डायलागबाज़ी

लिंक

...

कादर खान मरा नहीं।

कादर खान मरते नहीं।

हट लूटणे वाले!

जिस हिकारत से इस गाने में 'हट, हट' का नाद होता है और उससे श्रोता में जिस सहज प्रकार से रोमांच उत्पन्न होता है वह हमें फिल्म की, और ख़ास तौर पर एक परिपक्व कलाकार की, डरावनी ताक़त महसूस करवाता है। गुलज़ार की कविता और विशाल भारद्वाज का संगीत और निर्देशन - दर्शकों का गिरहबान पकड़ के उन्हें झकझोरने के लिए इस बेहतर टीम का मिलना मुश्किल है। कुछ मिसालें:

तेरी लोहा लाठी नहीं चलेगी

तेरी हेकड़ी हाठी नहीं चलेगी

अब चले हथौड़ा, हथौड़ा

हथौड़ा और दराती

हट लूटणे वाले

...

जिसकी खेती उसकी ज़मीं है

बाबाजी की धौंस नहीं है

जिसका गन्ना उसकी गंडेरी

हट, हट, हट

...

हम बीज न देंगे

हम ब्याज न देंगे

रे कल का दर्जा

आज न देंगे

तेरी छतरी ले कर नहीं चलेंगे

अब धूप में तेरे पाँव जलेंगे

जो खोदे कुंवा उसका ही पानी

हट लूटणे वाले (हट, हट)

हाल ही में, अपने 'हिंदी बेल्ट' के छह हफ्ते के प्रवास के दौरान इस फिल्म को सिनेमा हॉल में दो दफ़ा देखने के बाद नंगा फ़क़ीर के मन में यह विचार आया कि कहीं ऐसा तो नहीं कि श्याम बेनेगल और गोविन्द निहलानी ने सत्तर और अस्सी के दशकों में बनायी अपनी यथार्थपरक, संजीदा और बेहतरीन फिल्मों को बनाने के बावजूद कहीं कोई गलती तो नहीं कर दी? आर्ट फिल्मों को उबाऊ मान कर लाखों लोगों ने इनकी और देखने की ज़हमत नहीं उठाई; लेकिन उन्हीं बातों को व्यंग्यात्मक तरीके से, एक ज़बरदस्त साउंडट्रैक के माध्यम से औरों तक संप्रेषित करने का बीड़ा जो निर्देशकों की इस नयी फ़ौज (न्यू वेव) ने उठाया है, कहीं वह एक बेहतर विकल्प नहीं था इन जम्हाईपरक, गंभीर बातों को कहने का? (ज़ाहिर है की यह बहुआयामी समस्या और जटिल है: श्याम बेनेगल ने कई बेहतरीन और बेहद मज़ेदार तरीकों से इन बातों को कहने की कोशिश की है, ख़ास तौर से "वेलकम टु सज्जनपुर" और "वेल डन अब्बा" में; और ऐसा नहीं है कि इस न्यू वेव की हर इस कोशिश को दर्शकों के पैसों की पुचकार मिली हो - आखिर "मटरू की बिजली का मंडोला" जैसी धाँसू फिल्म भी 'हिट' फिल्म का लेबल नहीं जीत पाई।)

