Broken horses

Broken Horses: Bromance

Broken Horses: a film by a versatile Indian film maker Vidhu Vinod Chopra has nothing Indian about it, except the name of the Director. So far as Hollywood goes, it lacks the sleekness of Hollywood films of the same genre. It is a very flat story,about a slow boy, who is unable to spell even his name correctly, and who, after the murder of his father, is tricked into becoming a killer, while his musically inclined younger brother goes to study music in New York. Then the younger brother comes back, only to realise he has kind of failed in his duty towards his brother and sets about extricating him from the mess! 

A nice enough story! Butt the problem with the movie is that it moves without any sub plots to add depth and dimension to the story, no twists and turns, no surprises either. Just a very dark story, told in a very languid way! For a crime drama, Mafia based movie, it actually lacks energy! So much so that at times it becomes difficult to cut through the slow paced narrative and hold on! The film does come together in the last quarter and the climax is well shot!  The acting by all all the actors is good, although the Chief Gangster, played by Vincent D' Onofrio looks so mild he wouldn't scare my neighbour'so 3 year old grand daughter, leave alone send a chill down audiences' spine!  The cinematography is good and the landscape on the rugged American border with Mexico, adds to the goriness of the tale and the love between the brothers is to die for! Sentimental stuff! And that, by the way, was the India and the wow factor of the movie!

All said and done, as an attempt by an acclaimed Indian film maker to step out of his comfort zone, go and make a film in Hollywood, it is an effort worth applauding!

P- tutes

                                     P-tutes

                 The entire controversy on the P word is contrived & misdirected and therefore  unnecessary!  Even the original "P"word with an "O"instead of an "e"is hardly in use and a more respectful terminology has been identified as a replacement and is in vogue for long now.That the original P word is abusive,insensitive, passe, politically incorrect, defies dignity of labour for the alleged oldest profession in the world, etc is undisputed! But the new coinage, with an "e" instead of the archaic use of "o" is simply brilliant! Mind you, only as an invention!  

             However, the target for whom the word was coined has been put to much discomfiture. One has heard many accusations against the craftsman who coined  the word in the last few days. One has also heard the target of the P word, raving and ranting against Lutyen's Delhi type of journalists and how he is above them and not of their ilk. And declaring that he needs to be treated differentially because, unlike the Lutyens Delhi types, he's not available to the highest bidder !  What, by the way, is the " Lutyens Delhi type" a description often used by this demagogue from outside the national  capital region to taunt his competitors by assuming a moral, intellectual and ethical high ground? How is the Delhi media any worse than Mumbai or Jaipur or Chennai media? Or how does one individual from Mumbai acquire the authority to club every journalist with that pejorative term "Lutyens Delhi type"? I think he has a huge Delhi complex and wants a slice of that cake, with all its lovely, tempting icings! Maybe someone should oblige him! BTW, why have the Lutyens Delhi Journalists chosen not to challenge this innuendo? The Nation wants to know NOW....