my cousin sent me this birthday greeting that I want to share :
“as j.krishnamurti says ‘the roots of heaven are in living and dying’ so birthdays are important as a reference point of the great illusion of time.
Birthday/Marrakech film festival/Milos Foreman
Just wanted to thank everyone that have posted birthday wishes to me on this blog, on my e mail and via text. I spent my birthday on a flight to London, on my way to Marrakech. Where I am on the jury of the film festival. The chairman of Jury is Milos Foreman, who has made some of my all time favourite films…..
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The builder
Came out from “Jazz by the Bay’, a club in Mumbai, into Marine Drive. Called the ‘Queens Necklace’, this area is among the most desirable and expensive real estate in Mumbai. Was approached by a really old bent and gnarled woman begging for some money. I asked her where she came from. ‘Sholapur’ she said, but had been in Mumbai for longer than she can remember. She left her village in search of food and a better life. A better life ?…..
Hollywood vs Bollywood ?
I took part in the NDTV debate and realized we were not talking about the same things. The medium and the technology may be the same, but the culture, both of viewing and of creating are completely different. Our films satisfy a completely different need from our audiences, Over the last 50 years they have developed into a completely different culture than the West. It had become fashionable to compare the two and also fashionable to revile Indian Cinema in the context of the west .. till ..
Golden Age/Divinity/History/Desire
Once when I was discussing the film with Cate Blanchett I showed her a DVD that I, along with some really great artists, had created. I was looking to see if I could create a visual script rather than a written script. . I love music and visuals in a film and feel that a film needs as minimum dialoge as possible. Looking back on films of mine that have succeeded, I notice that in those I never struggled with long pages of dialogue. Anyway Cate Blanchett saw the Budha DVD and immedietly said ‘ U are trying to tell the story of Buddha through Elizabeth !! ….
A time to listen
Where do u pick up a lost conversation ? Have not blogged for so long. So much to talk about. So much adventure. So much to share. Don’t know where to start. Maybe someone else should start ? Maybe it is time for me to listen. shekhar
Ballroom Dancing in Beijing
So you thought China was alll about economic growth ? Early every morning at the beautiful gardens at the Temple of Heaven, these people come to learn and practice ballroom dancing. The wonderful thing is there are actually no class distinctions. One a retired fashion designer, one an ex- factory worker, one an internet entreprenuer, a bus driver too. One thing brings them together. The love of ballroom dancing.
virtual reality and the human touch. Open Forum
No doubt, virtual reality will change the way behave, as will social networking across the various internet platforms. We will be more connected, more communicated, more informed, more educated and in many ways more aware. This minds of this interactive networked generation will develop far faster than ours did. Thats all good news ? Or are we missing a beat here ? All this connectivity/interactivity /social interaction is done through the computer screen, not in person. Where you can hide behind an avatar, an alias.. Discover game playing, learn social behavior, but where u can remain anonymous, or just switch yourself or the other entity off when it gets uncomfortable. Or plain bored. Are we developing into a society that no longer possesses skills for real life relationships ?
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China immigration
I landed in China expecting a long wait at immigration. Surely this must be one of the most security conscious and bureaucratic regimes in the world ? Think again. As the immigration officer stamped my passport, 4 lights came on, asking me to press one. Whether I was completely satisfied , somewhat satisfied, not satisfied or completely dissatisfied with the service ! Since I walked through in exactly a minute, guess which one I pressed ? Now imagine the same lights flashing at immigration in NY after your retina has been flashed and your fingerprint been taken. Shekhar
Flying Kites in Tiananmen Square
Beijing is full of surprises. Walking back to Raffles Hotel I pass the walls of the Forbidden City and into Tiananmen Square and look up into the night sky. Maybe a hundred kites. Some so far into the night sky that you could see them only by their twinkling lights. Twinkling lights on a Kite ? Oh yes, trust the Chinese to come up with that one. So here I am in Beijing determined to soak in as much of the cultural past as possible. I know about China’s explosive economic growth. It’s everywhere … but oh yes, Beijing is full of cultural surprises …..