Desicritics Author: Sakshi Juneja

I Heart Pink Chaddis

Sakshi Juneja — Thu, 12 Feb 2009 11:54:16 EST

Let's get one thing straight – Implementation of laws in 21st century India is practically non-existent. Especially in matters where we have political farts going around terrorizing the aam aadmi under the hoax of safeguarding religious and/or cultural sentiments. Mind you, no one asked them to take upon themselves this heavy responsibility par boss es competitive environment main footage ke liye haat laat marana toh zaroori hain na. And so we have the likes of Shiv Sena, Raj Thackeray and Pramod Muthalik who will stoop to the basest levels and propagate the most ridiculous of excuses to accomplish their self-centered political agendas.

The State and Central Governments as always verbally "condemn" such acts of extreme ideologies but fail to put their words in action. While our judicial system continues to work at a snail's pace; arrests are made for formality and later bails are handed out, just as easily.

The fact of the matter is that this political "goondagardi" is very much a part of our everyday reality along with inefficiency of those responsible for securing law & order. Your security lies in your own hands because the government..er…gives a rat' arse about it.

Therefore keeping the above in mind, here's my plan of action :

Years ago, on my first day at junior college, my older brother gifted me a baseball bat. Not for the sport but for protection. I carried it in my car for almost two years. Did I ever use it? Well, let me just say it came handy in teaching some brothers a lesson in naari respect.

Today, since I am an active member of the "loose women" club, I bought myself a spanking red baseball bat. Along with six cans of Pepper Spray. At home I have urged my sister in law to enroll herself and my 4 year old niece for Karate lessons.

And I advise you to do the same. Set aside some money from your shopping budget, kitty party, weekend outing – instead invest it in a sturdy protection tool(s). You may think I am over reacting, and maybe I am. But don't they say, desperate times call for desperate measures?

* Important Announcement : Though I am not much of believer in ishq-mohabbat-pyaar, let alone the concept of Valentine's Day however this year I have decided to mend my cold ways. And to prove this, I am gifting not one but three Pink Chaddis to my dear Valentine, Sri Rama Sene president Pramod Muthalik.

Like me, if you too find Muthalik to be a hottie then do join the Pink Chaddi Campaign. Believe me you lurveeing can't get better than this, this Valentines.

Sanjay Dutt a Security Threat - Ram Jethmalani

Sakshi Juneja — Mon, 12 Jan 2009 10:32:41 EST

(Ram) Jethmalani, who had unsuccessfully argued for Dutt's bail before the Supreme Court in the late 1990s and had the privilege of going through the probe agency's dossier against him in the serial blasts case, did not mince words in waging a battle against his proposed candidature as a Samajwadi Party nominee for the Lucknow Lok Sabha seat.

"He (Dutt) does not deserve to be a Member of Parliament and any political party that sets him as its candidate is totally impervious to the security to the nation," the noted criminal law expert said in a press release. [Link]

Amusing. Very amusing in fact. A classic case of - woh angreezi main khehete hain na "Pot calling the Kettle black".

So let’s get this straight – Noted criminal lawyer/politician Ram Jethmalani is no saint himself. Rightly tagged as ‘the Devil’s Advocate’, Jethmalani has more so often sided with those on the wrong side of the law (technically speaking). Underworld gangsters, drug smugglers, stock market scammers & cold blooded murderers fill up his clientele list. The man is also known for making astounding (read: bullshit) statements to serve his agenda or at times simply to satisfy his hunger for limelight. After all out of sight out of mind no?

His stand against Bollywood’s Munnabhai, labeling him as security threat to the nation, to me appears to be nothing but letmegetbackatya aka a revenge scheme. Why? Because Sunil Dutt & family had found Mr. Jethmalani’s legal expertise to be in-effective back in the 1990s when the TADA case was still hanging over Sanjay Dutt’s Mohawk hair styled head. Since then Dutt Jr. has had the country’s best defense legal team propagating his cause; Farhana Shah, Satish Maneshinde, Karan Singh and V R Manohar.

A flip onto the other side; the only reason I see behind Sanjay Dutt’s political debut is the on-going feud with sister Priya Dutt, who also happens to be Lok Sabha Member representing the Indian National Congress Party. What feud? Honestly this question would be best answered only by a certain Mrs. Manyata Dutt.

