Dinesh Kamath's views about Navi Mumbai city

I had come to Vashi somewhere in the early eighties and I had found it to be a very isolated and undeveloped place. I had even come to Panvel for picnic with my classmates of Bombay College of Journalism. That was also in the early eighties. Panvel, at that time, was also an isolated, mountainous and grassy place devoid of any buildings. It was, in other words, totally undeveloped place. But it was a good site for picnicking purpose. In the year 2004 I was trying for a job in the newspaper. I couldn't make it in any newspaper in Mumbai. So I went through the Tata's Yellow Pages to find out whether there was any newspaper where I had not tried for a job. At that time I became aware of the existence of newspapers like In New Bombay, Twin City and Vashi Times in Vashi. Now I was not even aware of the fact that there was such a city called New Bombay. I thought that Vashi was the same undeveloped place which I had visited in the early eighties. But yet I decided to try to get a job in one of these Vashi newspapers. When I came to Vashi I was stunned to see the extent to which the place was developed. I got the job in the weekly newspaper 'In New Bombay' with ease. (For your information, The weekly 'In New Bombay' is today become the daily 'Newsband') After beginning to work in this newspaper I became aware of how developed Navi Mumbai was. I became aware of the opportunities that this city provided to people with talents. Gradually I fell in love with the city. This city has a great future. I won't be surprised if New Bombay becomes more developed than Mumbai in the near future simply because it is progressing with that much rapid pace. I think the main reason why this city developed so rapidly is the rapid springing up of many English schools and colleges here. Right from Vashi to Panvel, you find many English educational institutions which educate, discipline and instill right culture and morals in their students. You find the city full of cultured youngsters moving around. It is indeed a pleasant sight. I seriously think that Mumbai should take a cue from Navi Mumbai and follow the same method of development which this satellite city has adopted. If this is not done, Mumbai will find itself lagging behind Navi Mumbai one day. That's all for today. Before I bid you good bye I would like to tell you my e-mail id if you want to contact me. My e-mail id is dknewsband@rediffmail.com Bye!

My views about the film Godfather

Why did I like the film Godfather? I liked it because the film was basically about family. It highlighted the rule that one should never betray any member of one's own family. It talked about the importance of blood relations. Very rarely do we witness any person betraying his own blood. But sometimes we do come across cases where a person betrays his blood. In such a case that one person should be punished. But my question is what do you do to that family in which one person is betrayed by the entire rest of his family? Who is at fault in such a case? According to me that one person is on the right and the entire rest of his family is on the wrong. So it is the entire rest of the family, and not that one person, who needs to be punished. I know you extremely rarely get to see such a case. But if such a case does arise then that one person who is betrayed should be considered as on the right. Godfather is a movie which talks about a criminal family. But the best thing is even in a criminal family no member of that family betrays his own blood. He may betray an outsider but never his own blood. That sacred is the thing called blood relation. You find almost every person, whether in a legal or criminal family, respecting his or her own blood. There is no greater crime than back stabbing your own blood relative. It is true that in Mahabharata, blood brothers go dead against one another. One group of brothers who believed in truth, honesty and justice prevail over their opposing group of brothers who believe in lies, corruption, deceit and all the other things that are evil. The epic rightly ends with righteous Pandavas scoring the ultimate victory over corrupt Kauravas. That's all I want to tell you today. I'll pass on more thoughts and feelings of mine very soon. Till then, bye!

