An evening at Marina Bay

It may sound strange to people who have known me in the past 5 years or so. Having done all kinds of travel across cities, states and countries, you may wonder that this is the first time that I made it to the Lion City. I am not sure if lions ever lived here, but the liveliness of the city roars like a lion. Cosmopolitan nature of Singapore is quite unique in its own way, although slightly dominated by Chinese culture.

The first thing that caught my attention once inside the city was Marina Bay Sands. The attraction was enough for a first timer like me to plan an evening stroll on one of lazy weekend day. So here I was on top of the complex at the SkyPark gazing the view of the wonderful city. Beautiful indeed! As I started the stroll towards the Fullerton Hotel after measuring the length and breadth of the MBS complex, I noticed a queue of photographers alongside the bay as if some big event was about to happen. It was a pleasant surprise to know that every Singaporean is gearing up hard for the upcoming National Day celebrations.

And this was a Saturday, hence a dress rehearsal for the big event i.e. 9 August. Suddenly, the activities started and wow! What an immense joy to watch something which came as a big celebration package. Tanks, military choppers and parachutes – everything was within startling distance from the eyes. Entire atmosphere seemed to celebrate the mood of nationalism and why not! Huge buildup of the crowd said it all. Not to forget the fireworks at the end was unforgettable. I imagine if this was the rehearsal, how wonderful will be the D-day!

The day ended with a comment made by one of my colleague from a city called Goya in Argentina – “They know how to live and enjoy life. They know how to make people happy." I knew a little bit of Argentina from him and his wife who is from Santa Fe. All and all, it was a very nice evening to remember!

When will an Indian movie win The Oscar?

Cinema is considered to be the free flowing expression of thoughts, a reflection of contemporary society and sometimes screenplay of highest levels of fiction. The range itself is so wide that making a successful motion picture that appeals to all class of society in the most positive manner becomes a daunting task. However, once in a while, some movies do come from the mainstream cinema that creates an impact of a lifetime and leaves unprecedented imprint on the audience.

I managed to view one of such movies recently and was deeply moved to the core by the delightful visual representation of an Indian society which was trying to overcome from several conservative inflictions just after a hard fought independence. Set in 1950s, ‘Mother India’ was a path-breaker in Indian cinema and depicted a great combination of sacrifice, maternal love, moral righteousness and inspirational will-power.

As I talk about good quality cinema, I can also see a splurge of movies in the recent times which are adulterated in more than one way. In the name of depicting the hardcore social set-up, some movies are going overboard in their usage of unwanted expletives, double meaning and cuss words. I fail to understand how the movie industry works. After so many failed attempts, they do not want to realize the fact that mere usage of unwanted words will not make the movie great and awe-inspiring. ‘LOC Kargil’ had more expletives than ‘Border’, yet ‘Border’ was liked more by masses. ‘Ham Aapke Hai Kaun’ was a complete family movie that worked wonders on the box office. ‘Dil Chahta Hai’ was shot in typical modern set-up and yet found a place for itself among all kind of audiences.

I do understand the fact that there are portions of society where abuses/ unacceptable violence exist. I also understand the fact that youngsters find it appealing to use the diluted language in daily affairs, sometimes perhaps out of emotions. I also understand the fact that by getting the “A” certificate and following censor procedures, a producer possesses the right to show this reality on big screen. The big question though is that flooding the movie with these so called adulterated dialogues will itself make the movie great and unforgettable? Will such movies leave a legacy in the history of cinema?

Few decades later, when one tries to commemorate greatest movies of all-time, movies such as Sholay, Anand and Lagaan engulf the thoughts. No one even thinks for once about those “A” rated movies. While we make arguably most number of movies every year in India, no wonder why only three Indian movies have been nominated (mind you, only nominated) by AMPAS in the best foreign movie category in the history of 82 years!