Update :

Samajwadi Party leader Amar Singh said on Saturday that if Sanjay Dutt is unable to contest because of legal issues, SP may field his wife Manyata from Lucknow, according to a PTI report.

"If Sanjay Dutt is unable to contest the polls, we will request the Dutt family to allow (his wife) Manyata to fight from Lucknow," he said. [Link]

Yes and if wife Manyata is filmy busy then there is pet Alaskan Husky. And if Husky is breeding busy then there is the red Ferrari. It's desi-politics baby!

Humility And Lack Of It

Sakshi Juneja — Sat, 1 Nov 2008 06:46:56 EDT

Call me naïve or a resident of the Utopian world but I have always believed that one’s personal experiences help in forming a humbler outlook towards life and others around. And by others I mean those who are facing similar hardships as you have faced at one point of time.

For instance, during my university days in Sydney, I worked at an Indian restaurant for about a year or so. It was just like any other international student, trying to earn an extra buck in order to make the burden of expenses for those back home a little less. Working there was an eye opener in more in than one ways; cleaning the toilet, picking up leftovers, washing dishes, weekend craziness and the most heart-wrenching of all…serving arrogant ABCD kids from university who for no apparent reason looked down upon us, the off-the-boat students.

I learnt two very important lessons;

a) A job is a job….is a job!

b) I always had the option of walking out since money was never an issue. But the same free will was not available to all.

I guess this experience in some ways made me a compassionate human being. At least so I would like to think. And then I met Rakhi Sawant. Nope, not the boisterous woman who dazzled us with her antics on the small screen and managed to win our hearts via the simplicity route. The Rakhi Sawant I am talking about is one hardcore bitch with a pretentious attitude deeply rooted to her soul.

Shocking! Well tell me about it. As a fan I was disappointed but on a humanity level I was thoroughly disgusted! I mean here is a woman who claims to have had a miserable childhood, equally struggling teenage years before finally fighting her way through the prejudice workings of the Hindi Entertainment Industry. And yet there isn’t an ounce of humility in this woman.

To a certain extent I can understand her throwing her weight around on those belonging to the Industry. For example, the media…production staff, co-stars, etc. One kinda needs to act pricey once in demand such is the workings of filmistan. But the manner in which she treated her very own staff was just incomprehensible. Abuses, taunts, insults were all part and parcel of being the most popular item girl’s employee.

When I mentioned the above (basically my observation over the three days of running behind Rakhi for a 20 minutes interview) to my family, my mum immediately laid the blame on her lack of healthy family environment during her early years. Simple acts of modesty, respect, gratitude are inculcated during adolescent years and not in adulthood. Some things are just khandani, a few of my friends remarked.

But somehow this reasoning is not doing much to satisfy my mental predicament. As I mentioned earlier, for me, my own struggle during my student days (be it of much significance or less) made me sympathetic and understanding towards others needs, especially the less fortunate. However this doesn’t seem to be the case with Ms. Sawant. Her experiences have only made her bitter and for some reason revengeful towards those with lesser stature.

Also personally, being someone who takes everything at face value, I find her demeanor towards other individuals, extremely mind-boggling. When in focus they talk of Jeejus…appreciation…kindness...charity…humanity. And when out of focus, “Sale kutte mera hot water glass kahan hai?”…is what you hear.

From a long-time admirer of Ms.Rakhi Sawant to 'don't know whether to be stumped or disgusted', I don't know what to make of this, do you?

Queer Azadi - Mumbai's Rainbow March - August 16th, 2008

Sakshi Juneja — Mon, 11 Aug 2008 10:07:29 EDT

Why didn't Mumbai have the Pride march when the other three metro cities were having it?

Well, on June 29th, Delhi, Calcutta and Bangalore had their Rainbow marches, and as a commentor on my previous post pointed out (Thanks for the info, Sachin), Mumbai is having one too. For those of you who've just come in, the Pride is a march taken out by the LGBT (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transsexual) community, or, in short, the Queer community to protest their marginalization in our hetero-centric society.

However, Mumbai did not have the Pride march the same day as it was happening in other cities (a first for Delhi) in India, not to mention across the globe. And I thought to myself:

1. Why?

2. Didn't this show a disturbing lack of solidarity by the Mumbai queer community for their counterparts in the rest of country?