Dinesh Kamath's cartoons on Puno

Dinesh Kamath's cartoons on Puno

Dinesh Kamath presents pictures of My Name Is Khan

Dinesh Kamath's review of My Name Is Khan

My Name Is Khan is the film directed by Karan Johar and produced by Hiroo Yash Johar. It's a film based on reality and it has romance too. The film has Shahrukh Khan playing Rizwan Khan, the protagonist who has Asperger syndrome. Kajol plays Mandira, a divorcee with a son. She is supposed to be Rizwan's ladylove first and later becomes his wife. Tanay Chheda plays Rizwan as a child. Zarina Wahab plays Rizwan's mother while Jimmy Shergill is shown as Rizwan's brother, Zakir Khan, whose wife's role is played by Sonya Jehan. Christopher B Duncan is depicted as President Barack Obama and Yuwaan Makaar as Mandira's son, Sameer.
Rizwan Khan is suffering from Asperger syndrome which is a kind of autism. He is allergic to yellow colour and noise. He is different from normal people since he behaves in an entirely different manner. He is shown as staying in San Francisco. He comes across Mandira with whom he falls in love to such an extent that he marries her. Everything goes smooth after the marriage until the 9/11 terror attack takes place. The US cops have a suspicion that Rizwan is a terrorist. Rizwan wishes to meet President Obama to let him know that he is a Khan but not a terrorist. Rizwan's mother had once told him that there are two types of people in the world – good and bad - and that good people need not worry since nothing bad can happen to them. After the incident Rizwan has a tough time trying to win back the trust and love of his wife. The movie next depicts whether Rizwan succeeds in appeasing his wife and whether he is able to convince the world that all Muslims are not terrorists.
In the film, stress has been put more on religion bias and less on romance. The film has no masala, no cheap song and dance, and no comic relief. The film concentrates on passing a message to the audiences.
The character Rizwan is depicted in an interesting manner. He is shown as a gullible and lovable character. Shah Rukh has projected this character so brilliantly that the audiences automatically start empathizing with him. Although he is an Asperger Syndrome patient he doesn't like to be pitied. Rizwan is shown as an expert in handling and repairing any machine. He loves pebbles. Although he is loving and caring, he cannot express his emotions. He doesn't like to hug and many a time he feels the sexual urge. He feels passionate but is not able to express his feelings. He is like a computer who is terrific with facts and figures. He hates yellow colour and noise. His one wish is to meet President Obama and just tell him, “My name is Khan and I am not a terrorist.” He is shown as making his way to White House in the beginning itself but before he can reach there he becomes a terror suspect. He resided in Mumbai when he was a child. He loses his father when he is very small and after that he is brought up by his mother. It is she and Parsi teacher Wadia who spot the special talent that he possessed. There comes a time when his brother Zakir takes Rizwan to the US to stay with him and his wife, and Rizwan starts working as a salesman for his company. Although he would have loved to work with machines, he is forced to be a salesman. It is while trying to sell beauty products that he comes across his future wife Mandira and her six-year-old son Sameer. They have great time together after marriage until 9/11 occurs. Rizwan is then picked up to be treated shabbily the way other Muslims in the US were dealt with. But he happens to save people from a calamity. He happens to rescue citizens of a small town when floods hit New Orleans. Rizwan gets converted from a terror suspect to a hero with the help of media.
Kajol has made another successful comeback. She is shown as very mischievous. She appears hyper and cute. The chemistry between Shah Rukh and Kajol is simply excellent. They appeared like the best on-screen couple. Zarina Wahab has given a lovely performance although she has appeared on Big Screen after many years. Arif Zakaria plays Muslim fundamentalist in a convincing manner. Jimmy Shergill and Sonya Jehan too have played their respective characters convincingly.
Cinematography is done by renowned Ravi K Chandran and he has done an excellent job. Karan Johar has handled the sensitive subject very diplomatically. Through his film he has shown the animosity that many Americans possess not only towards Muslims and Sikhs, but also African-Americans. He opens the film with the scene depicting airport security as searching Rizwan and then moves into flashback. He has made the film to please both national and global audiences. Shibani Bhatija who wrote the story and dialogues has done a great job too. The movie has some touching scenes and it conveys many messages and does not dwell just on autism and terrorism. Editor Deepa Bhatia too has done her job like a thorough professional. Sharimishta Roy has proved that she is a good art director.
Music directors of the film are Shankar Mahadevan, Ehsaan Noorani and Loy Mendonca. Lyricist is Niranjan Iyengar. The film has six songs and their compositions are soul-stirring. The first song is Sajda sung by Rahat Fateh Ali Khan, Shankar Mahadevan and Richa Sharma. The song tugs at one's heartstrings. It is a must hear. Next is Noor-e-khuda sung by Adnan Sani, Shreya Ghosal and Shanker. It is a soft, pleasing love ballad. Shreya's voice is as sweet as honey. The next number Tere Naina is brilliantly rendered by Shafqat Amanat Ali. After that we have Rashid Ali crooning the number Allah hi rahem which has simple yet profound lyrics. It is one of the best songs of the film. Nest number is Rang de sung by Shankar and Suraj Jagan. It talks about peace, triumph and joy. The film also has a number My Name Is Khan which is a theme song by Pakistani band Strings. It is intriguing. Thus the songs and music of the film are undoubtedly above average.
Thus My Name Is Khan is another film that talks about the aftermath of 9/11 and the victimized Muslim. You must watch the film just to see how Karan Johar has made Shah Rukh Khan underplay his character like never before. The film depicts a human drama which ends in such a way that you feel good. Hence the film is really worth watching. So don't miss it.

