Author: Pran Kurup

Pran Kurup is founder and CEO of Vitalect, Inc.

Deepak Chopra on Rush Limbaugh

Interesting piece by Deepak Chopra. I am sure Rush will return the favor if he hasn’t already.

I know people who listen to Limbaugh every morning. They don’t believe a word he says. They deplore his rhetorical sins. They detect the whiff of hypocrisy. Basically, they tune in out of sheer incredulity.

Rush Limbaugh is dead weight when it comes to finding a solution to anything. Like Sarah Palin, his spiritual bride, he lurks in the shadow of the human psyche, expressing the dark anger, resentment, jealousy, and vindictiveness that society can never escape. And yet, the next time you tune into Limbaugh’s censorious circus of insensitive scurrility, give him a kind thought. As far back as Mark Twain, the American character has been ornery. We secretly love rascals, bank robbers, tricksters, swindlers, hell raisers, and outlaws.

I am sure Rush will return the favor if he hasn’t already. Dr. Chopra’s heated exchange with the WSJ after the Mumbai riots  was a response to criticism against him, but this time around, he seems to have made the first move. In these difficult times I guess spiritual gurus can’t help but reach out!

Pakistan: The Mess Is Complete

The recent attack on the Sri Lankan cricket team was final confirmation that Pakistan is in a complete mess. The civilian government that has no clue about how and where to take the country.  (It does appear that Pakistan under Musharraf was more stable or at least seemed so from the outside?) Pakistan’s border area with Afghanistan has been virtually run over by terrorists. The opposition is desperate to destroy the Zaradari government given the recent court ruling against the Sharief brothers. The Pakistani government’s investigation against the mindless attack in Mumbai has neither appeased the Indians nor helped assuage the growing universal belief that Pakistan is the world’s leading breeding ground for terrorism.

After Australia, West Indies and more recently India withdrew plans to tour Pakistan, Sri Lanka gave Pakistan a chance to redeem itself and prove to the cricketing world that the country was safe at least for sports. To say that Pakistan blew this opportunity is an understatement. With this recent security lapse, cricket in Pakistan with visiting foreign teams is virtually dead for the foreseeable future. It is laughable to imagine Pakistan co-hosting the 2011 Cricket World Cup. Under these circumstances the Pakistan Board’s earlier decision to deny its players a chance to participate in the IPL league seems that much more silly and short sighted. The Government of India seems to have made the perfectly right choice by calling off the Pakistan tour. Its downright scary to imagine the the public reaction in India had its cricket team been attacked on Pakistan soil. What I find surprising though is the little that is being asked of the Sri Lankan government by its media. What was the Sri Lankan goverment thinking when it agreed to tour Pakistan?

India has been crying itself hoarse about Pakistan’s involvement in cross border terrorism and about terrorist camps across Pakistan. Lahore was considered one of the better and safer cities in Pakistan. A blatant attack on a touring team happening in one of the better cities of Pakistan is a sure sign of a worsening law and order situation across the country. Where does Pakistan go from here?  Well, a good start would be to stop being in denial and accept that the situation in Pakistan is dire, getting worse by the day and worthy of immediate attention of the world.  Next, Pakistan must kiss goodbye to the Kashmir issue at least until it can get its house in order. It must go the extra step of making peace with India by handing over the terrorists responsible for the Mumbai attacks to India and preventing further acts of cross-border terrorism. Most importantly, it must not hesitate to seek international assistance in dismantling terrorist camps across the country no matter how unpopular the step might be. The Obama administration has indicated its plan to pull out of Iraq. Meanwhile, it is critical for the US to simultaneously develop a sensible Pakistan strategy (perhaps in cooperation with India) before it is too late.

Cel Cab: Taxi Service in India

I used the Cel Cab Taxi service in India recently and I must admit I was impressed. Here is how it works. You call up a number and tell them when you want a cab and where you need to go. They get your address and phone number. It is as simple as that.

A few minutes (say about 20 minutes) before the arrival of the taxi you receive an SMS giving you the Taxi’s ETA (estimated time of arrival). The Taxi turns up and drives you to your destination. An hour or two later your receive an SMS seeking your feedback on the service!

Jon Stewart on CNBC/Rick Santelli

Check out Jon Stewart making fun (and this is to put it mildly) of Rick Santelli and the rest of Financial News networks.

It takes a late night comic show to point out that the US financial sector is in such severe turmoil despite the supposed scrutiny of 24×7 financial news networks. If these networks were all full of knowledge, analysis and insights like they claim, how come the crisis on Wall Street came about despite their supposed careful scrutiny?

Obama’s Speech: Reading Between the Lines

Check out this article that tries to decipher the true meaning of President Obama’s pseudo state of the union address. As always, he gave a terrific speech. In a time of crisis of confidence, President Obama did well to return to his core strength – giving inspirational speeches.

Bobby Jindal’s speech in contrast was quite a disaster — lack-luster and flat. The Republicans can’t seem to reach beyond tax cuts. The centre piece of Governor Jindal’s message was about Katrina and the failure of government, knowing fully well that the Republicans controlled both the White House and the Congress for most of the last eight years!