3. Was it just the lack of organisation?

And

4. Now that we're having one, I'm curious, why adopt a different name 'Queer Azadi'?

I posed these questions to two prominent LGBT activists, Ashok Row Kavi (UNAIDS, Humsafar) and Geeta Kumana (INFOSEM), who are also part of the organising commitee of the upcoming march.

The whole point of having the march on the 16th of August, they said, is to show that even while our country may have got independence from the British, we're still not free of the laws created and instituted by them- most notably section 377 of the IPC that criminalizes homosexuality. That apart, they also wanted to strike a note closer home by connecting queer freedom to our own context, whereas the marches that took place in June followed the tradition of commemorating the Stonewall Riots that took place in New York on June 28, 1969.

Still, what about the show of unity that having the march the same day as the other three cities would have meant?

Kavi called it a case of having one's cake and eating it too.

"Lots of guys from Bombay were at all three marches, so what's this about us not participating? It's just that I think we wanted to do this a bit differently. And no, why CAN'T we be different? This way we can have our cake (go for any of the other three marches) and also have our own where other cities can participate. This time we have large contingents coming from Pune, Surat, Baroda, Bangalore, Ahmedabad, Delhi and Kolkata."

Kumana insisted that it wasn't an organiser problem at all. As a matter of fact, if you visit Queer Azadi, a detailed coverage of the meeting is available for all to see.

As Kavi pointed out,

"Sure there are class, community and other differences. At least Bombay handles it honestly. I know there are diferences in Kolkata, Delhi and Bangalore too and they flare up quite frequently on the Net. Here we sit down and thrash them out across the table. There is a saying in Hindi -when there are so many vessels close together, they do make noise."

Finally, as for the different name, here's what he had to say about it.

"Come on, Bombay is DIFFERENT! It is the most corporate and business like of all Indian cities. Do you think any other city would have thought of pink Gandhi topis for the march? It also shows India's pluralism."

So there, questions answered. Now it's time to do the do and show some pride.

In case you too are interested in showing support, here's where you go:

Assembly on August 16 at August Kranti Maidan at ~~3.30~~ 2.30 pm. The march will leave for Girgaum Chowpatty at 3 pm.

Main issues for protest:

* Section 377, anti-sodomy laws: Quit India

* Forced marriages of gays and lesbians

* Constitutional provision to fight sexual and gender discrimination

* End homo- and transphobia, in educational institutions, workplaces, families.

Rakhi Sawant - My Big Break Is Breaking Me Up

Sakshi Juneja — Fri, 8 Aug 2008 09:25:09 EDT

Sakshi is a big Rakhi Sawant fan – The only line people seem to come up with whenever handed with the responsibility of introducing me to a new set of people. I can’t really blame them though. Ever since I started dedicating wholesome posts in honour of Bollywood’s most famous Item Girl, my blog’s popularity jumped higher with every controversy she entertained.

Traffic, links, feed counts…you name it, “Rakhi Sawant’s unofficial PR agent of the virtual world” became my by-line. And I lapped it up every single time, never feeling that it’s gotten too much.

Until now that is. For quite sometime, I have been dabbling with the idea of a career change. Not that my current profession provides me any less opportunities; working in a family-owned business has major perks and believe me, I have exploited each to the very maximum. But I guess I have stretched myself a bit too far – I've spent five years in a field that is interesting but not stimulating enough, for me that is. Since I don’t plan on spending the rest of my (workable) life caught up in the same rut, I have decided its time I take blogging rather more seriously than just a much-loved hobby.

Cutting a long story short, since I have put myself out in the market, freelance offers have been pouring in. Unfortunately though, quantity is all I have been getting (and no, I am not referring to the paycheck). But as they say, “sabar ka phal meetha hota hai” - Couple of weeks ago an editor texted me for an assignment which, he claimed, only I could truly justify.

He asked me to write a feature (running to several thousand words, to be accompanied by a high couture photo shoot – you know the works) for his high-profile fashion and lifestyle magazine on a Bollywood celebrity. No brownie points for guessing who he wanted me to write on – Rakhi Sawant it was. Now, Rakhi isn't part of the magazine's usual 'profile', but hats off to this editor who wanted to get something new and daring in.

To say that I was excited is to the say the least – not only was I getting to write about someone I truly admired for her gutsy and in-your-face attitude (to her profession and life in general), I was also still very much within familiar territory.

Or so I thought.

