Aainaism

So, here’s the deal: media has been way out of proportion lately as far as the Indian film industry is concerned. There are so many “journalists” (the quotation marks are to emphasis the fact that a lot of people today claim to be journalists when they know nothing about the media or its ethics) that constantly come up with news that is nowhere close to being true. Reporters from different magazines, newspaper or television channels come up with untrue news stories because they want their particular magazine/newspaper or channel to be number one and that pursuit gives rise to a bunch of false allegations or link-ups.

There have been reports about how John Abraham and Bipasha Basu are going to end their relationship soon. Where did this news originate from? Just because a “source” told some “journalist” that John and Bipasha haven’t been able to talk on the phone because of their hectic schedules doesn’t mean that they’re breaking up. All it means is that they have been busy of late. The media looks into everything too much, which ends up in a blown up controversy. Channels and newspapers even went on to saying that Bipasha is dating Saif Ali Khan, for the mere reason that he’s single and John is dating some model that he’s working with. This is what John had to say about this news: “All is fine between us. I wish people would let us preserve the sanctity of our relationship.” And Bipasha’s reaction: “Let them say what they want. I love only John, and no one else.” I think some “journalists” should relearn some of the ethics and rules of journalism. A reporter must and I repeat, must gather real sources and at least three of them, to prove his/her point. It’s a shame that the media these days is so loose about having any sources backing up what it reports. It’s up to the so-called journalists to have or not have a quote in their articles and even if they do have a quote, it’s from “a reliable source” who “chooses to be anonymous.” How do I even know there is a source?

The latest buzz all over the internet/newspapers and channels was that Rani Mukherjee and Aditya Chopra are engaged to each other. There were all kinds of stories about how Rani is the reason behind Aditya’s divorce with his ex-wife Payal and how his mom is not happy with Aditya and Rani’s relationship. The media even went on to claiming that Yash Chopra had asked Aditya Chopra to “move out of the business.” After one day of all this, the media reports the next day that what seemed like Rani and Aditya’s engagement was only a scene being shot for a Yash Raj movie, Laga Chunari Mein Dag. How ridiculous is that? I would assume that before reporting a big news such as this one, the “journalists” would have at least checked if it was true or not. But it seems like being on top means more to them than coming out with the truth. But isn’t that supposedly the media’s job? To come out with the truth and the real truth. Rumors and gossips should be left for the saas bahu serials.

The media is getting less reliable as the days pass and it reports news without even checking the authenticity of it.  Is media to be believed? I mean, tomorrow they will report that a certain actor has killed himself (and it has happened before) and two days later they’ll say that they were just kidding. I don’t think that’s media in its real sense and I hope that this will change in the days/months or years to come. Hope is what the world lives on, right?

Ye Waqt na thehra hai, ye waqt na thehre ga.
Yun chalta rahega, himmat se kaam lelo.
Himmat se kaam lelo, ghabrana kaisa.

The fantastic new ad from New York Life! It shows pictures of the disaster caused by rain in Mumbai and in the background the voice of a little girl sings the song. It’s a very sweet as well as powerful commercial. I am always fascinated by New York Life’s advertising skills.

Speaking of advertising, I am no longer planning on majoring in Journalism in college. I have decided that I will major in Marketing and minor in Journalism. Hope that my decision will prove to be a fruitful one.

I am so sleepy…bonne nuit tout le monde!

- Aaina.

I woke up at around 6:15 AM, cursing school and got ready to go. My A period class begins at 7:07 AM and fortunately I reached class at time at 7:05. The bell hadn’t rung yet. Thank god!

I met my friends, said, “hi” “how was your vacation?” “What did you do?” blah blah and more blah. We chatted for a while because there’s not much to do in my AP Government class. The teacher just told us that we have a test on wednesday and his job was done as he doesn’t lecture and expects us to read the chapters and understand them on our own. But that’s beyond the point.

The rest of the day was going fine, just like it always does. I was planning my week based on what I need to do and what I don’t need to do. Everything was fine until sixth period!

I went to my sixth period class, which is Journalism, the last class of the day. I sat down on my seat and was reading a book when the editor-in-chief came up to me and said, “The leadership class teacher, Ms. Dibble, is very angry at the Journalism class, at us, because of your article because the facts are wrong and your sources haven’t been double checked. Your article was published on the front page and you are responsible for double checking your resources. Now Ms. Dibble wants a retraction of the article on the front page.”

