3 Idiots and Aamir for me!

I finally saw a good movie after a month of attempting to do so. The wait was worth it. Saw 3 Idiots last night and loved it completely. What worked for me in the movie were the perfect balance of emotions and the timing of it, the well etched characters and the right selection of actors especially ‘Chatur’! While the credit for the success of the movie has mostly gone to Aamir thanks to his publicity blitzkrieg, I do believe Chatur’s role in the movie was as important to bring Aamir’s role to life. The music was apt, woven well into the script and thankfully lacked the unnecessary commercialization that exists with it in the industry today. Boman Irani was classic and Kareena looked stunning yet simple in her portrayal, just like her Jab We Met performance.

After a thoroughly entertaining three hours, I did get a feeling of déjàvu with Aamir’s performance. The two movies of his I recall before this are Taare Zameen Par and Rang De Basanti and there are some similarities in those and 3 Idiots. All three portrayed students, had a social message, had a similar look and feel of a few locations and had Aamir’s character portraying a revolutionary preacher. Aamir’s look and feel were also similar - sporting short hair, jeans and t-shirt look, his eyeballs popping up and down in the sockets and mischievous smile to go with it.
While Gajjani was different, I didn’t dig the movie much personally, which lead me to my question – do I prefer Aamir a certain way; and the answer is YES! His chocolate boy looks and mischievous smile, playing the young romantic at heart whether it’s with a girl or a cause with his perfect comic timing – that’s quintessential Aamir for me. These attributes were also there in Lagaan, which is why I liked it and not Mangal Pandey.

For me, Aamir is no different from some of the other actors I like today in specific roles. I don’t think he is a league ahead as is portrayed by the media and some. He has intentionally positioned himself apart to stand out from the clutter and to his credit it’s worked. Doing one movie a year and having a social message in it seems to be his style and that’s fine. He seems to have exploited the demand and supply equation well. His economics tell him that doing a single blockbuster movie a year can rake in the same moolah as doing multiple movies with average performances and at the same time not fatigue the audience with his consistent acting style. The fact that no other top actor has taken his approach yet makes him stand out even further. That I guess leads to his being so intrinsically involved in the success of the movie as well because a few flops means a few years lost and he will require a completely new positioning then.

I do believe if Aamir was to do multiple movies a year he wouldn’t draw the same admiration from the audience and infact might be worse off compared to some of his peers like SRK, Salman and Akshay that have still managed to stay up there despite their overdose at times.

That said, I respect Aamir for his marketing acumen and love his on screen performances, but in a certain mould only.

Arsenal beats Liverpool at Anfield. Game changer in this year’s EPL maybe?

I have to admit that last night’s result at the Anfield was a bit of a shocker for me. Not because I don’t think Arsenal have it in them but because they were without their start striker RVP and Liverpool had their duo in the line-up! Hats off to Arsenal for further plunging Liverpool into crisis having won only 3 of their last 15 games in all competitions.

The weekend result keep the excitement in this year’s EPL simmering with Man United letting up against Aston Villa even after the Toffees did them a favour by holding up at Stamford Bridge. It is interesting to see how with a few players traded over the transfer window last year has made the EPL extremely competitive.

Chelsea while seeming indomitable (and their squad remaining the same from the previous year has a lot to do with that) seem to be held to draws by unexpected teams.

Manchester United despite losing two of their star goal getters – Ronaldo and Tevez, still seem to be in the hunt from time to time. Only if they had seized the opportunity the Toffees presented them they would have been level on points with Chelsea as I write this.

Arsenal despite losing some key players in Adebayor and Toure (even with them in the squad they didn’t get a trophy last year for that matter) seem to be bubbling under the hood from time to time. They have kept a low profile this season as title contenders but seem to be raking in the points from time to time to remain in hunt for title. 5Th time lucky they could get! The question remains though whether the Anfield win will provide Arsenal the necessary ambition to do better in the new-year. Going by the last few years performances, the Gunners tend to slip up in the second half of the competition.

Liverpool despite their strong squad and unquestionable faith in their gaffer Rafa seem to heading only one way this season – down! All the efforts made over the last two years by some to convince fans that Liverpool have it them to win the Premiership seem to have been shattered. I wonder whether the trio of Gerrard, Torres and Rafa will be at the Anfield next summer if Liverpool doesn’t qualify for the Champions League.

While Chelsea remain clear favourties to win, I believe in surprises. I do believe the top three teams will need to exit a few tournaments (between FA, Carling, Champions League etc) to win the premiership this year. I don’t see a team doing the treble and the double would also surprise me!

I could be wrong but then again it’s not a prediction, just my perspective 

Male fashion going too far?

The modern human race never ceases to amaze me. I just read an article in the Times of India titled “Strut around in girlfriend fashion”. The article talks about the latest fashion around the globe being men wearing women’s attire. WTF?