हम इस विषय में जो भी कह लें, इस बात को हम कतई नकार नहीं सकते हैं कि इस न्यू वेव ने हमारी हिंदी सिनेमा के मौजूदा फोर्मूलों को ही खींच तान कर नयी हिंदी फिल्म को जो नया अमलीजामा पहनाया है, वह पहले कभी देखने में नहीं आया। फ़िल्मी संगीत को कथानक का सारथी बना कर अपनी बात कहना - यह तो निश्चय ही सत्तर-अस्सी के दशकों के समानांतर सिनेमा ('पैरेलेल सिनेमा') के आन्दोलन में नहीं देखने को मिला था। इसी फिल्म को ही लें, तो प्रेम देहाती के ठेठ हरयाणवी लोकगीतों का ऐसा फ़िल्मी, किन्तु सशक्त प्रयोग करना हिंदी सिनेमा के विकास-क्रम में एक नया अध्याय है। (ऐसी नव-प्रयोगवादिता मध्यवर्गीय भारत की अधिक सम्पन्नता के कारण ही फल फूल पाई, इस अर्थशास्त्रीय कारण को भी कला के विकास के कथानक से भिन्न कर के नहीं देखा जा सकता।) न्यू वेव के सांगीतिक अनुदान को हम ज़रा भी नकार नहीं सकते हैं - विशाल भारद्वाज के नेतृत्व में अमित त्रिवेदी, स्नेहा खन्वल्कर, राम संपत वगैरह नए संगीत निर्देशकों के संगीत ने फिल्मों की पटकथा को एक नया शब्दकोष दे दिया है।

हालांकि इस प्रयोगवादिता का प्रारम्भ व्यावसायिक सिनेमा में राम गोपाल वर्मा की देन है, सच पूछिए तो जिस फिल्म ने हम सबकी चूलें हिला दी थीं वह थी ओमकारा। इस विषय में, फिल्मों में संगीत की इस नयी भूमिका के बारे में, और ख़ास तौर पर 'गैंग्स ऑफ वासेपुर' के बारे में और बहुत कुछ कहना है, लेकिन फिर कभी।

Reading List: January '12 to January '13

1. The Pale King (David Foster Wallace)
2. A Game of Thrones (George R R Martin)
3. A Clash of Kings (George R R Martin)
4. A Storm of Swords (George R R Martin)
5. A Feast for Crows (George R R Martin)    
6. A Dance with Dragons (George R R Martin)
7. Black Hole (Charles Burns)
8. Distrust that Particular Flavor (William Gibson)
9. How to be Alone (Jonathan Franzen)
10. Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? (Philip K Dick)
11. Underworld (Don DeLillo)
12. The Glass Castle (Jeannette Walls)
13. The Three Stigmata of Palmer Eldritch (Philip K Dick)
14. The Transmigration of Timothy Archer (Philip K Dick)
15. VALIS (Philip K Dick)
16. Point Omega (Don DeLillo)
17. Interpreter of Maladies (Jhumpa Lahiri)
18. The Namesake (Jhumpa Lahiri)
19. The Book of Illusions (Paul Auster)
20. The Adolescent (Fyodor Dostoyevsky) (reread)
21. Once Upon a Time in Scandinavistan (Zac O Yeah)
22. कसप (मनोहर श्याम जोशी) (tr. "Who Knows?" (Manohar Shyam Joshi))
23. सूरज का सातवाँ घोड़ा (धर्मवीर भारती) (tr. "Sun's Seventh Horse" (Dharmveer Bharati)) (reread)
24. आधे अधूरे (मोहन राकेश) (tr. "Halves Incompletes" (Mohan Rakesh))
25. Foundation (Isaac Asimov)
26. Foundation and Empire (Isaac Asimov)
27. Second Foundation (Isaac Asimov)

Recent acquisitions:

1. गोदान (प्रेमचंद) (tr. "Cow Donation" (?) (Premchand))
2. 51 अनमोल कहानियाँ (प्रेमचंद) (tr. "51 Invaluable Stories" (Premchand))
3. कर्मभूमि (प्रेमचंद) (tr. "The Land Where One Works" (Premchand))
4. हरिया हरक्युलिस की हैरानी (मनोहर श्याम जोशी) (tr. "Hariya Hercules's Surprise" (Manohar Shyam Joshi))
5. टाटा प्रोफेसर (मनोहर श्याम जोशी) (tr. "Ta ta Professor" (Manohar Shyam Joshi))
6. लहरों के राजहंस (मोहन राकेश) (tr. "Tides' Royal Swans" (Mohan Rakesh))
7. आषाढ़ का एक दिन (मोहन राकेश) (tr. "A Day in (the month of) Aashaadh"(Mohan Rakesh))
8. पैर तले की ज़मीन (मोहन राकेश) (tr. "Ground Beneath the Feet" (Mohan Rakesh))
9. प्रतिनिधि व्यंग्य (हरिशंकर परसाई) (tr. "Representative Satire" (Harishankar Parsai))
10. 1Q84 (Haruki Murakami)

