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Ali's Notes

Don’t fool them

Talking about the state of affairs in the country and the power games, some greedy, power-hungry, corrupt politicians have played to ruin Bharat maa and elections reminds me of some of the star campaigners I have seen in action down the years. They are the stars who have come out in the open during an election campaign, come out and call on the voters to vote for a party or a candidate of their choice. They do it out of their own choice or they are forced by all kinds of powers that send different kinds of messages if they do and more so if they don’t. Among the earliest star campaigners I remember were Dilip Kumar, Dev Anand and Balraj Sahni. They made it a point to campaign for the Congress Party, especially for a politician they admired, Mr VK Krishna Menon, who was not like of those run of the rash, rude and ruthless politicians. He was absolutely brilliant. He spoke at the UN on the Kashmir crisis for eight hours at a stretch and got a standing ovation. He was also the defence minister in Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru’s cabinet. Dilip Kumar also spoke up for some other leaders sometimes. In the South Sivaji Ganesan and MG Ramachandran were the star campaigners, Sivaji for the Congress and MGR for the DMK. Later the actress Jayalalitha joined her mentor, MGR but the strongest campaigner in the South was Rajnikant. He had to only ask his people to overthrow the Jayalalitha government and they voted her out like dirt. This time he says he has nothing to do with elections. He doesn’t even want his pictures and cutouts to be used during election campaigns. Rajni sir ko itna gussa kyo aa gaya?. Shatrughan Sinha is by far the outstanding campaigner. Nana Patekar does it for a few intelligent friends but most intelligent friends rarely win. Raj Babbar is the star campaigner for the Samajwadi Party. He is a great speaker but he must do something about his hands. Some of our innocent, illiterate, ignorant voters may misunderstand his gestures and create problems for his party. The tamasha is on. We Indians have almost stopped realising their value even after fifty precious years. What a sorry state of affairs!

Jaago desh ke netaon, jaago
nahito log tuhme sula denge!
Aur tab tab tumhe neend nahin aayegi!
Mera Bharat mahaan (when will it really be mahaan? We have had enough of empty slogans and hollow promises from leaders who have committed sacrilege by playing with the sanctity of Bharat. Are fifty years not enough for these mahaan leaders who have grown mahaan doing their "hard" and "sincere" work in making Bharat mahaan? They are the kind of leaders who steal the hay from the holy cows, they will soon snatch feeding bottles from the mouths of babies in their cradles -- I am so scared of them and I used to think I am a brave Indian armed with all kinds of powerful rights) is, in the thick of its umpteenth elections, I am sure most Indians have lost interest in this fraud called elections and those who still have faith will vote for all the wrong candidates who will take their seats in the sacred House of Parliament and play havoc with power, my country, my mother country, what have you done to my mother, my maa, all you leaders? For God’s sake please don’t continue sinning against your own mother. Haven’t you heard of anything called crime against your mother, your mata, your mathubhrumi? It is one crime which God can never ever forgive). I am saying all this because I am an angry Indian, angry against all leaders from all political parties.

In recent times I’ve seen a number of my friends from the world of films trying to make it as leaders. Sunil Dutt and Shabana Azmi and Raj Babbar and some stars from the South are already in politics or are planning to get into politics. I want them to take an oath to see that they are not leaders like all those lecherous leaders who have been sucking the blood of Mother India. You are just a handful but you have the power, you have the voice, you have the support of the people. You can shine and show all these leaders what true leaders should be like, what kind of leaders Bharat needs. I have lost faith in leaders, teachers, gurus and mahatmas. I am now looking at you with hope. Have mercy on us poor Indians, all you leaders and star-leaders. India needs leaders with big hearts, leaders with love in their hearts for the country which has given them so much. Remember, you will take oaths. You can break those oaths at your own personal and even physical risks, I am sorry to say.


Kulji is a fighter

Why is my friend, Kulbhushan Gupta sitting quiet after making two big films, God And Gun and Pardesi Babu? His critics say he doesn’t have the ability to carry on after his two films didn’t do as well as the market expected them to. Some say "Kulji" is very involved with his third film Virdoh which is according to me one of the most outstanding films in the career of Akshay Kumar. "There have been some financial hassles (the kind of problems which are difficult to understand for someone like me who finds it so difficult to make sense out of any money matters. I am the kind of man who feels very satisfied when my friend says there’s nothing much to worry, just some problems which will be solved within a matter of time, something which will give me the green signal to go ahead to make my next movie," Kulbhushan says. He is one of those producers who knows the game and how it is played. So he is doing what is best for him -- relaxing, planning, thinking before he can take his next big step again. He is not worried. He is not scared. He is not anxious. He knows his way out. He knows he has some surprises up his sleeve, surprises which will solve the suspense that’s giving his friends, admirers and his family reasons to worry. I have absolute faith in Kulbhushan, his nerves, the steel he is made of, the fibre his mind is rich with. How can I (or anyone) who knows the essential Kulbhushan give him up?
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The silence of the Bhatts

Why aren’t the Bhatts making all kinds of noises (the kinds of noises they specialise in) before the release of Sangharsh, one of their bigger, more expensive films which is due for release. Mukesh Bhatt, the producer of Sangharsh who never stops talking about his films or a particular star or all his stars in his film is not talking about Sangharsh. Mahesh Bhatt who has written the script is not talking about what he has written (and there was a time when you couldn’t stop Mahesh once he started talking about his film or one of his discoveries like Anupam Kher, Ashish Vidyarthi or Ashutosh Rana or one of the major stars from commercial cinema he had worked with and changed completely, "exposed and exploited" as artistes. No other Bhatt who are experts in praising each other and their work is talking about poor Sangharsh. And Sangharsh is one film which deserves a lot of talking for Mahesh and Mukesh and all the others associated with Sangharsh, it deserves talking because their careers, their future depends on Sangharsh. This is also undoubtedly one of the most crucial films for Akshay Kumar who has gone through battles which have battered him. But how long can the sangharsh go on for him? This is a very important film for Priety Zinta who has to prove that she is more than just a dimpled beauty. This is a challenge for Ashutosh Rana who last played the villain in Dushman. And this is the film that can make or break the tiny tough and thorough Tanuja Chandra, the genuine disciple of Mahesh. This film needed screaming from housetops and rooftops. Then why are the Bhatts so silent? Just a few hours to go and you and I’ll know the why of the very big WHY.

Shatru power

The greatest gift God has blessed Shatrughan Sinha (our dear Shotgun) with is the gift of the gab. The man can talk and keep any audience anywhere spell-bound for as long as he wants. His voice, his knowledge, his experiences, his observation, his command over the Hindi language, his sarcasm and more than anything his spit-fire on-the-spot wit makes him one of the most effective speakers in the country. His power as a speaker is one of the most powerful weapon of the Bharatiya Janata Party, a weapon the party is going to use to the brim during the campain that is about to start, a campaign which is considered a do or die campaign for the party, even for the country. Shatru will talk, the people will listen and so much will depend on how they react. That’s what the power of Shatru’s voice can do.


Shatru dost

This little story about Shatru’s talking power. A group of students realised he was in the city where they were having a programme of their own. They approached him through a friend. They wanted him to speak for five minutes. It would give them great pleasure, they said. Shatru reluctantly agreed but took the stage and captured it. He spoke for more than an hour and soon the audience was eating out of his hands. They had forgotten their own programme. That’s Shatru the most lovable dost for those who know him.