Apparently, this isn’t new and has been sprouting around for years now but not with so much sincerity as this time around. Proof (as per the story) is Cristiano Ronaldo (for the uninitiated - the world’s highest paid footballer) recently spotted in hot pants, with pink fresh flowers in his hair and carrying a clutch.

In hindsight, it’s been in the making with the evolution of the metrosexual male and his male purse, manicure/pedicure and fairness creams among other things. Clearly, this new fashion dimension is being spearheaded by the proven alpha male and isn’t the doing of gay or bisexual humans. Also it isn’t the alpha male in his childhood cross dressing either, this is serious!

I have no problem with the evolution of the male species, but my curiosity gets the better of me to question how we got here. While I’m no authority on human evolution and changing needs, I do believe our vanity is playing up more, as a result of the fast and competitive life we live today and our need to stand out. If my assessment was correct, then Cristiano doing something like doesn’t make sense as he doesn’t need to stand out! Or does he? Maybe since he isn’t scoring as frequently to keep him in the news maybe this does 

Whatever the answer, I wouldn’t be surprised if I see men wearing dresses next.There is absolutely nothing that is beyond us and let know one ever tell you otherwise.

Poker Mania hits town

The latest fad in town seems to be Poker. Though its been around for a few years now, its become more mainstream this diwali season. All the purposeful gamblers that have a PHD in flash (aka teen patti) are now doing Poker to up their intellect further. The fad is so strong that people are willing to gamble away while learning the game as against first learning and then gambling. The logic seems to be if I put my money on the table my brain will grasp the game faster - WTF??

That said, I have to admit the game is interesting! Even I'm somehwat addicted to it, only difference being I have chosen the online world to learn the game for free and figure out the moves. Infact I just spent the last two hours playing away merrily. During this time I played on two tables, lost mostly on the first but raked it in on the second. I wouldnt attribute the raking it in to a sudden burst of luck but the fact I landed on a table where people would just go all in on nothing :) I'm not complaining but just wondering if I were to ever gamble away in real life would I be blessed enough to find a similar table! The answer is NO. But what the heck I'm sure post Diwali my friends will be willing to play at lower stakes so that I can test my intellect as well.

My American Expedition

I’m still a bit spaced out post my US visit. I guess flying between the coasts did me in. While the sleep cycle is fine, I’m crashing out a bit too early for my liking and the afternoon naps are back after two decades, as well. The afternoon naps are fun though I have to admit!

Getting back to my US visit, it was fantastic. Not because it’s a great country but because it’s a promise fulfilled to me by me. I had told myself that I will go to the US only when I get my sabbatical or quit my job for a break. While the former didn’t happen the latter I made happen and boy was it worth it – no stress of what I might have to come back to made the entire experience even more exhilarating.

Outside of all the fun, I made a few observations about the country and its people that both pleasantly surprised and disappointed me. Below are a few of these.

For starters, the underlying pride that regular citizens have in being ‘American’ is pretty apparent to an outsider – they love to just consume as if it’s a necessity; hoist US flags on construction cranes and on every 10th building in NYC; and stand-up for what they believe in and scream their guts out at town halls (check out CNN for one of the town halls on this entire health legislation that’s being debated currently) among others. The point isn’t whether it right or wrong or reflects of narcissism at times, but the general coherence in their pride on belonging to that country. We Indians could learn a bit more about this daily sense of pride, which comes to the fore mostly post a terrible tragedy or media harping about how the country is being unfairly targeted by its neighbours or the developed world.

Two other things that stood out for me were the general disposition of the law to protect every individual and what all ones taxes can do for them – free education and health insurance!! It seems to work the other way round in India in both cases. Neither is human life valued nor does an honest citizen’s taxes take him anywhere but down in his societal status!

The good said, what disappointed me immensely was the wastage in abundance in two specific areas – energy and food; and their services culture, in general.

I don’t understand why the skyscrapers have to be lit all night or for that matter cars need to have headlights on during the day? I won’t bother getting into what happens within the house. I also don’t understand why the general meal portions are so huge. You can tell me Americans have big appetites, in which case I would argue the need to have calories mentioned against every dish on the menu? So if someone generally has a big appetite they love their food period! Moreover the average American in NYC or LA, going by their waste lines, didn’t seem like they had large appetites.

I can only imagine what all that energy and food saved would do for some of the poorer African countries.

Moreover, the audacity of the Americans to pressurize India to commit to carbon emissions targets!! It’s a case of we screwed up the environment, but you control your emissions because we can’t control our consumption. WTF???

In the area of ‘services’, my experience was limited to the airlines (they suck big time), hotels and general shopping. While people employed in these sectors were extremely courteous and polite, they seemed to lack the skill to go the extra mile for customer delight! It existed in the restaurants/bars/clubs though, which would only make me assume that it’s linked to their tip or maybe I was in high spirits  In comparison, the Indian airline and hospitality sectors are fantastic. I was always told that but to experience it first hand was a different feeling altogether.