A Short Photo Essay: December '12 - January '13

Anime OLRs a Bunch - Part 2

1. Aeon Flux: Okay this isn't an anime, but it's a series that's worth the attention of those interested in watching animated series generally. Set up in a bizarre, dystopic universe, this dialogue-less, graphic, violent and sexually suggestive series is nonetheless a rare feat of exploration of that highly elusive meeting point of commericial-yet-highly-experimental art. Grade: A
2. Paranoia Agent: The great Satoshi Kon disappoints (Arun will now proceed to disembowel NF). It's an entirely forgettable anime series about a supposed street runt who wields his baseball bat to attack people having crises of one sort or the other. NF has a strong suspicion that he didn't get the series at all and will view it again to give the great Satoshi Kon the benefit of doubt, may his glory spread far and wide posthumously as well. Grade: B-
3. Avatar: The Last Airbender: Okay this isn't an anime either but it's the closest the US can get to co opting the art form; and it's hardly bad! It milks the shonen anime genre for all its worth and is able to form a very coherent and plot driven narrative. Except for the first half of the third season in which Zuko seems to be rehabilitated, the series is excellent throughout and deserves all the accolades that were directed towards it. Grade: A
4. FLCL: Also known as 'furi kuri', this six episode anime is hard to describe if you haven't seen it yourself. It's hyperkinetic, supremely, lavishly, overwhelmingly stylized and almost utterly incomprehensible on a first viewing. It's also very funny. One couldn't give it high marks for substance (and maybe for a six episode series one shouldn't have high expectations in this regard anyway) but it scores so damn high on style and visual extravagance that the experience is completely worth it! Grade: A-

Anime OLRs a Bunch - Part 1

This is a brief review of the various animes Nanga Fakir's watched in two years - from early 2011 till the end of 2012. As always, the OLR in the title refers to 'one line review' where 'one line' is to be interpreted rather broadly.

1. Code Geass (Season 1 and Season 2): Fabulous series! Think of it as Death Note meets the best of the Mecha genre - the devious mind of Lelouch is the high while the irritating character of Suzaku is the low point. The second season doesn't live up to the brilliance of the first though. Grade: A+
2. Denno Coil: Suffice it to say that it's the best anime (not just a science fiction one) that NF has seen in the recent past. Although one could argue that Code Geass is more fun, in terms of sheer originality, story and brilliance, NF was completely won over by this Hayao Miyazaki meets Masamune Shirow science fiction spectacle (courtesy the fabulous Akemi Anime Review). This wonderful achievement in the art of anime direction deserves a standing ovation! Grade: A+ 
3. Boogiepop Phantom: Another wonderful series. Psychological horror meets artsy, sepia tinted backdrops and multiple POV storylines that converge to a satisfying whole. Grade: A
4. Full Metal Alchemist: A 51 episode saga of two siblings in an alternate reality who learnt the principle of alchemy the hard way (toka koka - the principle of equal exchange). A very well directed story of their journeys, travails, courage and eventual victory. All in all, a classic bildungsroman. Grade: A-
5. Trigun: In a science fictional world, a 'peace and love' proclaiming hippyish gunslinger 'Vash the Stampede''s appearance at various villages causes their utter destruction despite the protagonist's apparent best efforts. To contain the damage, two ladies from an insurance agency tail him and so does the mysterious gunfighter priest. Hilarity ensues and so does terrific fighting. A cracker of a background score doesn't hurt the series at all! Grade: A-

MathJaxing!

This is a test post to check if MathJax rendering of Latex has been effectively integrated into Blogger.