I just sat on my seat, staring it her, shaking my head. She continued, “I remember telling you to change the facts of your article because they weren’t correct.” And I suddenly blurted out that she had never done that, which was the truth. She had never sat down with me and told me that my facts were incorrect. She also claimed that she had written all over my draft paper correcting the mistakes that I had done and had told me to fix those mistakes. Believe me, she had never done anything of that sort.

When I kept telling her that she hadn’t even edited my paper, she cut me off and started talking, “What you need to do is go talk to Ms. Dibble and make sure that this never happens again because if it does, your articles are never going on the front page!” After saying that, she just walked off without even giving me a chance to speak.

I was stunned. I got up and grabbed the latest edition of the school newspaper and read my article. I still couldn’t understand what facts she was talking about. It all seemed right to me.

I went to talk to Ms. Dibble after school was out. As I entered, she said, “Are you the one I am so mad at?” I said, “I think so.”

She showed me my article and told me what was wrong with the facts that I had stated in the newspaper and she also told me how they were wrong. She said that she was angry at me for writing this but it was also a fault of the editor and the teacher, who should’ve changed the facts if they were wrong and checked them.

I just nodded as I was not in a position to speak. I realized that I had stated incorrect facts in the newspaper. I asked her what I needed to do. She said that I need to write a retraction in the next edition of the newspaper, saying that I apologize for my mistake and also print the right facts on the front page. I told her that I would do it, said, “I’m sorry” and left the place.

Yes, I had made a mistake. First of all, I used only one source for my information but should’ve used two and secondly, I didn’t double check my information. I was at fault.

But then, what are the editors and teacher there for? I write a lot of articles for the school newspaper and nothing of this sort has ever happened before because I am always careful. But just incase, this time I did mess up, it’s also the editor’s and the teacher’s responsibility to check the articles to make sure they are correctly written, especially source wise. If I am at fault, so are they!

I can either take this in a negative way (which I did when I came out of Ms. Diblbe’s room) and say that due to this incident, it’s sure that I can absolutely not become a good Journalist as I have committed a horrible blunder and will never me able to recover from it. On the other hand, I can look at this incident from a positive point of view and learn something from it.

After a lot of thought, I chose the second option. Mistakes are a part of life, sometimes, they are inevitable. Yes, I did a mistake, but now I know, never to depend on just one source. Next time, I will double check all my sources and make sure that everything is correct before the article is published.

I believe in what Charles Blasier said, “The obstacles you face are… mental barriers which can be broken by adopting a more positive approach.” And that’s exactly what I am going to do.

*Phew* No worries, everything will be fine when I go back to school tomorrow… well, at least I hope so!

Au revoir…
~Aaina.

The baadshah of bollywood, Shahrukh Khan, who has been stealing millions of hearts for more than a decade now, has accomplished a lot in this span of time. No matter how well or bad his movie does, one can always witness long queues in front of the ticket counters and house full boards in theatres where his movie is being played. He has had many ups and downs in his life, in his personal as well as professional career, but has never given up.

Life has been like a roller coaster for Khan. He was born on November 2nd, 1965 in New Delhi, India, at a time when his parents were not doing too well financially. Cancer caused his father’s death in 1981. “When my father died, I didn’t cry. I was one of the pallbearers. But I felt cheated despite the fact that he had prepared me for his death,” explains Shahrukh. He also shares an amusing incidence that he still remembers vividly. “Once this South Indian lady came over and complained to my father, ‘your son troubles my daughter.’ He looked at her and said, ‘If she is as pretty as you are, and if I was as young as my son is, I’d probably do the same thing.’ She began laughing. He had said it so gently and nicely, without being offensive at all.”

After his father’s death, Shahrukh’s mother was the one to bring him up and fulfill all his wishes. She never stopped him from doing anything including acting. “I remember I used to do very badly in Hindi at school. I would get zero on ten. And she would say, ‘If you get ten on ten, I’ll take you for a film.’ From that day I topped the class in Hindi every single time. I remember the first film she took me to was Dev Anand’s Joshilay.” Khan shared a very close relationship with his mother and when she died ten years later in 1991 because of illness, Shahrukh totally broke down. “My mother’s death made me realize that nothing is permanent. I cried a lot. And now nothing shocks me. That is why I don’t give a damn about anything. If I can live without her then I can live without stardom, money…anything.”

Shahrukh says that he still believes that his mother is there with him and is watching over him. Even though he can’t share his happiness with his mother, he shares his feelings with his sister Shehnaz. “She is naïve and sweet, but can also behave quite spoilt sometimes! I see distinctive traits of my father and mother in Shehnaz.”