So I realize while there are things that India needs to emulate from the US such as focus on basic necessities - education and healthcare; there are loads they can learn from us as well. Prime amongst that list is the ability to exercise ‘restraint’, which we as Indians sometimes over do but makes our way of life more appealing in today’s ecological environment. One could argue the ‘restraint’ in our case is due to economic and societal pressures, but even when we manage to overcome them we don’t let that virtue slip away!

I guess a bit of discussion on ‘values’ at some inter country bilateral discussion wouldn’t be that bad a thing. It doesn’t have to always be about trade!

The challenges of renewing a domain name for a non techie!

It's finally good to have my blog online after six months. I'm not a techie (and I’m sure they will have a good laugh if they ever read this piece) but I didn’t fathom trying to keep your domain could be this challenging. Since I hadn't renewed my domain it expired somewhere towards the end of Feb. Fair enough! But how was I to know it was expiring? I expected the domain registration company to drop me a reminder mail but that never happened. Then began the arduous process of figuring out who my registrar was and how I could renew it again. While I did find my registrar for some strange reason I couldn’t renew it as the expiry was in grace period or some BS! In the last week it finally started showing up as domain available and I bought it through an Indian registrar this time. Too my surprise domain registration through a local registrar is more costly than going through an international registrar. Anyways, I still went ahead as I could call the local company if help was needed.

Then began the painful process of connecting my blog archive hosted at blogspot to the renewed domain (when I had purchased the custom domain through blogspot last time it was automatically configured). After a few days of reading the ever so simple (so they claim!) google instructions and speaking to a customer service agent at my local registrar's I gave up. Finally, my brother in law (a techie at heart not by profession) came to my rescue and got them synced up somewhat. Some more work is still required to get my domain name without the blogspot in it but atleast the blog is online again :-).

Satyam scam: The larger lesson is?

The entire Satyam episode is shaping up rather strangely but that is not why I write this piece. I write this piece because I can’t understand which act of opportunism is more deplorable – the one Raju did or the one certain factions (politicians, analysts, media etc) are doing now!

Initially besides 'Scamalinga' a.k.a Ramalinga Raju, no one else seemed to be taking blame. The CFO denied claims he had any knowledge of the scam and it was his juniors and superiors; PWC happily towed the ‘Oh we were misled by the management’ line deliberately and the high profile Independent Board Directors, quit and didn’t blow the whistle either. Infact, I still can’t imagine what Scamalinga could have said to have some (if not most) of these Directors give their nod for the Maytas merger deal that blew open this entire episode. If the Independent Directors weren’t hand in glove with Scamalinga on this then either they weren’t doing their job right of providing necessary checks and balances or were willing to overlook it for their dear promoter friend! How else can one explain their position?

To its credit, the ICAI (The Institute of Chartered Accountants of India) seemed to have made all the right noises from Day 1 about action against PWC and all auditors involved. However, over the last month it seems to be backtracking on the course of action that will be taken – from possibly banning PWC in India to barring only the employees and other auditors found guilty from practice. I wouldn’t be surprised if the ICAI significantly reduces the ban tenure on guilty auditors as well to a few months or years. I fully appreciate their need to weigh their comments against PWC considering not all employees are tainted but I hope it has nothing to do with PWC holding positions in ICAI.

I’m disappointed with the International media and the Analyst community using this incident to paint a rather troubled picture of the business practices in India Inc. and being overtly skeptical of the future of the Indian IT industry. I appreciate ‘opportunism’ but to a degree and I hate generalizations, which seem to be the order of the day.

I don’t need to remind the International Media especially the US media that Corporate Governance isn’t limited to an industry or country.

Let the world not forget what bought recession on it!! Let the world not forget that there was Enron and WorldCom before that and a certain Bernard Madoff after that!! Let the world not forget stories from Japan, Korea and Russia!! Let the world not forget that its 3rd largest economy follows absolutely no transparency!!

I don’t need to remind the Analysts either of the need to weigh comments made in public because it could come back and bite them!

If ‘aberrations’ were the rule; a lot of industries would cease to exist in a lot of countries!

I’m also extremely disappointed with the BJP and its Presidential candidate for trying to leverage the scandal to further their prospects. Has the BJP not learnt anything from the recent State elections where parties that won were the ones that spoke about progress made and had a growth agenda in mind! Has the BJP not understood that the country doesn’t need negativism at this point, considering that seems to be the order of the day around the world thanks to the recession? This isn’t to say I favour the Congress or their policies but as someone once said, ‘If you have nothing intelligent to say keep your mouth shut, that way the others won’t know about your intelligence or the lack of it’!

For us regular citizens, who have to suffer all this opportunism of the less considerate, I truly hope all guilty, irrespective of their repute, in the Satyam scandal are brought to justice!

I also hope that Satyam, as a company, eventually does remain afloat through M&A or otherwise. Not only will that reflect the spirit and commitment of every existing employee to fight against the odds; but will also send out a signal to the world (that couldn’t keep their corporations afloat) that India has it in it to do what’s necessary, when it’s necessary!!