...

The following is a well known point about completion of product measures:

Consider measure spaces $(X,\Sigma_X,\mu)$ and $(Y,\Sigma_Y,\mu)$ where $\mu$ is the Lebesgue measure. For the sake of definiteness, let's set the spaces $X$ and $Y$ as the unit interval $[0,1]$ and the sigma algebras $\Sigma_X$ and $\Sigma_Y$ as the standard sigma algebra of Lebesgue measurable sets on $[0,1]$.

Now we want extend these "coordinate" measures to the product space $X \times Y$. A natural way to do so is to define a product sigma algebra on $X \times Y$ by forming the smallest sigma algebra containing all sets of the form $A \times B$, where $A\in\Sigma_X$ and $B\in\Sigma_Y$ are measurable sets on the $x$ and $y$ coordinate spaces respectively. (For our example, these are just the intervals $X=[0,1]$ and $Y=[0,1]$.)

That is, the product space on which we are defining a product measure is:

$$(X\times Y;\sigma\{A\times B:A\in \Sigma_X, B\in \Sigma_Y\}; \tilde{\mu})$$

For a measurable rectangle $A\times B$, 

$$\tilde{\mu}(A\times B)=\mu(A)\mu(B)$$

In the spirit of this product measure space, let's see what happens once we put $A=\{x_0\}$ (just one point). Then of course, our standard construction yields:

$$\tilde{\mu}(A\times B)=\mu(A)\mu(B)=0\cdot \mu(B)$$

for any set $B\in 2^{Y}$, not just in the sigma algebra $\Sigma_Y$.

And here is where all the trouble starts! How so? Well for all sets in the sigma algebra $\Sigma_Y$, 

$$\tilde{\mu}(A\times B)=\mu(A)\mu(B)=0\cdot \mu(B)=0$$

but for all sets $B\notin \Sigma_Y$ (and their existence is guaranteed - Vitali sets are an example), the above equation is not well defined! However the set $\{x_0\}\times B\subseteq \{x_0\}\times [0,1]$ and this larger set does have measure 0!

Hence the product measure $\tilde{\mu}$ must be completed as well! We can do this in the standard way: take all null sets with respect to the new measure $\tilde{\mu}$ and construct a new sigma algebra generated by such sets and the old product sigma algebra.

...

Yes, it has!

अथ मोनू उवाच

"ज्ञान वह कंघी है जो बाल झड़ने के बाद ही प्रयोग की जा सकती है।"

Ecchi Ninjutsu

The secret powers of Japanese samurais and ninjas that kept the Mongols at bay. (Courtesy the fabulous io9.)

Music for Airports

NF is visiting his hometown of Lucknow from December 14th to January 23rd. All those jobless enough are enjoined to visit.

शनिवार की सुबहें / बुरी स्मृतियों के गड़े मुर्दे

आओ श्रम के लिए, सेहत के लिए, हम करें रोज़ व्यायाम
देखे हमको सारी दुनिया, हम करें कुछ ऐसे काम

<*पेंपें-पेंपें-पें, पेंपें-पेंपें-पें, पें... पेंपें-पेंपें-पेंपें
पेंपें-पेंपें-पें, पेंपें-पेंपें-पें,
पें... पेंपें-पेंपें-पें*>

हम हैं नवयुग के निर्माता, काँधों पर बोझ उठाना है
हम हैं नवयुग के निर्माता, काँधों पर बोझ उठाना है
आगे बढ़ने की चाहत, पीछे ना कदम हटाना है
आगे बढ़ने की चाहत, पीछे ना कदम हटाना है
हम हैं मंज़िल के दीवाने, कर पड़े हैं हम अभियान
देखे हमको सारी दुनिया, हम करें कुछ ऐसे काम

...



कुछ यातनाएं अकेले समेटे रखना उचित नहीं है। उन्हें मित्रों के साथ बांटने से (सुनने में आया है) प्यार बढ़ता है।

For Chrissy :P

And so it was in the year of the Great Emancipation that the Ministry of Robot Affairs banned the use of sarcasm in the workplace.

