Rockstar- Movie Review

The story is about this music junkie Janardhan aka Jordan (Ranbir Kapoor) searching for inspiration in life, as he aspires to make it big like Jim Morison. How he is mesmerised by this beau monde girl (Nargis Fakhri), his journey with her, by the time she gets into a wedlock  (depicted most picturesquely). Then how their dream of celebrating life together becomes a sticky obsession. They do meet again in Prague, Europe. This time to leave each other even more withered, to the point of being sick.

The movie deals with the emotional churnings of this character Jordan (initially depicted as a rustic, affable Haryanvi lad).  His fear, his cravings, his seething anger. The story glides over these emotions mingled by metaphoric shots, like the one where at midnight Jordan stands in a narrow city lane looking upwards, at the cusp of being destroyed in life or making it big. Other characters are almost irrelevant (at this point), probably present just for their humor.

This brings me to the style of storytelling used by Imtiaz. It oozes with a series of montages and flash sequences. Since it is narrated largely with multiple musical renditions, the cut-back, juxtaposed visuals seamlessly intertwine with the storyline. Add to this a clinical and spirited editing and the story is engrossingly fast.

Cinematography wise, the movie is sprinkled with fascinating shots of Delhi, Prague, and Kashmir. Shots which are not merely placed for the sake of having them but convey the scene enthrallingly. Like the kiss scene, where amidst the urge and hesitation there is a gloomy but captivating panorama with fluttering grass.

It seems the story is a cinematic experience, a sort of cinematic ode we can say, so there is little significance given to the plotlines as such. Hence, there is a distinct character disconnect which the audience might feel. At points they might wonder why the character is so out of sorts and angry.

Perhaps, this is a deliberate disinclination. Not to dwell, whip-up the details of the plots, and justify them with banal dialogues. Why not simply depict in the form of a juxtaposed musical narrative? Not totally ill appropriate one might say, considering the title of the movie is Rockstar.

Likewise, at points it seems that the character is not aware what his future holds (and later, all of it might come as a shock to him) like when he goes for his friend’s wedding to Kashmir, all to bid her goodbye. But it isn’t so. Actually, Jordan the ‘Rockstar’ yearns for pain in his life, after all this should inspire him and it does, by driving him haywire. “Jab tak takleef na ho life mein , tabh tak koi bada nahi banta”. So, he keeps on pursuing this girl, but somewhere realising subconsciously (deep inside) that it would leave him marooned

Yet, for the audience it doesn’t pan that way; as it suddenly experiences the piercing pain, which ruptures when Jordan meets this girl again in Prague, after two years.

However, eventually when the couple manage to get back together (this time in India) after their wretched time in Prague, it irks. This time, because of the displeasing gaze of the world. The last few minutes again consist of juxtaposed images coupled with the musical score of “Nadaan Parindey”, in which some sort of solace is envisioned by Jordan .

Evidently, the movie’s founding lay on its music; there was no room for mediocrity. And it is unusually heart wrenching and very much tranquil where needed.

  With a serene poetic closure, the story leaves an inspirational bitter-sweet impression on the viewers.  Closure it is with a soothing Rumi quote, which highlights reasonable reconciliation, “There is a field very far away from here, I will you meet you there.”

The end of the movie seemed to be a tough line to toe for Imtiaz, considering the taste of Indian masses, who vehemently dislike any demise of the protagonists. Nevertheless, he just about manages to get through with what would should an ideal end (keeping in mind his artistic form of expression).

Land Act, 1894- Dagger in the garb of Development

Written in May-2010

There has been a flurry of amendments and Acts that have been bought by the UPA government since it came to power. Some of the landmark ones like the NREGA are proving pivotal in changing the dynamics of rural India. In all the gaga over reforms, a very pertinent amendment to the Land Act 1894 has been continuously pushed under the carpet all this while. Surprisingly, the draconian Act is barely under much discourse in the political circles or the media. When it is, it only highlights from capitalist perspective of ‘dragging land acquisitions slowing industrial growth’.

Farmers on a hunger strike at Tappal-Aligarh (Yamuna Expressway)

An amendment to this Law can well change, the present marauding form of development taking place across the country. This colonial legacy gives the state to annex any piece of land in the garb of ‘development’. This piece of land can also be transferred or gifted by the state to any private company, if it can somehow be regarded for ‘public purpose’.