Marriage was a big issue in Shahrukh’s life, as he loved a “hindu” girl. His mother was never against his relationship with Gauri. “But Gauri’s parents were dead against this marriage. So for ten years we carried on our relationship on a clandestine manner. Once I even went to her birthday party in cognito. I used the name I was given in my first TV serial, Fauji, Abhimanyu. But when they got to know who I was, all hell broke loose!” Shahrukh laughs. He says that he identifies the circumstances of his marriage with a film like Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge. “I love Gauri because she is honest. Also, she compliments me. She teaches me to be diplomatic. She keeps telling that I say too many things that I should not. She has turned me from an animal to a man.” Shahrukh and Gauri have a six-year-old son, Aryan, who already made his debut in Kabhi Khushi Kabhi Gham, playing a younger Shahrukh. Recently, Shahrukh and Aryan lended their voices in ‘Mr. Laajawab.’ Shahrukh and Gauri’s family is complete with their Daughter, Suhana who is now four years old. When asked how he would like his son to grow up like, Shahrukh laughs, “I want my son to be a badmaash.”

Khan started his career with a small role in ‘In Which Annie Gives It Those Ones’ written by Arundhati Roy. The show was aired in 1988. He went on with ‘Fauji,’ a TV serial playing Abhimanyu Gupta. He also worked in serials such as ‘Circus’ and ‘Idiot.’ His first movie, Dil Ashna Hai came out in the year 1992. He wasn’t recognized but later on he started to get himself noticed as an actor of some caliber from movies like Raju Ban Gaya Gentleman and Deewana. As years passed by, Khan gave the film industry many hits like Kabhi haan Kabhi naa, Baazigar, Darr and Anjaam. He also has super hits in his pocket such as Karan Arjun, Dil to Pagal hai, Kuch Kuch Hota Hai. Some of his blockbusters are Dil Wale Dulhaniya Le Jayenge, Kabhi Khushi Kabhi Gham and the latest one, Veer-Zaara. Chalte Chalte and Main Hoon Na were also hits at the box office and Swades was widely acclaimed overseas. Shahrukh was also applauded for his mind-blowing natural performance in Swades.

Shahrukh even tried his hand in production teaming up with Aziz Mirza and Juhi Chawla. The production company was very thoughtfully named as ‘Dreams Unlimited.’ Shahrukh’s first production was Phir Bhi Dil Hai Hindustani in 2000. The film was a flop but didn’t stop Shahrukh from going on with producing more movies. The very next year, his next production came out, Asoka. His efforts failed once again with Asoka being a flop. Shahrukh declared that if his next production fails, he would close down the company but it so happened that he didn’t need to. In 2003, Chalte Chalte was released to save the boat from drowning. Chalte Chalte was a hit and was liked by the masses. Shahrukh was so overwhelmed by the responses that he gave a bonus to all the employees of ‘Dreams Unlimited.’

Shahrukh received many accolades for his amazing performances. He accepted his first award in 1993 for the best sensational debut as the Best Actor in Baazigar. There was no stopping for Shahrukh and the awards continued with an award for his smashing performance in Darr in 1994. He was then admired with the critics award for Kabhi Haan Kabhi Na in 1995 and the Best Villian award for Anjaam in the same year. The next year, delivering a blockbuster, he received the Best Actor award for Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge. Once again, in 1997, Shahrukh was awarded the Best Actor award for Dil To Pagal Hai. With Kuch Kuch Hota Hai, the next year, Shahrukh was immensely praised for his performance and honored with the Best Actor Award yet again. In 2000, Shahrukh received the Best Actor (cricts) award for Mohabattein. After two years, in 2002, he got the Best Actor award once more for his classic flick, Devdas. Followed by another Best Actor award for Kal Ho Na Ho the following year. In 2004, Shahrukh is expecting an award for Main Hoon Na, Veer-Zaara or Swades, let’s wait and watch for the results.

Khan has come a long way from Dil Ashna Hai to Swades. He has the unmatchable energy to work in movies be it an action scene or a dance sequence, he can do it all. Shahrukh seems to know what he wants to do as an actor in his movies and he says “with rudeness, not even with arrogance: You want different, go see someone else.” He believes in the movies that he does.

Shahrukh smiles, cries and dances into millions of hearts and warms them with a lovely grin and two sweet dimples on his cheeks.

You can love him or hate him, but you can’t ignore him!

A trend of bringing two establishes music directors together for one album and it has been repeated for the music of Kisna. A.R.Rehman and Ismail Darbar team up to compose music for ‘Kisna - The Warrior Poet.’

