Paramount Pictures announced that it will release Transformers only in HD-DVD format, and not Sony’s Blu-Ray format. Thats when Micheal Bay e-x-p-l-o-d-e-d, with flames flying thro his nose, he declared that he will not direct the Transformer’s sequel, in a forum post in his personal website.

"I want people to see my movies in the best formats possible. For them to deny people who have Blu-ray sucks! They were progressive by having two formats. No Transformers 2 for me!

Bay"

Bay was hailed as a hero for standing up to the Paramount Juggernaut – his David v/s Goliath struggle was digged 2000+ times.

Then, it happened – Black Suits donning dark Black glasses, descended from a hovering Black Helicopter on to his roof  – dragged him to the balcony, set his toaster and toothbrush on fire (both exploding spectacularly) - and offered him a black suitcase with undisclosed contents.

Next morning, he woke up and posted:

err… I was….ummm…. this is awkward - "I think I might be back on to do Transformers 2!"

And they named the sequel after him – The Transformer too 

$$ speaks louder than ideals.

Director Priyadarshan’s interview in Mid-Day about his new movie:

Many films on winning a lottery have been made in Bollywood over the years. Always in a lighter vein. It is Priyadarshan’s turn now to do one on this subject in his inimitable style… the way only he can handle situational comedies.

This one is called ‘Malamal Weekly’. Conceived by Priyadarshan himself. ‘Malamal Weekly’ is about a simple villager, who on hearing that he has won a lottery, is so overjoyed that he dies of a heart attack clutching the winning ticket in his hand. In a series of comic coincidences, a whole lot of people become privy to the secret and the film ends with the whole village trying to get a share of the winning lottery ticket.

Its one thing to plagiarize – but its totally not kosher to say its your idea. You are talking about Waking Ned Divine – a brilliant British film [IMDB Plot outline: "When a lottery winner dies of shock, his fellow townsfolk attempt to claim the money"]

Copying is nothing new – but it gets on my nerves when copy cats claim originality! His latest diwali release “Garam Masala” about a guy with 3 air-hostess girlfriends, is another direct lift off a french film in 1960s. When confronted in a rediff interview he says “Its a old film shot in 60s – after 25 years a film loses its copyright” – but Mr. Priyan “Walking Ned Divine” was released in 1998.

I wonder when film makers will be intellectually honest. Its not the 1950s anymore – when u can just go ahead and flick a flick and no one will know, times have changed, Indians have spread all over the world, now if you just release a single plot line – people around the world can smell your stink! Yash Chopra, Vikram Bhatt, Priyadharsan the list goes on…

News: Indian Censors advocate a Ban on smoking on screen.

Are today’s youth influenced by what they see in the Media (TV, Movies and the Videogames) ? Is Hollywood to blame ?

Well, here is a direct Q&A with Mark Taylor who survived Columbine High School Shooting where many young students were massacred.

Was there a connection between the release of the movie The Matrix and the Columbine shootings?

I fear so! I saw The Matrix at the Sony Theater in downtown Boston the first week of its release. In The Matrix, Neo is wearing a full-length black leather coat. Under the coat he has hidden an array of automatic weapons. He is also carrying duffel bags full of bombs. There are probably more bullets fired than in any previous movie. The bullets are destroying any object in sight. I don’t know what the name Neo is intended to mean.
The Columbine shooting happened the same week. From the description of the killers and the clothing they were wearing, I felt like I reading about a scene from the movie The Matrix. The Columbine killers were wearing full-length black leather coats and their weapons were hidden underneath their coats also. They were carrying duffel bags full of bombs. Had they seen The Matrix?

Maybe Matrix cannot be entirely blamed for for these twisted teens – but it does provided them with a pop culture reference point. Just as easily we can pluck out various examples from history and see how movies have played a part in our lives – Uprisings, Political vendetta, Social Values etc -even how movies were able to shape today’s Romantic symbols long before we were born.

In the early 1920′s after the World War I, Diamond makers were worried sick about the free fall in Diamond prices and that it was no longer considered rare (South African mines were producing diamonds by truckload and flooding the market). They came running to the Motion Picture industry to manipulate the public’s perception.

To romanticize diamonds required subtly altering the public’s picture of the way a man courts — and wins — a woman, they started exploiting the relatively new medium of motion pictures. Movie idols, the paragons of romance for the mass audience, would be given diamonds to use as their symbols of indestructible love. Stars were seen in umpteen photos wearing solitaire diamond rings. Even through the great depression (1929) audience tried to emulate their idols by matching their expensive lifestyle.

