Arun Verma we need you...

Listen, say what you will about Anil Kapoor in Slumdog Millionaire, for me AK will always be about Mr. India, and to an extent Tezaab, though I did have a soft spot for Ram Lakhan also. I don't pretend to be an obnoxious snob who hates Hindi movies, I just do not most contemporary Hindi movies unless they have Shah Rukh Khan whose movies I watch thanks to inbred loyalty to support people who've made it big from my school as well as the fact that I really liked the TV series Fauji when I was a kid.
Back to Mr India, last year or 2007, I don't quite remember when when I met Shekhar Kapur at a hotel lobby puffing away on a smoke, I made it a point to thank him for making the movie. Amazing when you see the talentless prats who produce, act in and make movies in Bollywood nowadays that sometimes something decent can still come out. But they are too few and far between - instead we see incredibly stupid Kill Bill rip-off's being pranced about as dance numbers. maybe there are some nice movies on their way, if they can get this man to like their music, maybe there is hope for Bollywood yet, though I was hoping that RS' mid-life crisis would be caused by a cranky man rather than Bollywood music.
Anyway, thanks to The Comic Project - there is now a comic book form of Mr India (see in Picasa). And you know what? At this point of time, surrounded by inept murderers as politicians, corrupt defenders, armymen who plot against their countrymen and all, maybe India needs Arun Verma to come back. We have our Mugambo state - Pakistan - though neither Geelani or Zardari or Kayani would do Amrish Puri's Mugambo any justice. Anyway, this is my afternoon rant, I'm bored of cars, electronics, planes and random tycoons. I need a drink. Enjoy the Mugambo video below ('Zahil Hindustaniyon apne history, apne itihaas se kuch nahin seekha' Heh, prescient!) and what was your favourite Bollywood movie of the late eighties?

Mr. India - Mogambo Khush hua
Uploaded by turbanhead

EDIT: Talking about Ponytail Chaudhari who gave a long speech at the Star Screen Awards for something or the other (IIPM ads in the Express now?) - just see this. Classic!

Puffy

Yes, they used to take out full-fledged adverts, and now they are obviously buying editorial space. I think after the 'ban The Budget' fiasco singed Ponytail, he needed a come-back. And the strange thing is that it isn't the usual suspect - The Times of India that is guilty, but rather EchTee, which used to shout from the rooftops that while the Times trashed it in readership and ciculation, they were better editorially. But this has a screaming puff-job on Page 9 (Delhi, Metro Edition) today morning. There are several small stories in all papers which are puff-jobs, but the timing of this could not have been weirder, it is placement season and the stories about super-high salaries going to IIM grads are all over (One, Two, Three, Four, Five, Six) . I'm sure the Ponytail is desperate, but my god, this stinks! Pity, there are irritating bloggers like me who notice such things!
I know editorial respectability matters, but on the same day HT went to town on how they won a prize for good journalism. Seriously, I was more than a bit taken aback on the loo today! Taking a holier than thou attitude is not a safe thing to do. Admitting fallability is sensible, you win prizes but you also take money for editorial space. Everybody has to be a hooker in the media nowadays, because newsprint is getting expensive!

Another blog reader points me to this post on Poynter, which accuses LiveMint of stealing from the NYT! And to MetroNow, please for god's sake, we know you are the bastard child born out of a relationship between two high-class hookers, but that does not mean you can't have a searchable website! And everybody else who reads this blog, please do keep on sending in your comments, emails and text messages. Everything adds up! And sorry if this post looks all awkward I'm using Opera 9.26 for some strange reason and formatting is all over the place.

Fun story!

I read this story in yesterday's Hindustan Times and thought since so many words were once wasted on IIPM (almost exactly two years ago), it deserved a link!
The crux of the story is that Ponytail's institute has been served a Service Tax notice of Rs 17.5 crore. This is the interesting line - "According to the service tax law, commercial coaching institutes providing education or coaching leading to any qualification not recognised by the government are liable to pay service tax." Hmm, I guess plans to upgrade the Continental GT will have to wait a while.