Dream ends, nightmare begins

The past two weeks have been unbelievably frustrating. Getting through to her has seemed like an endless series of phone calls that were just never answered, SMSes that just weren’t replied to (or understood?) and emails that were treated with little more concern than you treat your spam folder. For several days, I felt like I was part of a bad Bollywood love song, chasing my elusive heroine around the banyan tree!

Then, when I finally managed to get in touch with the lady herself, she promptly threw me back into the pool of sharks – that’s right, she asked me to speak to her manager. To be fair however, that phone call did set the ball rolling. In a manner of speaking. Although I do have an interview date with her now, I’m still hoping they see the light regarding arranging a photoshoot soon.

It’s really disheartening if you think about it – my first big assignment, on someone I feel so strongly about and all the discouragements that can possibly arise, have come my way. Welcome to the real world, or rather more aptly, the glamorous world of the Hindi film industry. Maybe I should ask Rakhi for tips on surviving.

Do You Know Filmmaker, Activist Ajay TG?

Sakshi Juneja — Tue, 5 Aug 2008 14:23:40 EDT

No? Neither did I until yesterday.

There I was sitting at Juhu's Prithvi Theatre watching a compilation of short documentary films, organized by an NGO called Vikalp (formed in 2003, a group of documentary film makers fighting against censorship) and all I could think of was Ram Gopal Varma Ki Aag.

Though the film turned out to be the biggest box-office failure of 2007, to me the film's depiction — of modern day daaku raj (Babban Singh) vs. the Ex-Police Chief and his hired goons Heroo & Raj – seem perfectly in sync with the Naxalite situation in the State of Chhattisgarh. No laughing matter this, the reality is as dark and horrifying. However, unlike the movie, the Naxalite condition doesn't have as clear a hero-villain divide.

In order to free the state's people from the tortures of the rebellious Naxalities (dakku raj), the government put in action the Special Public Security Act (SPS, 2005), and have also created an army of villagers called the Salwa Judum giving them bows arrows and guns, under the pretext of self-protection against the bad guys. The Chhattisgarh government wants us to look up to them in the same way as the villagers regarded the Ex-Police Chief in the film. Their life-savior, their messiah.

According to the Planning Commission 2008 report, that is not only unconstitutional, but also a form of state sponsored terror. So, no happy ending in sight here, only a spiral result of violence and more of it.

And this is where filmmaker Ajay TG's story comes in.

On 4th May 2008, Chhattisgarh police arrested Ajay, a filmmaker by profession and human rights activist working in Raipur. He also happens to be an active member of The People's Union for Civil Liberties (PUCL), a human rights organization aggressively protesting against the Salwa Judum and the SPS.

Ajay was detained under the Act, which is nothing more than a façade to brand human rights activists/organizations as "terrorists". Shockingly, until this date the State police have found no hard evidence against the filmmaker except what it claims to be a letter allegedly written to him to by a Maoist leader. This old letter was actually written to Ajay before the Naxalites were banned. And it only asked him the price of a piece of equipment that they had confiscated from him, wanting to pay him back.

A few days before he was arrested, Ajay was making a film on another activist Dr Binayak Sen (General Secretary, Chhattisgarh PUCL and like Ajay detained by the State Police since May 2007) and happened to enter, with a penknife, the courtroom in which Sen was being tried. Ajay didn't even remember he had in his rucksack. He of course issued a formal apology to the court, calling it a human error, and the court forgave him. Nonetheless, the next day, papers carried stories of the filmmaker having carried a 'modern and deadly weapon' into the court of law.

Those who have worked with Ajay think this is a tactic employed by the State government to suppress the efforts made by PUCL members and supporters of Dr. Sen.

Last night along with 20 or so other people, I watched a couple of documentaries on the people of Chhatisgarh – some directed by Ajay himself and others where he assisted as an editor and/or cameraman – Safar, Anjam, Aisa Kyun? being the most discomforting of the lot. Oddly enough only a handful of mainstream media publications have bothered to put across Ajay and PUCL's struggle to the masses; after all where is there any time or space left to report about selfless human efforts when the nation prefers to lap up gossips involving Bollywood starlets.

Anyway, if anything mentioned here interests or manages to pinch the humanity within you, even to the slightest – I request you to visit Release Ajay TG and show your support.

Splitsvilla Or Shamesville?