The first track on the list is ‘Kisna theme – instrumental,’ a composition by A.R. Rehman, the music maestro. He does an awesome job of providing the ears some relaxing music that leaves an impression. The theme is a plain flute tune, which is heart warming and nice to listen to. It has a warrior story like feel to it. It would be used as wonderful background music for the film.

A.R. Rehman is also responsible for the splendid music of ‘Hum Hain Iss Pal Yahan.’ It starts off with a dialogue in Vivek Oberoi’s voice (is this a trend these days?). The music is slow and very soothing to listen to. The song instantly sinks in and makes one want to listen to it over and over. A very fine combinations of sounds of instruments like Tabla and chirping birds. The song gets faster towards the end and sounds fresh. This song is formed on the theme music, which uses flute. Udit Narayan and Madhushree sound perfect for the song with flawless high and low tones. The singing is fantastic. Javed Akhtar shows his capability as one of the best lyricists in this song. The lyrics are relevant and go with the situation of ‘love is eternal.’ Another feather in Rehman’s heavy cap!

A cheerful song follows ahead. ‘Woh Kisna Hai’ is a fast, peppy number in the spirit of celebrating. The combination of singers, Sukhwinder Singh, Ismail Darbar, Ayesha I. Darbar and S. Shailja is marvelous. They perform the task of singing the rejoicing song with ease. The chorus is full of energy and adds to the enthusiasm of the song. Beats are the main attraction of the song and tend to overpower the voices at times. The music is something extraordinary and perfectly classy. The lyrics suggest the welcoming of Kisna, the warrior poet. One can tell what the song will be about before even watching the picturization. All in all, a must-hear song!

The next composition by Ismail Darbar ‘Tu Itni Pagli Kyun Hai’ is a likable duet sung by Udit Narayan, Alka Yagnik and Ismail Darbar. It’s another romantic track. It’s not as great as the previous songs but it’s not disappointing either. The lyrics are sweet and are written with a light romantic song’s view in mind. This song may not sink in at first but grows as one listens to it more.

‘Chilman Uthegi Nahin’ is a Mujra , which opens with a dialogue (again!) in Sushmita Sen’s voice. Various singers like Hariharan, Alka Yagnik, Ayesha I.Darbar, S Shailja, Kailash Kher and Rakesh Pandit team up to provide the song with an elegant, mujra-type-of-a-song feeling. Even the instruments like harmonium used are an addition to the old-song mood. It also has a qawaali type of beats and claps. The lyrics are meaningful to the song. A great song with a unique style.

Another joyful song ‘Wohi Din Aa Gaya’ marks the arrival of a lover when his bride is getting ready to marry him. The music is fresh and appealing because of its newness. A large part of the song is taken by the chorus voices, which gives the scene a sense of reality. That is, the friends helping the bride to dress up. Alka Yagnik, Sukhwinder Singh, Ayesha I, Darbar and S. Shailja are fantastic as far as singing goes. Their voices are very well co-coordinated and well placed in each part of the song. The lyrics are simple and show the aspiration of the bride for her lover. Another fabulous song, which is hard to miss.

‘Aham Brahmasmi’ is an inspirational song sung by Sukhwinder Singh and Alka Yagnik. It delivers a message of god being in one’s heart. Sukhwinder sounds just right for the song and Alka Yagnik is her usual fantastic self. The lyrics play a very important role in the meaning and situation of the song, making it irrelevant to even think about the music, which is not very tuneful but perfect for the kind of song that Aham Brahmasmi is. A superb motivational song.

‘Ga - Tu Aisi Dhun Mein Ga’ is another happy song, which seems to have a competition involved. There are a number of singers like Ismail Darbar. Ayesha I. Darbar, S Shailja, M. Salaamat and Kailash Kher who sing with enthusiasm and hype up the song making it sound like a delight. The chorus and laughing by kids in between the song adds to the light, fun feeling of the song. The beginning reminds one of ‘Ganga, Chali Tu Kahan’ from Pardes but as one listens to the song more, it sounds more original. The lyrics are peppy and fun as well, suiting the mood of the song with ease. Another great composition from Ismail Darbar.

Sunitha Sarthy does a good job of singing the English romantic song ‘My Wish Comes True.’ Blaze penned down the heart-warming lyrics. The music is soft and slow, sounding very beautiful and taking one away into a la la land. The light instruments have been used very intelligently to set the right mood, considering the highs and lows of the music. A soothing romantic song for making your mood right!

Kisna is sure to warm hearts with its versatile tunes for every occasion. The beats and music blend in perfectly with one another and the lyrics are an awesome addition to making the songs just right for the situations. Singers are very well synchronized and rightfully show off their singing abilities. Missing out on Kisna would be a big loss. So, got for it!