KAHIHI

Rahul Gandhi should visit Hollywood instead of draught prone hinterlands of Maharashtra that he is fond of. Not because he looks like a western actor with an expressionless face and faltering dialogue delivery like Clint Eastwood, not an A class actor, but because he thinks at least to extent in Hollywoodian manner. Clint Eastwood also is movie maker.

RG said that the social schemes devised by Maharashtra were followed by the country for the welfare of the people. The phrase, aam aadmi is out of fashion?

The schemes like Co-op Movement, Panchayti Raj, Employment Guarantee Schemes, he meant. Absolutely true, though the English press has always tried to suppress such positive news in their reports as far as Maharashtra is concerned.

There is saying in Marathi – the sun doesn’t stop rising though the cock doesn’t bang. Now Rahul Gandhi’s sun has risen though may be later in the morning and at odd times.

As a son he is also pushed on the eastward horizon to rise!

Now why do I feel RG should go to Hollywood?

The Hollywood public has a habit of lifting the original stories from across the other part of the world, polish them, buff them, gloss them at an exorbitant cost and present the chakachak copy with a big bang in the world market.

One example is enough; “Seven Samurai” (Originally Japanese) of Akira Kurosawa to “The Magnificent Seven” in English. I doubt whether one fourth of the world viewers are aware of Kurosawa and how important and influential director he is.

Ditto welfare schemes devised by Maharashtra. One percent of the Indians may not know about it.

RG, lovingly (!) called Prince by some section of media also has a script in mind for his movie. The movie this time is based on eradication of corruption and may be in two parts.

Now the production scenario:

In the first part the storyline will move around the action to be taken, immediately against corruption cases. This will go on the sets soon. Lots of young actors can be considered for the leading role from his brigade. But preference will be given to those who are not from a pedigree of politicians, the dynastic leader said.

There were whispers of laughter from the attendees of the press conference.

In the earlier Marathi-Hindi bilingual production under the same banner Baba had advised to change the name. The movie bombed and hero Ashok Chavan who also did a miniscule role of a police waiting for the Prince (why? Nobody knows) under a tree was dismissed in the next production. Vilasrao (rao, in tact) was the production manager then. Gladly!

In all other productions earlier, he was the most favourite hero. However, in his efforts to push his son under another banner making a movie on terrorism on a five star backdrop was not appreciated by the production house, dismissing him from the scenario sending to a distant studio.

It is rumoured that he is being brought back. The signals are shining visibly green.

Having decided to take an ambitious plunge in Hollywood, the shaky director, though backed well on all other aspects of cinema making, is uncertain about choosing the villain.

Suddenly there is such a crop of villains like Congress grass that it has been difficult to choose the main villain. A. Raja and Thomas are the leading names. However, as per public survey by competing studios, names of our earlier two heroes are also in the race, though they are reluctant.

They have already offered them the roles of villains.

The henchmen and ruffians around the villain had no count. They are available in million, ready to do any role, like willingly throwing the administrative officers in fire. They are fed up of wielding Pt.32 revolver like Clint Eastwood in sixties, boring now.

The music director is not finalized yet. But from the script that is almost ready it seems that Nero from Rome would be the one called from the past with mainly using fiddle. Who can befit more than him when the land is burning under the black market of adulterated fuel?

There may not be any heroin in the movie. But Sushma Swaraj has a big role to play. RG, the director is not in favour to cast her. The movie pundits have however warned him to introduce her, lest the movie won’t see the midnight of the release.

The director on the visit was heard murmuring to himself aloud not to pay any attention to her. But he knows it’s meaningless.

The publicity team however is far below par. The secretaries, with nothing to tell when asked in the press conferences whether the movie is based on the real truth, bark one and all on the question callers and go back to 1998-2004 regime of the opposition party not allowing anyone to hear anything, including themselves.

India feels this stray category of publicity has already sunk the movie before going on the floor. Both the studio heads, planning and executive, are having stiff upper lips though none of them is British to do so, mostly out of fear of losing the chairs thinking of the aftermath of this venture handed over to the novice.

The sets are ready. Many court sets are under construction. Some with slanting roofs of clay tiles, resembling European court buildings. Outdoor shooting would be mostly done in Maharashtra as the thriller has the backdrop there. The foreign locations are Zurich and doubly landlocked (means where a person has to cross at least two borders to reach a coastline) alpine country Liechtenstein situated on the border of Switzerland.

Nobody knows when the movie would be completed and released or whether it would be finished at all.

In the meanwhile, Prince, the director has declared with misplaced expressions on his face, one line story of the sequel, saying - in the long run there was a need to cleanse the political system.

It would take more time than Pakeeza (14 years) by Kamal Amrohi or The Thief and The Cobbler (31) years a Canadian animation film conceived by Richard Williams based Arabian Nights, any young boy not allowed to question in his pompous Q & A programs in cities would tell.