The Loosest, Baggiest Monster of All

Underworld is a big, sprawling, savagely intelligent, breathtakingly ambitious and unbelievably beautiful work of art that confirms Don DeLillo's status as probably the best American novelist alive. 

It is the book David Foster Wallace would've wanted to write; but could never - despite his exceptional artistic wizardry and flashy, pyrotechnic prose. The reason has something to do with the difference between brilliant (which David Foster Wallace undeniably was) and truly deep (which Don DeLillo is and DFW wasn't - though he did sometime veer dangerously close to it).

It is a nonlinear (both in time and in narrative structure) fragmented-though-deeply-interconnected tale of several different characters whose lives are tied together by the ball that starred in the shot heard around the world and its journey through their lives; and another earth shaking development that unfolded on the same day - the successful atomic bomb test of the Soviet Union - which also affects directly, as well as indirectly, the destinies of the numerous characters in the book.

  

Don DeLillo has given us in Underworld, a true masterpiece, whose incalculable artistic merit confirms his status as probably the greatest novelist of our age - a fabulous, fabulous achievement indeed.

10/24/2012

El Ten Eleven playing I Like Van Halen Because My Sister Says They Are Cool. And yes, they're even better live!

Better Later Than Never Redux

The great Lloyd Shapley wins the Nobel for Economics!

With this, the coronation of the holy trinity of Game Theory - Nash, Aumann and Shapley - is complete.

Time now for champagne to flow.

Cheers!

@Somnath: Yes, We Were There!

Although banal reasons like the absolute impossibility of easy access to the venue and scarcity of frequent train lines between the village and home cut short our little trip to the film festival and we ended up watching only the first half, NF can confidently assert that Somnath's fabulous animated short "The Candy Tree" was probably the best little gem out there! 

Somnath's film was the third from the beginning and although the audience was comprised mostly of old geezers with only a sprinkling of young blood, 'The Candy Tree' drew approving laughs at the right places and a thunderous applause at its end!

Another brilliant film to be showcased was Jonathan Ng's "Requiem for a Romance" - a fabulous tale of a breakup superimposed on a kung fu fight sequence. Yoko Ono (yes the Beatles' destroyer) also had a film on the show called "My Hometown" and it was the most retarded and third rate film of the festival. One imagines that her work was shown only because the fledgling festival needed big names to prop itself up!

And of course, given NF's fabulous impersonation skills, a local newspaper reporting on the film festival mistook him for the Director-in-Chief Somnath! Here's the link to the item: http://www.thedailymail.net/articles/2012/09/16/news/doc50553490c663c093171125.txt

For those interested in viewing 'The Candy Tree', here's the film on Youtube:

Somnath, take a bow already!

Naambaa One

#0: Do you speak Russian?

NF: <*???*> No. I'm Indian.

#0: <*begins singing in a slight accent*> दोस्त दोस्त ना रहा, प्यार प्यार ना रहा... (tr. Friend did not remain friend/Love did not remain love...)

NF: ...

#0: Do you know who's it by?

NF: <*knowing better than to mention Mukesh*> Raj Kapur...?

#0: <*with conviction*> Yes! He was the best. The number one!

NF: Da da!!!

Mi-ni-mal

Courtesy: Chrissy

The Documentarian

Although there are many a bone NF has to pick with Adam Curtis's spin on the nature of the state of the world, it is undeniable that anyone familiar with his oeuvre will not be thoroughly disabused of the notion that the technocratic impulses of scientists and economists are free from deeply embedded, almost-unconscious ideological biases; or that at least the manner of their use in human societies is impervious to abuse. His latest effort: All Watched Over by Machines of Loving Grace is another such three part attack. 

One may disagree with his conclusions, but it's impossible to not be a fan.

डॉक्टर साहब (उर्फ़ "दोक्था - थेन्मा")