Was Gabbar Singh of Sholay a philosopher disguised as a dacoit?

As 2016 rolls in, and 2015 sulks away, some really serious issues need to be tackled. Here goes.

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Was Gabbar Singh of Sholay a philosopher disguised as a dacoit?

Yes, that is true. I guess he was one of the greatest philosophers out there, with a deep knowledge of taxation, statehood, world history and organisational behaviour.

Kitne readers the?

Sample this -

1. Gabbar ke taap se tumhe kewal ek hi aadmi bacha sakta hai, khud Gabbar. (Only one man can save you from the fire of Gabbar - Gabbar himself) Does this not remind you of every single King that has ever ruled? You either fell in line and paid obeisance, or were steamrolled under their might. Examples - Mongols, Mughals, and just about everyone else
2. Aur iske badle mere aadmi tumse thoda sa anaaj lete hain toh kya koi zulm harte hain, koi zulm nahin karte!  (And for that protection that I provide, if my men take some food from you, is that torture? Not at all) Does this not sound like every single Nation State that exists today? All honest citizens are born in bondage, and die so, happily paying taxes through their noses in return for the 'protection' they get.

Don-2 – unfortunately the chase continues

Charming Don

Do exotic locales make a commercial movie stunning?

Does the lead hero’s halo alone create the magic around a great movie franchise?

Can a serious heist theme in a foreign country be the core of a masala Indian Bollywood film and yet pull if off?

Don-2 left a lot of these questions lingering in my mind when I left the hall. When I entered, I had great expectations. But interval came too soon and I realized it was going to be a waste overall. With movies, somehow you get to know in the first 20-30 minutes what’s going to be the overall offering. Very rarely does the pitch change midway. Sequels are always hard to make, and with a technical core, Don-2 just did not make it.

Gorgeously immortal

For those who came in late, the "Don" franchise was built by none other than Big B in the 1970s. Amitabh Bachchan did such a great job as the Don that a whole genre was created from scratch. It's sure that coming remakes will be judged against that benchmark.

Now our modern Don - King Khan – has emerged from the shadows (post Don-1 disaster) and has reached somewhere in East Asia (Thailand I guess) piloting a great yacht through some unbelievably beautiful rivers. And then he asks for the name of the best Italian restaurant in town, before mowing down an entire gang of hitmen armed with Uzis and stuff, who were out to execute him on orders of a rival international cartel. Then he lands up in a Malaysian jail only to smoothly slip out with Vardhaan (Boman Irani).

Ra.One - Oh fish

As is the tradition with movies that are promoted like mad, most of them turn out to be far below expectations.

And so it is with Ra.One. 

If you have taste, and watch a lot of good movies, and appreciate the calibre of actors like Shah Rukh and Kareena, then Ra.One will come as a terrible disappointment - to be aptly summarised in the words of the irritating boy character Prateek - Oh fish!

The movie comes from Ms Gauri Khan's kitchen, inspired thus:

Today we will create a new Hindi SciFi Action movie - Ra.One

Take the golden container labelled Shah-Rukh-Khan

Put in 300 gms special effects from Matrix (be shameless, go ahead)

Add 250 gms special effects from Terminator series esp. Terminator Salvation (mix hard, don't feel scared)

Add another 500 gms of totally-out-of-the-place emotions (sprinkle uniformly across the movie)

Don't forget 100 gms of robot-learning-antics from the classic "The Bicentennial man"

Plus 1 kg of a totally-cool Chhammak Chhallo that's absolutely out-of-the-place in this movie

Don't forget to put in some glamorous faces (ensuring makeup even in mourning)

And some now mandatory Hindi expletives (the Delhi-Belly effect)

Now wrap it with a silver-foil called Kareena

Cook to a charcoal-black, and let the smell spread for many months before you serve.

Enjoy patrons. Thanks for buying the tickets, and paying extra for the 3-D glasses.