidly follow Bollywood may champion different stars and might contribute different opinions.

Bollywood is no different than Hollywood in the sense that to keep going they have to operate as a business.  That means giving the buying public what they want.  Financing a movie can be scary, because although a success can be very rewarding, the odds are not entirely promising.  To boost the odds it makes sense to seek out celebrities that help draw in paying customers.

How they got to be celebrities was not always by the same route.  Some are physically attractive or have obvious talent and some had a lot of support and some overcame obstacles with determination.  Celebrity is also a relative thing.  Anyone who has appeared in a popular movie has some glamour, but only a few can really act as magnets to assure (or almost assure) a movie's success.

Hollywood and Bollywood have an international audience in mind.  In the case of Hollywood a lot has been in line with economic and political wave of American success.  Bollywood is international in major part because of the Indian diaspora, but also with some attention to international interests.  With a wider audience there can be many niches, but still the risks are most often dealt with using celebrity.  Stars are one of the tools used to break into new markets.

In Bollywood it seems currently there are three male stars that ensure a big enough base they can make a movie a success.  Also if they lend their name somehow and/or have a minor role in a movie their glamour will boost it.  Those males are Salman Khan, Aamir Khan and Shah Rukh Khan.  One thing they have in common is they are all in their forties with proven track records.  For women it is a little different, they tend to be younger and only last a limited number of years as a dominant factor.  Kareena Kapoor and Katrina Kaif come closest to assuring a profitable picture, ideally with one of the three male stars.

A few reasons people like these stars include that they are glamourous and they attract a strong supporting team.  They get the better directors, writers, music composers, make up artists and the bigger budgets amongst many details.  As a movie goer you like to think your preferred stars would choose a good script and would attract a good supporting cast and crew.  A few times it doesn't work out that way, but nonetheless as true stars they do attract a much bigger base than their lesser competitors.

Yes, they do have competitors, either those on the way up or those on the way down.  One on the way up is Hrithik Roshan who is younger, physically attractive perhaps the best dancer and with a good track record.  He was actually picked to break into the American market with "Kites", but for a variety of  reasons it failed.   He has been in a number of big budget films and probably is going in the right direction. Shahid Kapoor has had a kick at the can, but has not a very impressive track record lately.

Saif Ali Khan, Ajay Devgn, Akshay Kummar, John Abrams and Abischek Bachchan each have a significant following, but seem limited in their projection.

There has to be replacements as these old guys are aging and will fade sooner or later.    Some promising prospects include Ranbir Kapoor (son of Rishi Kapoor), Imran Khan (nephew to Aamir Khan) and Rajeev Khandelwal.  These three have all tried to extend the type of roles they will accept.  That will help spread their appeal.  Other prospects might be Emraan Hashmi and Ranveer Singh.

For women the fading can start even earlier. Vidya Balan (my favorite), Priyanka Chopra, Anushka Sharma, Deepika Padukone are becoming increasingly popular.  Ones that seem to be fading include Aishwarya Rai (may be just a maternity detour), Rani Mukerji, Preity Zinta and Kajol but they could become strong support players building on their current following.  Juhi Chawla was a draw many years ago, but gets offered lesser roles now.  She has also gotten involved with producing.

Kalki Koechlin is interesting.  She is the daughter of French hippies who settled in India.  She has taken on non glamourous challenging roles (with a few exceptions).  She married Anurag Kashyap, a top producer.  She is definitely a mark of a quality movie, although not necessarily a big box office winner.

Character actors can develop a small following.  Anupam Kher, Boman Irani, Rishi Kapoor, Irrfan Khan, Paresh Rawal, Naseeruddin Shah, are key support players indicating probably a reasonable movie to watch.  Sometimes they are given meatier roles, but usually in a lower budget film.

Farhan Akhtar is mostly a B actor, but because of his other talents, writing, directing and producing is a good indicator of a movie's success artistically and financially.

For me a most interesting actor is Amitabh Bachchan.  A big star from the 70's as romancer and action star he has evolved into a strong father figure and still has the ability to be the main star of movies that are actually written and produced for him.  He has had a number of flops, but can still command an audience.  One of his most interesting roles was in "Paa" where he played the son of his actual son.  Obviously marketing concerns entered the decision, but he and his son, Abischek Bachchan both executed it very well.

Producers with low budgets are always hoping to develop a new star and eventually some of them will succeed.  The publicity efforts are mainly to boost a movie, but inevitably help actors develop their own fan base.  Personal connection is very important.

I have left out many personalities and that is hard to avoid if keeping this post to a reasonable length.  The ones I have mentioned are all capable of not only a good performance, but also drawing in some fans.

The photos represent my favorite stars--the ones that I look to provide a stimulating and entertaining movie.

At top is Shah Rukh Khan in my favorite Bollywood movie, "Swades"
Aamir Khan in "Lagaan"
Vidya Balan in" Kahaani"
Farhan Akhtar with Deepika Padukone in "Karthik Calling Karthik"