Sakshi Juneja — Tue, 29 Jul 2008 05:39:42 EDT

I consider myself as a 28 year old with an equally active testosterone and other such related hormonal behavior as any 18- or 20-year-old. And yet I don't get the fascination (some) youths have developed for an ongoing reality show called Splitsvilla aired on MTV India.

In a nutshell Splitsvilla consists of 20 women vying for attention of two young men. The folks behind this reality show would like us to believe that the concept of the show is the search for True Love (along with a fetching sum of Rs 5 lakh.) Each week one girl's fate rests in the hands of the two men, who have the power to vote her out of the show.

Reality Shows today are the "in-thing" and like others, I too immensely enjoy(ed) watching many of them. However I fail to see the point behind a show such as this and that too being heavily promoted by a channel responsible in so many ways for shaping the minds of our youth.

The only possible explanation I can think of is that viewers of such kinds crave for two things – humiliation (of others) and skin show. And Splitsvilla happens to suffice both these urges. 20 something girls going all the way – from dressing low to flashing their bulbs assets, from back stabbing to in-front of the camera ridiculing one another, from belly dancing to bathroom tub caressing – they are letting nothing hold them back.

And what makes matters worse is the reason behind such crass behavior - two men, worth nothing. And I mean nothing. Thin, squirmy, butt ugly, all backed by high headiness – that seems to be their only qualification. Frankly I wouldn't be surprised if tomorrow it is revealed that the boys belonged to the sponsor's clan or the production/channel's household. So here we have two absolute losers tossing girls around as per their whims and fancy.

Which gets me to the most important point - while the channel, viewers and the boys are having a gala time at the expense of the participating girls – is 15 seconds of fame a good enough reason for these contestants to completely demean themselves?

Not looking at it from a feminist view point, as a life lesson I believe nothing is worth more than one's own self-respect let alone mortifying yourself on national television not once but umpteen number of times. While MTV may call their creation as 'testing of one's character', I simply see it as TRP game play, being done at all costs.

Kismat Konnection, On and Off Screen.

Sakshi Juneja — Wed, 23 Jul 2008 09:44:02 EDT

Aziz Mirza's on-screen love-meets-fate story, Kismat Konnection, starring the new generation's Jumping Jack aka. Shahid Kapoor and the ever subdued, Ms. Goody Two Shoes aka. Vidya Balan – disappoints miserably. Surely nothing new I am adding here; practically all reviews published seem to be screaming out loud the same stuff.

In terms of storyline, first half is barely bearable and the second half drags on and on and on. Thankfully I watched it in one of those popular lounge-seating-cinemas, so my tusshie didn't bear the brunt and I even managed to catch up on some quality sleep. Acting-wise Shahid Kapoor came across reasonably good; I mean you can't deny that he does a better impression of King Khan than King Khan himself. The other half of the Konnection, Ms. Balan according to me did a so-so jig. The woman seriously needs to display some variety in her role selection process and not repeat the gullible, abla stree kinda-characters.

Overall, Kismat Konnection is more aptly disconnected, predictable and a tad too boring. My advice, skip it.

Now let's move onto a more interesting trivia on off-screen Bollywood Kismat Konnection.

Shahid and Kareena’s last film together (before the break-up) received two thumbs up from all around; the audience, the critics and the box-office. Kareena re-invented herself, whereas Shahid gave his very first mature performance. Needless to say, everyone wished Aditya and Geet to sort things out, have raunchy make-up sex and live happily ever after.

Today however the story is different. Very different.

Both our leading stars have moved on (so they say) and all too quickly replaced each other’s presence with a new set of lovers. Much to the benefit of our gossipy mainstream media, I might add. Kareena adores the much older Saif (and parivaar inclusive) and Shahid seems to be swinging between the tennis star (Sania Mirza) and the “helloooooo Mumbaiiii” lady (Vidya Balan). And while they continue to increase the sale of Bollywood tabloids with their ‘in-love’ antics, their on-screen chemistry (with new partners) seems to lack all luster.

For instance: Kareena and Saif’s very first release and the much-hyped Tashan bombed at the box office and how. So much so lover boy Saifu cried all the way to the producer, Aditya Chopra and Kareena baby was deemed unfit in her size zero image. And while one would think Shahid had the last laugh after being brutally dumped, unfortunately kismat seems to have whacked him once again. His very first release, since the Kareena break up, opposite his rumoured real-life lady love, Vidya Balan – is a definite flop, as the next few days will prove.