My article on Kareena Kapoor

Kareena Kapoor, as I told you yesterday, is the queen of endorsements and one of the highest paid actresses in Bollywood.
Kareena carefully follows her diet of eating small healthy meals every two hours. There is not an extra inch on her well-toned body, but recently she was found pressing some invisible fat on her stomach and grumbling, “I've put on weight”. She was shooting for Karan Johar's adaptation of Stepmom and she looked chic even in a simple tee and casual pants. In this movie she plays a very spirited and fun-loving girl and she has a sparkling chemistry with Kajol once again. She feels that she deserves the Screen Award for the Best Actor for Kurbaan and 3 Idiots. Like every actor, even she wants an award and she starts preparing her speech well in advance.
Besides pocketing all the plum assignments in Bollywood, Kareena is also one of the biggest names in the ad world, endorsing a wide range of products from electronics to cosmetics to jewellery. Kareena loves doing ads simply because it helps her to reach out to her fans on television. Her fans can watch her on TV at home itself and they don't have to buy a ticket and go to the theatre to see her. Kareena also does ads to bag the big fat cheque that comes with them. She is thus one of the highest paid when it comes to brand endorsements. Kareena believes that every actor gets what he deserves. She also feels that an actor's price is not something to be discussed in public, though she happens to see different figures in the newspapers every day.
Like her acting assignments that she chooses with great care, Kareena is choosy about the products she endorses. Since she is a teetotaler, she doesn't endorse liquor and having turned vegetarian, no non-vegetarian stuff either. Otherwise anything and everything is welcome. She finds it a great fun to endorse different brands. She likes it when she does an ad with Saif Ali Khan since his comic timing in ads is impeccable. Kareena feels irked with the ad world when her size zero is used to promote products like pizzas and television sets. She feels good when she finds that people are influenced by her size, but except for the Sony Vaio laptop which she endorses, it annoys her when her 'size zero', a term associated with her, is used for other products. But more than endorsements, Kareena would like her name to be associated with remarkable performances, because that is what brings these endorsements to her. And she gives a damn for the number game, which she feels is decided by the media. She feels that every actor has his own space and standing. She would be happy to be known as number 10 as long as she does justice to her varied roles. Like last year, there were Kambakkht Ishq, Kurbaan and 3 Idiots and this year too, her fans will see her playing different roles. You will not see the same Kareena in any film. For Kareena it's not about doing successful films but about evolving as an actress. Kareena is all set to complete Karan Johar's film. She is doing the film Ra 1 with Shah Rukh Khan. In Agent Vinod she is paired with Saif Ali Khan and she plays a CIA agent in that film. Though two are action films she is not required to do any stunts. She has got a chance to display her histrionics in both.
She has just signed on the dotted line for Golmaal 3. Kareena's fans associate her with the Golmaal series. She doesn't let anyone take that privilege away from her. According to a source, Kareena has charged Rs 10 crore for the film and if this is true Kareena will become the highest-paid actress in the industry.
Kareena rightly refused to do Imitaz Ali's film simply because Ranbir Kapoor plays the lead role in that movie and Kareena doesn't prefer to be cast with her brother. According to Kareena, all the heroines should thank her for not being able to do the film, for that way they get a chance to work with Ranbir.
Kareena seems to be the latest actress to have shown fondness for a girl child after Sushmita Sen and Preity Zinta. She says that she would love to have a baby girl when she will start a family. Kareena's sister Karishma too has a baby girl Samaira and Kareena is very fond of her. She has got so close to her that the thought of having a daughter of her own some day has gone into her wish list.
Pankaj Kapoor is making his directorial debut with Mausam which has his son Shahid Kapoor as the lead actor. He has signed Shatrughan Sinha's daughter to play the female lead. The film was originally written by Pankaj Kapoor keeping Kareena and Shahid in mind. But after finishing the script he found the need of looking for a new leading lady for his film.
Stylish Kareena also seems to have taken to the sari as her penultimate road to looking electrifying. At many Award functions this young sexy lady has had the camera clicking away to glory at her perfectly adorned sari so as to give the audience a taste of the real Indian beauty in the real Indian graceful garment ever invented. Be it any colour from bright red to black to off white, Kareena has always managed to make all eye balls stay glued to her attractive figure.
Kareena is an ardent follower of Power Yoga. Her Yoga instructor travels along with her wherever she goes. Kareena possesses that much fascination for Yoga. She also believes that there should be a diet to follow along with the Yoga regime. She took up Yoga in so big a way because she believes that Yoga transforms people from inside and gives one a better perspective of life.
Kareena's fans will be pleased to know that she will be next on Twitter.
Kareena is going great guns as an actress and we'll have to wait and see how long she will manage to remain on top in Bollywood. She does show promise of clinging to the top position as an actress for a couple of years more and if she's lucky she'll reign as Queen of Bollywood for still longer time than that. So good luck, Kareena!

