Monthly Archive for April, 2007

Looking Back In Disappointment

Published on April 29, 2007 in Cricket. 65 Comments

World Cup 2007, the most bloated, insipid, one-sided World Cup ever, ended appositely in pitch darkness (reminding old hands of that match in Sharjah which for the first time brought into focus the farce that cricket had become in the land of the Sheikhs) with a comical faux-finish and such utter confusion and mismanagement that one felt one was watching an interdepartmental match in Jadavpur University rather than the climax of the premier showcase tournament for cricket.

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Yellow Very Yellow

Published on April 26, 2007 in Pop Culture. 53 Comments

“Welcome to “Yellow Very Yellow“, GBTV’s current affairs program where we analyse the most significant events taking place in today’s world: events that will shape your future as well as of your grandkid’s. Tonight our topic of discussion is the Abhishek-Aishwarya wedding and our panel consists of noted style guru Ritu’s Berries, historian Ramleela Thappad and socialite Bushel Seth.

First Ritu’s Berries. What the Bachchans do today, the Khans do tomorrow. So what is your assessment of the style quotient at the Abhi-Ash marriage? The hits, the misses and the blunders?”

Ritu’s Berries: “Dahling, it was one blundah aftah another.

Firstly look at the picture to the left….what gaudiness. I think they took that background off the sets of Ramanand Sagar’s Ramayana. I know that this is a Ram-Sita jodi with even a Amar Hanuman Singh being present but why this garish strip-club-ian dÃ©cor?

And what’s with the green jellybeans Abhishek is wearing? And the beard —was that to hide the double chin? ”

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Lara’s Lyric

Published on April 22, 2007 in Cricket. 41 Comments

Turning to the crowd that had thronged to watch his last innings, Brian Lara, trying in vain to hold back the emotion asked:

” Did I entertain you?”

A roar of affirmation confirmed the obvious.

As cricket has become increasingly commercialized over the years, the overwhelming focus of those who play it has become “to win”, putting in shade the original intent of the game: that being to entertain. Craft has become slave to science as modern cricket has come to be dominated by “per centage”cricketers whose success is based on performing the basics correctly match after match, with minimal failure.

Brian Lara however was different.

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The Idiot’s Got a Gun

Published on April 20, 2007 in Crime. 93 Comments

What makes it so hard is not that you had it bad, but that you’re that pissed that so many others had it good.

As Good As It Gets

As I laboured through Cho Seung-Hui’s final video testament of how all those rich kids with their trust funds and Mercedeses and their debauchery had brought this divine retribution on themselves and how he like Jesus Christ was going to inspire generations of the weak and defenceless, I felt revulsion and pity for that asshole in equal measure.

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Teen Sau

Published on April 16, 2007 in Silly. 43 Comments

It was afternoon, in the middle of hectic shooting for the Hindi movie “Teen Sau” , that I caught up with director Anil Sharma and Sunny Deol. Resting underneath two mammoth umbrellas and with a Patiala peg in their hands, the atmosphere was most relaxed, once you overlooked the trickle of blood flowing down Sunny Deol’s upper brow and the fragments of human bone and flesh that seemed to cover his knuckles.

” So Mr. Anil Sharma, how did “Teen Sau” come about?” I asked.

Sunny Deol smiled and interrupted.

“Let me tell you. This was just after the release of my movie ‘Big Brother’ where I played a violent man called Gandhi who buried people in the sand with just one blow. Having vanquished all villains, I was looking for creative new ideas when I chanced upon this “changa” film: ’300′ “.

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