On International television, at the premier Oscar Awards Ceremony: Interviewer: “I will give you thirty seconds… What message do you have for the Indians? What do you have to say to the audience back home?” Anil Kapoor: “We love you all, we love Mumbai, we love My response: What the heck?! Amidst the pride that Rahman and Pookutty have brought upon Next question for a Million Dollars: Amongst all the categories of people who divide the Nation, who is the most dangerous? Answer: None of the above! The most dangerous are the insensitive idiots vested with the power of changing minds of others, like Our Hero, Anil Kapoor, and the other is the Common Man err.. Not to antagonise any group.. Common Man/Woman. Are we one hundred percent sure of the answer? Oh yes! Here is why: I was standing there, watching television, all goose-bumpy having heard Rahman bagged two Oscars and Pookutty bagged one, when Our Hero, Anil Kapoor came up with that brilliant message for “Indians”!! Er… I wonder if that message was incomplete… It talked about Indians in Mumbai first, then mentioned Indians in That was Our Hero. Now I will address the Common Man/Woman. When the awards were announced, I was overwhelmed and immensely proud… Two Indians finally bagged the much coveted and perennially evasive Oscar Statuettes. It took a couple of minutes to register… Indians at the Oscar… not as audience, not just as Nominees, as the Winners! Wow, that is making History. “Pookutty is a Mallu. He’s from Kerala! In fact, he is from Kollam!” Er… what?! So, he’s a Keralite, now what? Has Rahman ever been looked at as a Tamilian? He is the face of brilliant music. He is the Guru of Bollywood, Tollywood, you name it. He took And here we are thinking that it is our politicians and the Government and miscreants and Shiv Sena and God knows who else who are creating the unseen divide in the Nation. It is disheartening to see that it is the highly respected, reputed and popular figures like Our Hero Anil Kapoor, and the well read, experienced, soon-to-be-Global Managers who create the dividing lines. I really think it is time we stop cribbing. It is time we changed. Not as far as how Jai Hind!
The Anti-Indian at the Oscars!
Posted by
Cauvery Kesavasamy
at
Tuesday, 24 February 2009
13 pieces of wisdom:
I know u r going to kill me for this.. but i found your post hilarious.. I don't know why.. Anil Kapoor seems like a funny man :D :P You behave quite like me.. I came to realize the hard way that blog is perhaps not the place to vent your feelings :D Take it from a person who deleted one blog coz it got too personal and is on the verge of deleteing another :D:P
JAI HO!! ;) :P
We won't change dear. We are frigging border-frenzied citizens. We'll fight with Pak for India, with UP & Karnataka for Mah & TN, with Nashik & Pune for Mumbai, with Vashi & Borivali for Dadar, with XYZ society for ZYX Society and finally with Mr. Kulkarni for Mr. Deshpande. We are people with no imagination and no love for this world.
And I recommend you vent your feelings on the blog - it is a better place to do that than people!!:D
Np offence!!
Hey CK
These things you have mentioned seems pretty trivial to me. My option is that why should we make a huge hue and cry about all this. Its for the individual to chose whether he wants to be considered an Indian or mumbaite or mallu or whatever. At then end of the day the entire world know that the winners are Indians. So lets move on and not get bugged by all these petty matters.
Jai Hind!!
@Akila: :) am keeping my blog! :P
@Raman: what a surprise! :) thanks for visiting my blog! How have you been?
Well said... :) that might be very true... like Amartya Sen said: from a global perspective, even nationalism is regionalism...!
@Darshan: To each his own.. I feel a little more agitated with such hypocrites as mentioned in the blog than most people would. What better place than here to tell the world what I think? :)
What's trivial to one, may not be trivial to another... that is atleast one take home from CB... :)
In the marketers perspective we understand that Subculture and its an oppurtunity out in there to sell products specific to those subculture people. but wait a sec, its not the point discussed here right? In my opinion our hero is not the embodiment of normal man, not even bollywood where 'feels' he belong to. and the matters becomes complex when wise men like u and me react to these bull****. so better remember two rules...
1. "silence is golden"
2. the golden rule "ONE WHO HAS GOLD MAKE RULES"
To be Indian is a complex thing. Not easily understood. So when a malayali muslim of dravdian origin says proudly holding the oscar that he comes from a country, a civilization that gave the world the primal sound 'Aum', the same Aum in the scriptures of the Aryans, or when the devout Hindu prostrates headlong at the Haji Ali Dharga in Mumbai, I think thats where the essence of being Indian is. Not to debate on the aryan invasion theory or other things here, being Indian is an emotion of oneness - How my identity blends seamlessly with yours.
I agree with Cauvery on this one. Only the awareness that we are but one will save us from a greater and fatal divide.
Jai Hind
tis sad :(
its more a case of short-sightedness than anything else, on anil kapoor's part. Being who he is, he should be responsible enough to project himself to the indian public and the foreign people in a much better manner. its time these people realised that they are brand ambassadors for something much much larger than themselves and became much more responsible.
i love the way you write... it makes me feel part of your writing....
and yes its true what you said, its sad how we Indians seggregate each other on the basis of language, region, caste, creed and even gender... and as you said this is not just a case with celebrities but common people like us, who are the responsible ones for this condition...
bravo girl for raising a voice!
I think this words must have been uttered at the moment of time and not to be take v. seriously.
We have the history to see if he is the same or...
One incident donot decide the nature of a person.
I feel more positive thoughts can be added to the site.Good happenings around us,at our home,at our collage , within friends etc...
Spreading optimism, good thoughts,happy moments( which is less seen or heard these days) is better.
Good luck
@Anoop: thank you, Mr. Marketer! :)
@KK: Thanks Mr. Patriot! The nation could do with a few more like you :)
@Feynman(siva): Thanks da. You said it! The essence lies in your lines. A person of such stature(not talking abt AK's calibre as an actor at all.. but for what he represents at the Oscars) cannot afford to make thoughtless statements! Thanks again!
@Mamta: Thanks dear! Not just for your feedback, but for also being one of the important sources of support and inspiration for writing it in the first place! :)
@Satya (uncle): Thanks for reading the blog and giving me valuable feedback. :) There are nice things in the world too, but "I" cannot ignore 'creatures' like AK and what he dishes out as a citizen in the international arena... :) I shall write about more pleasant things soon :)
good but...anyways its k leave it. but its k for anil to say all that, lets think it this way...why do we have to judge what they say why can't we be content that he is an Indian after all and the glory is India's eventually be it Rahman or Rosul.lets not fret on what people say but try believing what is true after all.
People won't change only we can! one by one we can...
Its indeed disheartening, I don't understand this concept of regionalist or religious sentiments, the closed user groups which they form and constant fight/bickery among these.
In a BIG stage like what he was in Anil Kapoor must have chosen his words well.WTH! OK agreed he is quite popular in "Amichi Mumbai" But in that stage, the most important thing was our country! He was addressing our nation, representing our country and all he comes up with is Mumbai and Maharastra. SHAME! Shame indeed. Shame on him, shame on everyone responsible for these kind of activities, shame on people and media who add to this.
"Let us begin at home, Let it begin with us" - Liked that, else we'll be adding to the ever growing pile of shame that we've accumulated.
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