About Myself

About Myself

Today I'll tell you some things about myself. I did most of my schooling at Bandra (West). I studied in St Theresa's High School which is located between Bandra and Khar. I studied in St Theresa's Convent, Goa from 1964 to 1970. During my times we had to pursue 11 + 2 + 2 course and not 10 + 2 + 3 like the students today pursue. After my schooling I joined Parle College, which is today called Sathye College. After that I did a course in journalism at Bombay College of Journalism which was conducted at K C College at Churchgate. Although my ambition was to become a journalist I was forced to take up a job at Mumbai Customs owing to my father's demise. My father was the top intelligence officer in Directorate of Revenue Intelligence which is a kind of extension of Customs. Since he died on duty I was taken in Customs under the quota that was reserved for children of custom employees who died while on duty. I worked in Customs for around 14 years. I resigned from Customs when I was working there in capacity of a Custom Officer. After that I did a course in medical transcription and even worked in a security agency for sometimes. Then one fine day I got a big break. I got a job of a sub-editor in the weekly newspaper of Navi Mumbai. The newspaper was 'In New Bombay' which is today called Newsband and which is a daily. I made the best of that big break. I proved my worth as a daily cartoonist and columnist. Besides that I also started a brain teaser column. Today I'm still employed in Newsband and I'm doing fine. I hope that everything will go fine with me in the future too. That's all for today. I promise to write more about myself and things that interest me from time to time in the future too for the benefit of those who would want to read me. Bye!

Ekta Kapoor is my favourite

Ekta Kapoor is my favourite

As far as TV personalities are concerned, my favourite is Ekta Kapoor. I admire the way she made her way to the top in the TV world. She is rightly called Czarina of Indian Television Industry. It was not an easy task for her to achieve this position. She had to face many obstacles, hurdles and toughest competitors. Yet she managed to make it to top. Hats off to her!

My Favourites

My Favourites

My favourite Bollywood film is Yash Chopra's Deewar. My favourite Hollywood movie is Godfather. I had also liked to a great extent the film Kalyug that was made by Shyam Benegal. There was not a single technical fault as far as this film Kalyug is concerned. There was one Hollywood film that had impressed me too. The film was The Fan. It was a terrific movie. My favourite Bollywood actor is undoubtedly Amitabh Bachchan. My Favourite Hollywood actors are James Caan, Marlon Brando and Al Pacino. All these three actors had featured in the movie Godfather. The Bollywood actress who fascinates me is Aishwarya Rai. I find Karisma Kapoor extremely sexy. Her sister Kareena too is not less sexy. The Hindi film song that I can never get bored listening to is Aao huzur tumko sitaron mein le chaloon. It was Babita who sang and acted to the tune of that number on the Big Screen. What a way she acted! I've no words! I'll be passing on to you from time to time more and more views about anything that is of interest to me. So I'll be in touch with you again after sometimes. Bye!

My achievements

I've written more than 1000 movie and TV columns and created more than 2000 cartoons for my newspaper Newband which is circulated within Navi Mumbai, referred to as satellite city.

Introduction

I am a journalist employed with Newsband, a daily newspaper at Vashi, Navi Mumbai. I work as a sub-editor, columnist and cartoonist there.