Balaji’s Return A Welcome Sign

The selectors in a surprise move replaced the injured Munaf Patel with the “smiling assassin” Laxmipathi Balaji. This move is no doubt remarkable for so many reasons. Most importantly, it is a sign that domestic performances count for selection to the national team. Balaji has performed exceptionally in the domestic circuit and has worked his way back to the team.

Secondly, its a welcome sign than those who have performed at the highest level of the game are not ignored when they are hit by major injuries. After a fine performance on the Pakistan tour a few years back, the promising Balaji has struggled to get back from his injury and prove that he is capable of still performing at the international level. There was no question that he had the promise and the potential. Unfortunately, he was hit by major injury and has been in the wilderness for the last three years (barring his performance in the IPL). Coming back after being away from the game for a long time is a challenge in itself. Being constantly ignored can make it worse. The selectors and captain Dhoni deserve credit for recognizing Balaji’s return to reckoning.

Last but not the least it keeps the current crop of fast bowlers in the Indian team on their toes, knowing that the bench strength is constantly knocking on the doors. I can’t remember the last time when India had a fast bowling bench strength of the likes of R.P. Singh, Sreesanth, Gony, Umesh Yadav, to name few.

Interesting take on the Satyam Scandal

Check out this article. The author thinks that the current Andhra CM has a lot to do with the Satyam scandal.

Scandals always erupt close to the centre of power, and in the Congress the effective state power is the Andhra CM.

Beyond this he also makes some interesting suggestions including a call for a Presidential form of government. Wonder if this is just the beginning of renewed call for the Prsidential form of government.

Slumdog Millionaire: Where Bollywood Meets Hollywood

Title: Slumdog Millionaire

Starring: Dev Patel, Anil Kapoor, Irfan Khan, Freida Pinto

Director: Danny Boyle

I found Vikas Swarup’s  book Q&A to be extremely creative and entertaining.  The film Slumdog Millionaire  builds on the main theme of the book, but it veers off to accommodate hordes of “masala” like car chases, sentimental scenes, stunt sequences, gun shots, the typical Bollywood hero and heroine exchanging looks (with romantic music playing in the background) while a train rushes between them, etc. You get the idea.

The script is full of holes and ranges from extreme exaggeration (the jump through feces to pick up Amitabh Bachhan’s autograph!) to utterly senseless (the host of the quiz show played by Anil Kapoor ridiculing the participant instead of putting him at ease).  In short, the film does no justice to the book whatsoever, but was instead focused entirely on its box office elements.

Dev Patel, the lead actor’s British accent, and the policeman, slum dwellers and menacing goons speaking in English all appear completely out of place for a film set in Mumbai. Freida Pinto (the film’s female lead)  might have a good Bollywood career ahead of her, provided she is open to taking some Hindi lessons. The film is essentially like a typical fast-paced Bollywood film  with plenty of the conventional mix of action, drama, melodrama, love and suspense, but all in English. In other words, it is an “out and out masala.” Nevertheless, it is certainly watchable. Could it have been made more authentic and hence more watchable? Sure, but it might not have hit the mainstream like it seems to have done now.

The commercial success of the film in the US and across the world has some very interesting implications for the film business in general. Western filmmakers have been trying hard to enter Bollywood of late (Sony with Saawariya, Disney with Roadside Romeo, Warner Brothers with Chandni Chowk to China, to name a few) but with little success to date. At the same time, Bollywood film makers have been trying to make films targeted at the NRI audience (Karan Johar’s endless string of eye-candies set in the US, Yash Chopra’s feel goodies etc.). Making Bollywood films with an eye on Hollywood has so far been considered too much of a stretch. The success of Slumdog Millionaire changes this mindset on its head. It opens up a thus far unexplored commercial avenue for Bollywood – the true desi masala starring the likes of Shahrukh Khan, Hrithik Roshan, Kamalhasan, Rajnikanth, Aishwarya Rai, Deepika Padukone etc., made in English by the likes of Mani Ratnam, Shankar, Ashutosh Gawarikar, and so on, but targeted at the western audience (as opposed to just the NRI crowd). Slumdog Millionaire’s success proves that the world universally craves and embraces masala themes. If it is packaged right, a commercial home run is there for the asking, not to mention Golden Globes and possibly Oscars.

The thought of Rajnikanth appearing on screen and American men and women screaming, whistling and throwing dollars and cents at the screen, or the day when Shah Rukh Khan hits the talk show circuit in the US prior to the release of his next bilingual (Hindi and English) blockbuster is no longer far fetched. This will be the true globalization of commercial cinema. The makers of Chak de India and Swades (two movies that come to mind right away) should surely consider releasing their films in English, minus any song and dance…well maybe not, if you consider the commercial success of Mama Mia. Rajnikanth’s next film Endhiran, originally titled Robot, also starring Aishwarya Rai, in the tactful hands of commercial super director Shankar would be another candidate to give an English release a shot.

Bollywood owes director Danny Boyle for setting the stage for Bollywood’s foray into Hollywood. With this film, he has paved the way for bridging the gap between Hollywood and Bollywood. It is up to Bollywood to take the cues and build on it.