An amendment to the bill has been repeatedly shelved in the past two years after facing opposition many sides even within the Govt. ranks. Last year even after the cabinet approval, the Bill could not be passed in the Parliament.

However,  now the government owing to mounting pressure of delay in ‘development projects’, has finally worked on a possible final draft of an amendment to this Law and on the related ‘Resettlement and Rehabilitation Bill’ and  it might well table it in the next session of the Parliament  .Unfortunately, the proposed amendments give some overriding powers to the State. These powers to a large extent circumvent the intervention of courts in cases pertaining to land acquisition, claim and displacement; instead a proposed body which can be chaired by bureaucrats will weigh the merits of all disputes related to the land acquisition. One such proposed body will be formed under the National Development and Resettlement and Rehabilitation Commission, having sweeping powers to “dispose of all petitions of resettlement and rehabilitation”.

Although, now the state would not be able acquire 100 percent land for a private company, it remains unclear if it would still be able gift land. Further, the state can still acquire 30% of the land for the company (under the 70:30 clause) if the State finds it ‘useful to the general public’ (changed from ‘public purpose’). Using this utterly vague term to gauge the merits of an industry conveniently opens it up for the choicest of interpretations.

While, there will be a provision of a socio-economic impact assessment(which can veto a project), but with a loop hole of being applicable only in case of a negative assessment, encompassing at least 400 families in plain areas and at least 200 in tribal/hilly areas. Also, people displaced by the private company (on the other 70% of the land) will not be under the purview of any ‘resettlement & rehabilitation’, this would be left to the discretion of the private body.

 Another addition is the clause Section 17(1) of the legislation under which, in case of ‘urgency’, land can be acquired by the government within 15 days of the publication of a notice. The term emergency is undefined here; this clause also, gets-around the need for any socio-economic impact assessment. 

Besides, the new legislation remains mum on a capped agricultural land acquisition for the industry. We are facing a deepening crisis of stagnant food production levels, so a safeguard for the fertile land resource is a must.

Altogether, the new legislations have a prism view of looking at all aspects of land acquisition and leave allot of room for being abused. Thus, it is more likely that the state guided by its neo-liberal -hunger for growth-policy, even with proposed amendments is marching to the tunes of the capitalist lobby.

Here, it is interesting to note that the Govt., has been repeatedly harping on a two-pronged strategy (of development and combat) to deal with the Naxallite menace. Nevertheless, what remains unanswered and un-questioned by the media, is how the State can manage to deal with development of Naxallite affected areas with such archaic land- laws in place. As is known the Naxallite movement mainly finds its roots among the Tribals and the peasants, both of who have been repeatedly been denied land rights.

Such proposed Laws will obviously alienate ever more people especially since they largely fail to accommodate human side of any displacement; the rising Naxalism threat should only be used as an opportunity by the government to be bipartisan in upholding rights of the people and safeguarding national resources.

Present Mess

Even the much publicized Forest Dwellers Act 2008, has been largely rendered ineffective owing to resistance and ineffectiveness of the district administrations. Sometimes, even to the extent of being misused against the Tribal’s .For example in the POSCO project many hundred acres of land that was brazenly snatched away by calling it govt. forest land , had actually been under cultivation of the Tribals   some of who have inhabited the place since the past century. Under Section 4 ( C ) of the Tribal Act it is clearly mentioned that any forest dweller, Tribal can have Land right over piece of forest land if he has been a inhabitant of the place for more than 3 decades . In another case of Gujrat, a Tribal rights activist who was spearheading an awareness campaign of the Forest Dwellers Act was arrested by Police on alleged charges of being a Naxxalite sympathizer   .

There are countless cases of land grabbing (by the state or in conjunction with state) through the present Land Act. Two prominent pending cases -which have been delayed owing to stiff resistance from the people- are that of the upcoming Ganga Expressway project coming up in UP and the Nirma Cement Plant in Saurashtra (coastline Gujarat). The Ganga Expressway project runs through several thousand hectares of fertile land (these flood plains receives alluvial soil from the Ganges), which according to some estimates constitutes 70% of the total land that would be acquired for it. While, the Nirma Cement plant is being set up on a public land demarcated for a rainwater check-dam, which would affect fresh water supply  of thousands villagers in the region. What makes these cases disturbing is the unbending support by the State at the cost of its own people; the government of Gujarat is versus its own people in the courts to make sure that land is allotted to Nirma.