So even though their off-screen life with new love in tow may be rocking, their on-screen konnection looks to have fizzled no sooner than it began.

This is not the end.

Here’s another off-screen love story I heard where the outcome has a lot to do with kismat, lucky charm, bad luck and other such related jazz.

Aditya Chopra, the head-honcho behind Yash Raj Films shot to fame with his directorial debut with Dilwale Dulhaniya Le Jayenge back in 1995. Since the time he took over the family-run production house from Papa Chopra, it’s been raining money and success.

However the success factor seems to have taken a down turn since his affair with actress Rani Mukherjee and divorce from wife Payal Chopra. If one goes by the popular story doing rounds within the Bollywood fraternity – the ill-faith of most Yash Raj releases at the box-office since the beginning of 2007, has been solely because of Aditya Chopra’s separation from wife Payal.

Apparently before their union (now the validity could be questioned), the Chopras had consulted a few known astrologers and were completely bowled over by the probable enormity of the “luck” factor brought into the Yash Raj household via the Adi-Payal matrimony. On the dark side were also informed of the not-so-good consequence if ever the marriage ended up on the rocks.

So while Aditya and his lady love Ms. Mukherjee go about (discreetly) professing their love with Thoda Pyar Thoda Magic, the weekly box-office tells a different story – Love, okay but magic…zilch.

Interview: Straight Talk With Onir, Director of My Brother Nikhil

Sakshi Juneja — Fri, 18 Jul 2008 14:59:48 EDT

Not too long ago, I had the opportunity to meet up with Onir, director of My Brother Nilkhil at a coffee shop in Versova. Onir, (who goes only by his first name), arrived a little late and wanted to wrap things up in fast. So without much ado, I went right ahead and asked the first question.

Please tell us something about your creative background?

I always wanted to make films, the only thing I can remember wanting to do is make films. When I joined college I took up literature parallel with film studies. Literature I think is very closely related to films and in India you don't start with film studies after school, you can only after graduation. And then I got my scholarship for Training in Film Making for which I went to Berlin.

And what brought you to Bollywood?

After I trained in Berlin I went back to Kolkata because that's where I did my university and initial training in film studies. I worked there for a while, made some documentary films and all. But anyway my aim was "fiction" and I realized the environment of Kolkata is not where I wanted to work because I was very young and wanted to be respected for what I do. And I found people very patronizing at that point there and it didn't suit me.

I came to Bombay as an editor actually…I started off as an editor. And it took me 10 years to make my first film. But for me it was very clear – I don't come from a film family, I don't come from a family where someone can say, here take 3 crores and make a film. I wanted to do it on my own, on my own terms and make the kind of films I wanted to make. Probably that's one of the reasons why it took that long because I was definite about the kind of films I wanted to make. And for me everything that I was doing while trying to make a film was a step towards that. I mean I produced music, directed music videos, made documentary films and then scripting; basically a whole lot of things.

And all this helped me to be able produce and direct my film within a controlled budget, since I had worked in every possible department.

For your first film, what made you pick a dicey subject like alternate sexuality and HIV?

Actually it became my first film by accident. The first script I wrote was also a dicey subject but it never got made. Hopefully it will someday. It was basically a story of a gigolo and nobody had the guts to finance such a project. And then I wrote my second script but nothing happened and then I wrote my third script. At that time I had just finished editing a documentary script on Dominic D'Souza who was the first known case of HIV in India. And that story kind of stayed with me…you know his photograph haunted me. And at one point I was getting frustrated because every story that I was writing found no one to finance it.

That's when I decided to do it myself. Sanjay Suri is a friend and has complete faith in me. I decided to go ahead with Dominic's story and make it into a docu-fiction and release it on TV. It sounded good and so I started writing. It was something I wrote in 10 days as it had left a lasting impact on me. It just came…just came like that.

And then we started meeting actors and everyone we approached said "yes" so we thought that instead of making it a TV film let's make a feature film.

Actually till I completed the film I never thought that this was a taboo. It was just that this story deeply moved me and the entire crew and cast were doing this for peanuts because they simply loved the story too. It was only after completing the film that I realized – Oh my God! In India, homosexuality is illegal what with Article 377 and there might be problems for release. So I was worried only when the censor time came, luckily that went through smoothly without any controversies.

It became my first film by accident, but all in all, the subjects I generally choose are slightly off the beaten track. Stories, which have already been told do not interest me; I need to tell stories wherein I too grow as a person and not just become a director, that's not my aim.