It goes to show how powerful media images can re-inforce entire generations. For a stone that is neither a rare, nor the toughest – infact its no tougher than a Ruby or Jade (which is infact tougher) – it holds a high place in the hearts of young women (wish my wife reads this thanks to some clever piece of subconscious marketing 2 generations back, which naturally spilled over generations and reached us, and will continue…

No matter what the actual truth is, a cross section of audiences are subconsciously mere puppets to what is projected to them. They are today’s teens. If a popular hero is shown smoking wearing a shirt collar up with boots strategically placed on a motorbike with its headlights on. You can walk out of the theater and guaranteed to see a college kid standing in a similar pose in front of a girls college. The same is true with women, you can find Kajol Saree, and Karishma Chuddihars.

But some of these perceptions maybe harmless (Cooldrinks or mobile phones), but a few of them are deadly – Guns, Murder and Smoking. Teens are particularly vulnerable as they are moving into an age where they suddenly finding themselves without a character, a void which could be easily filled by mimicking other powerful influences or on-screen persona, say a Rajini or a Neo. These disillusioned copycats think that they can magically transform overnight from zero to hero, just by emulating their hip matinee idols.

But if the industry can guarantee that mature themes (blood, violence, smoking, drinking etc) will only be viewed by mature audience (25+?) then go ahead show it to people who will not easily be swayed – but spare the teens and youth by strictly enforcing the underage Certifications. Or maybe there should be an untold rule that at least Heroes don’t smoke, so that a negative trait firmly in place for the act.

There is a reason why a Shah Rukh Khan can sell 1000s of Santro’s by posing near it, or a Sachin can boost Boost. We are a nation who follow celebrities like demi-gods (in some cases Gods) – be it good or bad.

But all said and done this Ban will not produce immediate effects on our youth – but our kids will thank us.

Today I came across an article being discussed in LazyGeek’s blog. The Outlook article (link) talked about the hypnotized slumber the Indian audience are being subjected to, diminishing their capacity to perceive & recognizing quality. The article touched upon certain valid points and missed others completely.

To recognize that there is a problem is the first step in trying to solve a problem. Being labeled cynical or intellectual is fine – but it takes a pair of good eyes to recognize diamonds among glasses, so if you are happy with the way public art is being fed to you – fine, but as an artist (tho a different medium) it pains me to see this decline. Here are a few statements thrown at those who try to comment on the dismal state of this wonderful medium.

1. Filmmaking is a form of Escapist entertainment and about business not to further art form

   I disagree – but I have to used this cliched but valid argument – ‘who is to say that alternative films have to be boring ? ‘ Anything as long as we don’t see reused templates – we need bold experiments like science fictions, fantasy magicals, short films, experimentals, simple emotional stories, reflections and pure entertainers. But before you point out that any good literature is a template (Hero overcomes odds to win a moral goal), by template I mean the same characters/structures/introduction scenes/seductive songs at regular intervals as you see in any Vijay/Vikram movie.

   You may ask why do we need to change when we like what we see ? When we are always fed with fodder, we can never appreciate or even comprehend and savor the good taste of a gourmet food. I am certainly not talking about so called ‘art’ films where you watch a old man wash his face for 20mins. What I mean by ‘Art’ – is films which break the monotonous ‘routines’ and redefines the audience palette.

   I certainly have been guilty of enjoying certain masala films – Kaakka Kaakka, Mumbai Xpress, purely as a form of entertainment. But that alone can never enrich the audience – its like a diet of eating only sugar – always sweet and as a kid you love it – but does that mean its good for you ?

   To enrich, educate, sway, narrate, excite and open the eyes of the audience – these are just a few possibilities of cinema, which is and always will be as a mass medium. They should be responsible gate keepers dishing out a balanced diet – not to always give out bubble gums and sugar candies.

2. You don’t go to a Circus to learn about life or enrich your life, you go there to see elephants ride bicycles.

   Yes, you don’t – but the medium of cinema is a socially responsible medium, and not merely an entertainment medium. If you see the history you will notice cinematic medium used to elict revolutions and as a propaganda machinery. Elephants riding bicycles don’t do that. But cinema has degraded so much that you could be forgiven for making such analogy.

The 80s, 90s brought in the bubble gum culture – mindless sugary stuff – which didn’t do any good to refine the audience taste, but just kept feeding dope regularly. Now audience is addicted, they don’t want anything new or better – they want their dose of sugar.

But it is heartening to see a few experimental movies up North (I am NOT talking about over hyped Kadal or Black). Changing the mindset of a generation takes time – but someone somewhere has to take the first stab.