Moreover, irrevocable damage has already taken in many cases including two publicized cases of the POSCO, where even after five years of struggle a final pitiable compensation (of two lakh rupees per acre, for a project which is costing two lakh crore rupees) is offered to the Tribals on whose land the project is coming up .On the other hand the Govt. has squarely failed, to rehabilitate most of the displaced villagers of the Narmada dam even after two years.

WAY OUT

In order to clear the mess arising in such cases, a very essential step is to define the much exploited myth of ‘development’. Whose problems will be addressed by a particular industrial project and to what extent? Should priority be given to the locals or the larger social good of the country?

What constitutes development for a group of people? Isn’t it something very arbitrary, especially when you ask a Tribal or an urbanite?   Who decides what kind of development will be beneficial to the locals, and most importantly do they need it at all?  The lopsided notion that is made-out by proponents of industrialization that any so called industry ‘can bring prosperity to the region’ is most repugnant and should be brushed aside all together. Instead of blindly imposing industries on the weak, or simply colluding with the industrialists (all in the name prosperity), the government should engage in a very closely monitored unbiased social-economic assessment of each and every industrial project.

Only in a few cases the people (land-givers) have been made partners in the so called development of the area; which at the least can include, allotting shares of the company, assured jobs, health and education.

Nevertheless, even providing sufficient paying jobs is difficult because many of the industry related job require skilled labor. Yet, it should be made clear, that just paying the appropriate market price for the land is not sufficed; as they also snatch a livelihood with the land.

Ironically, one of the compensation model that was probably more equitable, of the now controversial and delayed Jindal Steel plant Midnapur District of West Bengal. Where they had offered free shares, equal to the cost of land being sold, besides payment of full value of land and employment to one member of each family after providing free training, health care facilities .

So the compensation has to be more than just right ‘market price’ for the resources,; especially if we equate the reoccurring obscene profits a company stands to make from a particular project, with the paltry compensations. At the least, the company should to make sure that the displaced families have sustainable running source of income as well.  

There are clear provisions even in the present Law, to approach the Court in case of unsatisfactory compensation. Nonetheless, getting the right ‘market price’ for the land remains a big tussle for the farmer’s; this especially holds true in the case of many Govt. related projects. The Farmers, usually mange to bargain only when they have strength of numbers and stand united. It is said capitalism gives the right to market forces to determine the price.

Hence, instead of just giving pugnacious remarks after every attack (in Naxallite affected areas), the government must also be more vocal; to specifically point out what developmental efforts the government plans to undertake. Both media and political debates are vociferously debating about the use of aircrafts, why haven’t they, till date rake on which instruments of development be most suited to these regions. The best tools in dousing Naxallism instead of fighter planes or superior armory, which can be brought about with effective implementation of the Tribal Act (which is being vehemently denied), along with a nonpartisan amendment to the Land Act.

However it is heartening to mention that the Supreme Court in a recent landmark ruling on a litigation from Karnataka, has at least acknowledged the wide spread discrimination under Land Act, in acquisitions across the country. These lines of the ruling succinctly convey allot, “Where the beneficiaries of acquisition were private individuals, there was a general feeling among the land losers that their land was taken away to benefit other classes of people. This would amount to robbing Peter to pay Paul; that their land is given to others for exploitation or enjoyment, while they are denied their land and their source of livelihood. When this grievance and resentment remains unaddressed, it leads to unrest and agitations. The solution is to make the land losers also the beneficiaries of acquisition so that the land losers would not feel alienated but would welcome acquisition.”

Man-animal conflict-Corbett's case

During the past few years cases of man-animal conflict  are on a rise across our National Parks and Tiger Reserves. Below I share a typical case of mishandling of a ‘man-eating cat’ in Corbett National Park of Uttarakhand, based on media reports and personal visits to the region.  Although, there is a grave poaching threat looming on the region's big cats, here our focus will be the former problem.