'Bas Ek Pal' (2006) didn't do well at the box office. According to the tabloids, it didn't appeal to either the critics or the masses. Where do you think the problem lay?

Two things. After My Brother Nikhil I got slotted. People expected My Brother Nikhil Part 2. For me it was however very clear that I didn't want to do that. I wanted to do something totally different which would help me grow as a director. In fact to me I have matured as a director only after Bas Ek Pal. In terms of reception it was a mix. Some critics really raved about the film whereas in print it didn't receive a favourable response.

The first reaction is obviously you get very defensive about everything that you do. But later on I sat down and analysed the film all over again and realized that there were certain things that went against it. The distribution for instance: In Mumbai only 14 prints were released and only two night shows were available in the suburban side. Another thing I believe I messed up with was the execution of the film's climax scene.

Otherwise I think it's a complex, very mature film, which to me was the exciting bit. Unfortunately the current trend involves audience watching comedies and idiotic comedies. And it's very worrying when rubbish films like Welcome, Partner become box-office success. Personally I have nothing against comedies but these are bad films, period. And good, deserving films like Johnny Gaddar and Manorama Six Feet Under are complete washouts.

Sometime in 2006 you were thinking of making an adaptation of Shakespeare's 'Hamlet' starring Hrithik Roshan. Is this project going to see the light of day?

Again, today no one wants to do a dark film. I am talking around, speaking to artists and film banners but everyone is looking for profit. For example Omkara was critically applauded but financially, it didn't do well. Therefore actors are skeptical about taking up such offers. Actors, producers, basically everybody.

You also acted in Schau mir in die Augen, Kleiner (2007) aka Here's looking at You, Boy - The Coming out of Queer Cinema (International: English title). This is a documentary on the history of gay and lesbian film. How was it like acting in an international setting?

No I did not acted in the film. It was a documentary film which featured 14 directors from across the world on the subject of homosexuality. And I was selected as one of the directors and it was featured during the Berlin Film Festival. A fantastic experience overall.

What do you think about the censor board's stand in today's Bollywood?

Honestly speaking I have been very lucky. Like with My Brother Nikhil I thought there will be plenty of issues but it was cleared without any cuts.

But then it was backed by Yash Raj Films.

No. The censor dealing was done before Yash Raj's takeover of the film for distribution. My team consisted of all first timers, including myself. I was literally shaking once the film was given for censorship approval. When I met them they said that we will give the film a 'U' certificate provided you give a statement at the beginning that it's a fictitious film, which I was ready to comply with. And for me this was a huge thing, I mean we live in a country, which is still very outdated in terms of its views on sexuality, especially alternate sexuality.

Do you think there is a lack of good scripts in Bollywood? If so, why?

Yes it's true. Because apart from actors we don't want to pay anyone else. Actors believe they are the film themselves and therefore charge enormous amounts. Then there is no budget left for anything else. Also our copyright laws are weak that it's an easy job to keep making remakes. Plus financiers prefer to stick with the 'tried-and-tested' formulae and our audience goes ahead and approves such re-creations. And at the end of the day everything boils down to the audience.

Which actor/actress you would like to work with in the near future?

Actually I never had this fascination or inclination towards working with any special set of actors. For me the script comes first and whoever suits it best and is within the budget is offered the role. So no wish list for me as of now.

Any recent movie you wish you were part of?

Johnny Gaddar. I thought it was a brilliant film. Sad it didn't do well. Then there was Manorama Six Feet Under and I also liked Chuk De minus the beginning and the end.

Define 'crossover cinema'?

Frankly I really don't know; I mean crossing over to what? Films from India which are screened overseas are mostly big budget films. It has nothing to do with quality but everything to do with who's backing the project (film).

People perceive that films like Page 3 and My Brother Nikhil are crossover films but unfortunately they don't even get released overseas. Especially the US and UK market, the thing is NRI audiences are worse than the audience back home because they are so nostalgic about India that they prefer to watch its glossy image. And therefore you have big banners making films especially to please them by inserting glamorised costumes and bhangra songs.

Where do you see India cinema going over the next decade, given that in recent times we have seen a shift in the kind of movies being made and scripts being written, as well as the willingness of mainstream actors to try different genres other than commercial flicks?

