MADRAS CAFE
Director: Shoojit Sircar
Cast: John Abraham, Nargis Fakhri.
It’s refreshing to return to the theatres for a film that expects you to be educated, informed and attentive.
For sure, it’s informative, enriching and lack the pushes and winks to standard entertainment. No complimentary elements of hippy-hoppy shakes, treacly romance, full melodrama. Moreover, the violence – ingrained to the subject – is kept under control, using black-and-white photographs and snappily edited footage of killing in the time of insurrection.
Director Shoojit Sircar’s 'Madras Café' – a docudrama, although marketed as a spy thriller – deserves credit for striking out in the right direction.
In the first frames, we are somewhere in Sri Lanka, where armed men in trucks make their way through a stunning green landscape. They kill a busload of people in cold blood, singling out the last remaining child in a striking act of brutality. Cut to Kasauli, India, in 1993, with the whirr of a helicopter being used to transition between past and present. A man with an unkempt beard wakes with a start from his black-and-white nightmares of those same events, only to hear on television the announcement that the Sri Lankan president has been assassinated. It’s a good, stiff beginning, especially for a thriller that will unfold in flashback.
Unfortunately, the exposition of the civil war in Sri Lanka during the 1980s, and the 1991 assassination of the ex-Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi, tends to get too dense and confusing structurally. There are far too many rewinds (including a flashback within flashbacks, which destructs scripting grammar), an excess of locations, dates to keep count of. Plus, the supporting ensemble characters – particularly of the ‘LTF’ rebels – are rigidly one-dimensional.
Also, quite a few of the shot takings are much too flashy and quick, straight out of ad films. Indeed, slickness of the derivative kind subtracts from the film’s theme. Take the pretty shot, then, of helicopters silhouetted against the huge obelisk of an orange sun, which seems to be stock footage.
The conversation with the priests takes us to the present and officer Vikrams lands off to Sri Lanka and there he encounters war correspondent Jaya (Nargis Fakhri), from the U.K. Thank god there was no love scenes between the two of them. ;) And every event lead to another in a simple way and finally it ended with a positive message and one could actually connect with all those who lost their families in the war.
The overall outcome is technically polished, particularly in its crisp sound, background score went very well with the story. A must watch it is.
Ratings: 3.5/5
Monday, 2 September 2013
Sunday, 1 September 2013
The Sheroes Summit by Fleximoms.in at Hotel Orchid, Mumbai
The SHEROES SUMMIT. 2013,MUMBAI
Covered for: Photokatha
Lack of Confidence, Fear of Failure hold Women back from being Entrepreneurs. Women often don't think they are capable of launching their own businesses, which is one reason there are significantly fewer female entrepreneurs than male entrepreneurs. What's more, women report being generally more afraid of failure than their male counterparts. A group to connect Women Entrepreneurs who have 'been there and have done it'.
The SHEROES Summit 2013:
• Is India's largest OpportunityScape for women looking at a variety of options to advance their careers.
• Is about issues that matter to women at work.
• Celebrates the spirit of love, diligence, care, balance and making your own road.
• Brings the finest businesses that value women at work to engage with women professionals.
• Puts a spotlight on Sunrise sectors, Entrepreneurship, Diversity at Workplace and Personal Growth.
The event started with an introduction by Sairee Chahal, Founder, Fleximoms, Convenor, The SHEROES Summit.
It was followed by the first panel of speakers which included:
• Anand Lunia, Founder, IndiaQuotient
• Ansoo Gupta, COO, Pinstorm
• Deepa Soman, Founder, CEO, Lumiere Solutions
The cultural expectations of women affect the likelihood that they will start a business. For example, women are largely expected to take care of their children and parents, making it much harder for women to take an active role in running a business. Moreover, many nations have longstanding cultural traditions that also discourage women from working outside the home and from taking leadership positions.
But the speakers had a different approach to it. “I believe that women are tremendous, untapped investments that yield huge returns for entire communities," says, Anand Lunia. Proper education, guidance and training play an important role in improving the economic position of women. Today, when digital media is controlling humans and ‘Google’ is the ultimate solution to every problem, nothing can stop a woman from learning, it’s just the passion that takes you ahead.
Overall, the first round of panel discussion covered the top trends in business, the key skills at work, women at work and rules of engagement. It was followed by the second round of panel discussion which brought forward the personal experience of some renowned entrepreneurs like:
• Prajakt Raut, IAN and Hub for Startups
• Rashmi Bansal, Author, Entrepreneur
• Rashmi Putcha, Founder, DMTI
• Akancha Srivastava, Founder, Azure Online
"We have powerful women leaders and an urban population that is very forward thinking," says Rashmi Bansal, who shares her experience of interviewing women entrepreneurs and entrepreneurs without MBA degree. She concluded, not always it’s your passion but also responsibility turned into passion. It’s just about your vision. ‘JUST DO IT, ’
It ended with a positive message: “respect the choices which a woman makes. They deserve the chance to realize her god given potential."