• Nov-Dec: 3 mid-aged women killed in separate incidents in the Sunderkhal village (an illegal settlement)  located on the eastern boundary of Corbett Tiger Reserve. For various reasons authorities are unclear about the gender of the big cat that killed the victim right up till the 3 death.

• Dec 30:Govt. finally declares the feline a man-eating tigress and issues shoot at sight orders. Conservationists demand that the tiger be tranquilized instead. However, the park has no veterinary doctor.
• Jan11: The tigress is reportedly shot at on January 11 by forest officers. The feline is injured in the operation. The officers claim that blood stains at the spot points that that the tigress was injured.
• Jan 14: A fourth human, whose body is found about 5-6 kms away from Garjia forest is also reportedly killed by the tigress. This killing is at a short distance from the range of purported man-eating Tigress. “It is a tigress, which is fit and healthy. It is also switching over to its natural prey in between killing and eating men"-U C Tiwari Park Warden.
• Jan 27: A man-eating big cat reportedly killed a 27-year-old young man late on Wednesday evening. As a result, Sunderkhal villagers pelt stones and block NH-121 that leads to the Park . Forest officials take up massive combing operations on Thursday afternoon, and find a male tiger in the nearby forest. A seven years old tiger is shot and killed by them.

Despite repeated demand by locals that the cat should immediately be declared a man-eater and tackled, there was no action for two months. Although, it was quite clear from all signs that a feline had become a man-eater, no plan was formulated to tackle the big cat for over two months. Rather, the authorities tried to shove the issue under the carpet claiming that unless -the tiger took at least 7 lives- only then could they declare it a man-eater. Finally after intense local pressure and 3 lost lives a fact-clear from the very beginning-was accepted.


Then, when the shoot-at sight orders are given the authorities issue a note claiming that the feline would be shot within 48 hrs. If all preventive measures have been put in place. Even then, -a novice would also know-catching the animal with random baits in 2 nights would be a figment of imagination. It is a well known fact that man-eating cats become extremely cautious.


Secondly, in other earlier reported cases man-eaters in the Park, the authorities always tried to capture or tranquilize the animal. Also as there are many other tigers (both males and females) operating in the region it is very likely that the right cat might not be shot at. After all the authorities seemed to have a sketchy account about the feline (they took 3 killings figure out the gender) .Why they did not keep that as an option in this case?
Also, when the tigress is reportedly fired at and injured by forest officials. There was no large scale combing operations taken by the authorities (like the latest one) in order to find the injured animal. After all with its hampered hunting abilities wasn't it even more dangerous.


Finally on Thursday 28 Jan, 16 days after the reported injuring of the cat and three months after 5 reported human killings. When things go completely out of hands and stones are pelted at the forest officials. In frenzy, unprecedented combing operations are undertaken in the forests of the Sarpduli Range (where 3-4 other tigers operate). In mid-afternoon young and healthy male tiger is shot dead. 


The loopholes are everywhere right from the confusion of regarding the legality of when and how to declare a cat a man-eater, which is followed by how compensation should be given to villagers till the attacking cat is not confirmed as a man-eater. Should a man-eater always be captured or killed?


However, the most disturbing  and significant question of all- why we still haven’t managed to equip our premier National Park with trained, full-time veterinaries and state-of-art lab facilities. And so it won’t be surprising that the present tiger shooting by the authorities turns out to be a fluke. Point being, the reported man-eater right up till a few hours back was claimed to be a man-eating tigress and not a male tiger.


There is almost no follow-up by the media on the different tiger deaths that have taken place across the Park in the past three years. Sadly, first hand evidence from the region suggests 8/10 of these reported deaths have been due to poisoning. I mention this because the present incident of shooting (by the forest authorities) will also 'fade away'  from spotlight . With no insightful investigation on how Park authorities have failed on many fronts. Be it safe guarding of the endangered cat or the poor villagers.


The latest reported twin tiger deaths took three days back in the Kalagadh region of the Park (another illegal human settlement). It would be surprising to find a conclusive report made public by the authorities on any of these deaths.


This piece was written on Jan 27. Since then 1 more tiger has died on the periphery of  the tiger reserve. The reported reason -a ‘heart attack’ because of infirmity .