I don't know really. We keep talking about how big is Bollywood but frankly we are living in a make believe world. For example, if you look at the earnings of a biggest grosser of the past couple of years and compare it to a Korean film, which would be looked at as world cinema, ours would be barely 13% of that.

Our films are not world cinema. When we talk about overseas we simply mean NRI audiences. Our films have still not matured with respect to world cinema. The day we are able to get the local audience in cities like New York, London, Sydney maybe then we would qualify as global filmmakers. But then our population is so huge and spread out that we really don't care much about the world market.

Hopefully 10 years from now we will have audiences which are open to all kinds of cinema.

What is your take on depiction of homosexuality in today's Hindi films?

It sickens me honestly. I find it silly mostly the way it is depicted. I find it stupid how actors are insecure; if it's not making fun they wouldn't want to do the character. They are insecure about how they will be perceived but that's really stupid because enacting a homosexual character doesn't make one a homosexual. Even our double standards are put on display. Today one animal rights group will ask for help and the whole Jing-bang will be there to lend a helping hand but when you talk about human rights, basic human rights let alone homosexuality, no one will give you the time of the day.

Similarly our whole society including the film industry is so homophobic. So they'd rather make fun of it. And what is even more depressing is that some of them are closet homosexuals themselves. I mean they don't have to talk about their sexuality but the least they could do is not make a mockery of others and their sexual preference.

I feel it should be dealt with with a certain responsibility; after all you are talking about someone else's life. But I suppose Bollywood specializes in making mockery of those who are 'different'.

Can you tell us something on your new and forthcoming films?

Well I am working on a film called Sorry Bhai. A romantic film with an interesting star cast. I have Shabana Azmi, Boman Irani, Sharman Joshi, Sanjay Suri and Chitrangada Singh is making a comeback with this film. I am looking forward to it because it's a different genre for me, it's a happy film but it also deals with complexities of adult relationships.

Your involvement with HIV/Aids awareness campaign.

After My Brother Nikhil I have been involved in all kinds of campaigns, seminars, conferences dealing with Human Rights. I am also trying to remove time for conducting workshops for Aids infected youth in Shillong, hopefully every year. See the thing is movies and all will keep happening but life also involves personal growth and being part of such activities helps me achieve that.

Straight speak and blunt – Onir was a refreshing change from the run of the mill Bollywood interviewees. Here's looking at you Onir and wish you all the best for your future projects!

HIV+ By Marriage - High Court Denies Rights

Sakshi Juneja — Thu, 10 Jul 2008 04:10:06 EDT

The question of pre-marital HIV testing has been debated in media and on blogs. We are still searching for a balance between:

A) A nation’s effort in curbing a dreaded disease

B) Freeing the society of its prejudices/taboos

C) An individual’s right to protect what is ultimately a private and confidential matter regarding his/her health

While we are fighting this battle, there are causalities like this 29-year-old woman from Satara.

The woman said she was infected with the HIV virus from her husband, who had been suffering from the disease before their marriage which took place in 1997. Their child who was born in 2000, she said, was also diagnosed as HIV positive.

Her only hope was of course the judiciary, but just yesterday, that door too has been shut. The Bombay High Court rejected her plea stating that her applications under sections 498 (a) (dowry harassment) and 420 (willful cheating) of IPC does not hold, because these laws are only meant for property-related matters.

These offences (dowry harassment under section 498A) relate to property of a person. The body of a woman can, by no stretch of imagination, be treated as property, and therefore sections of cheating and willfully cheating (Section 420) would not attract in this case," ruled Justice Nishita Mhatre. […]

Though the court agreed that the woman's husband and her in-laws were fully aware that he was HIV positive at the time of their marriage, it disagreed to try the accused for willfully cheating.

As a bystander this is what I understand or more suitably can’t get a grip of…

Doesn’t withholding such vital information constitute the vilest form of cheating – that of snatching her entitlement to a healthy life – something we all regard as an unquestioned given?

In reaction to the court’s verdict, the victim’s lawyer Uday Warunjikar said

This is a case of cheating and should be treated as one of the 'rarest of rare' cases, where a HIV positive woman has come to the court saying she was cheated by her husband. The authorities should treat such cases sensitively, but here they failed miserably. The local police did not even bother to record her statement, hence she was forced to approach the court.

As someone who is very particular about her individual freedom, I cannot even begin to imagine what this woman would have gone through – to be duped twice; her marital family and the Indian judiciary.