The delicious lunch made everyone sleepy but Jagat Rathore, Executive Coach and Keya Rathore, Executive Coach were all set with the most interesting session on Powering Life – My Way.
Believe in your dreams and be ready to make the change. Don’t just see at your goal, see what’s there beyond your goal. Jagat and Keya made the session even more interesting with some practical guidance and ended it on a positive note: “Just say, I can do it and I will do it”
The last round of panellists included:
• Rohit Reddy, AVP, Partnerships, Aegon Religare, Career Innovations – How Women Matter
• Prashant Bhaskar, CEO PlugHR, Building Future on Workflex Brand You – The Hidden Opportunity,
• Punit Modhgil, Founder, Octane and Marketing professional
• Kris Nair, FusedCow, Design, Freelance Economy’s Shining Gem?
It covered the Opportunity Scape - Emerging Patterns in the industry. Various job opportunities available for women and also discussed about the attitude everyone women must have. “For most of history, Anonymous was a woman.” ―Virginia Woolf, Well, its' quiet time anonymous should claim their standings.
I Dream, I Imagine, I Create, I am a Shero. A well appreciated summit ended with a positive hope for all the aspiring entrepreneurs.
Covered for: Photokatha
Lack of Confidence, Fear of Failure hold Women back from being Entrepreneurs. Women often don't think they are capable of launching their own businesses, which is one reason there are significantly fewer female entrepreneurs than male entrepreneurs. What's more, women report being generally more afraid of failure than their male counterparts. A group to connect Women Entrepreneurs who have 'been there and have done it'.
The SHEROES Summit 2013:
• Is India's largest OpportunityScape for women looking at a variety of options to advance their careers.
• Is about issues that matter to women at work.
• Celebrates the spirit of love, diligence, care, balance and making your own road.
• Brings the finest businesses that value women at work to engage with women professionals.
• Puts a spotlight on Sunrise sectors, Entrepreneurship, Diversity at Workplace and Personal Growth.
The event started with an introduction by Sairee Chahal, Founder, Fleximoms, Convenor, The SHEROES Summit.
It was followed by the first panel of speakers which included:
• Anand Lunia, Founder, IndiaQuotient
• Ansoo Gupta, COO, Pinstorm
• Deepa Soman, Founder, CEO, Lumiere Solutions
The cultural expectations of women affect the likelihood that they will start a business. For example, women are largely expected to take care of their children and parents, making it much harder for women to take an active role in running a business. Moreover, many nations have longstanding cultural traditions that also discourage women from working outside the home and from taking leadership positions.
But the speakers had a different approach to it. “I believe that women are tremendous, untapped investments that yield huge returns for entire communities," says, Anand Lunia. Proper education, guidance and training play an important role in improving the economic position of women. Today, when digital media is controlling humans and ‘Google’ is the ultimate solution to every problem, nothing can stop a woman from learning, it’s just the passion that takes you ahead.
Overall, the first round of panel discussion covered the top trends in business, the key skills at work, women at work and rules of engagement. It was followed by the second round of panel discussion which brought forward the personal experience of some renowned entrepreneurs like:
• Prajakt Raut, IAN and Hub for Startups
• Rashmi Bansal, Author, Entrepreneur
• Rashmi Putcha, Founder, DMTI
• Akancha Srivastava, Founder, Azure Online
It ended with a positive message: “respect the choices which a woman makes. They deserve the chance to realize her god given potential."
The delicious lunch made everyone sleepy but Jagat Rathore, Executive Coach and Keya Rathore, Executive Coach were all set with the most interesting session on Powering Life – My Way.
Believe in your dreams and be ready to make the change. Don’t just see at your goal, see what’s there beyond your goal. Jagat and Keya made the session even more interesting with some practical guidance and ended it on a positive note: “Just say, I can do it and I will do it”
The last round of panellists included:
• Rohit Reddy, AVP, Partnerships, Aegon Religare, Career Innovations – How Women Matter
• Prashant Bhaskar, CEO PlugHR, Building Future on Workflex Brand You – The Hidden Opportunity,
• Punit Modhgil, Founder, Octane and Marketing professional
• Kris Nair, FusedCow, Design, Freelance Economy’s Shining Gem?
It covered the Opportunity Scape - Emerging Patterns in the industry. Various job opportunities available for women and also discussed about the attitude everyone women must have. “For most of history, Anonymous was a woman.” ―Virginia Woolf, Well, its' quiet time anonymous should claim their standings.
I Dream, I Imagine, I Create, I am a Shero. A well appreciated summit ended with a positive hope for all the aspiring entrepreneurs.
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