Reviewing the Academy Awards 2009

While the entire national media goes overboard celebrating Slumdog Millionaire's success at the Academy Awards this year, one must maintain objectivity while reviewing its success. Let our right judgement not be swayed by feelings of attachment to Slumdog. 

The Academy Awards are a celebration of excellence in cinema, not like our own domestic award shows that celebrate excellence in public relations.

1. The 5 films nominated for the Best Film this year and even last year were by no means big earners. This year, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button with about $130 million at the US Box Office was the largest hit. The Dark Knight with about $540 million at the US Box Office was not a nominee.
2. In India, will any award ceremony not nominate Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi? Of course not! Its a Yash Raj, they can't ignore it. Yet, RNBDJ deserves only acting and music nominations.
3. A couple of years back, the best actor (male and female) went to Hrithik Roshan and Aishwarya Rai (now Rai Bachchan) for Dhoom 2. I mean, Dhoom 2 was a decent commercial entertainer, but were the performances worth awards? No.
4. Compare this to the Academy Awards, which are quite immune to public opinion. Brad Pitt has never won an Oscar despite acting in very intense roles, simply because someone was better. This year, it was Sean Penn.
5. The Academy Awards did have performances, but these performances were timed so well that one wouldn't really get bored. In Indian Awards, you have one performance after another. Why?

This is why I really look down upon our own award ceremonies. They are base, predictable, boring, and in very polite words - absolute trash.

And for this precise reason, Indian Awards will never have the same kind of reputation as do, say, the Oscars or Golden Globes or the Venice Film Festival. I mean, how many people know the actor who has won the maximum number of filmfare Best Actor awards? (p.s. it's Dilip Kumar with 8, I think)

Anyway, here I review this year's Oscar winners. Of course, I haven't seen a lot of the movies from the US and UK this year, and so my judgement rests more on personal likings or the lack of it:

1. Best Actor: This was, according to me, a big upset. I was rooting for Mickey Rourke. Firstly, his movie was about Wrestling (but that didn't make much of a difference to be). More importantly, it would have capped off a very remarkable comeback by Rourke. And his eccentric fashion sense was pleasing to the eye. Yet, Sean Penn comes across as a wonderful actor and a wonderful person too. As someone on NDTV once said "Mickey Rourke should win, but Sean Penn will win."

My Pick : Mickey Rourke 

Eventual Winner: Sean Penn

2. Best Actress: After five nominations, it was almost impossible for Kate Winslet not to win. From her very moving portrayal of Rose in Titanic to her criticism of anorexic models, Kate Winslet has been a very dignified actress. She's not called the best actress of her generation for nothing. And look at her humility. She had nothing but respect for Meryl Streep and acknowledged her fellow nominees as well. She's deserved tyhis for a long time and thankfully, it finally did happen. She's of Meryl Streep's calibre, I feel. For being a wonderful combination of acting prowess and grace, Kate Winslet it this year's Oscar winner. Truly, a masterful act.

My Pick: Kate Winslet

Eventual Winner: Kate Winslet

3. Best Film: I was very divided on this. I have seen Slumdog and generally liked the movie, but because of the acting rather than the script, dialogues or the direction. Yet, as a complete movie, Slumdog perhaps works for me, and it certainly did work for those at the Academy. The Reader was the movie that I thought could thwart Slumdog's chances, but it did not (thankfully).

My Pick: Slumdog Millionaire

Eventual Winner: Slumdog Millionaire

The Pro Wrestling Addict : Top 10 Wresters of the Modern Era

Maybe none of those who currently read my blog are fans of professional wrestling. But I've been thinking a long time about making a 'Top 10 List'. I thought of  Top 10 movies of 2008, but I haven't even watched many movies like Ghajini and really couldn't comment on that.

So, here it is. My list of the Top 10 Greatest Wrestlers of all times. What is the basis of this list? The single most important factor was influence on the game. I'll enumerate my other criteria for the list:

(1) Longevity

(2) Wrestling Skills

(3) Audience Response

#1: Shawn Michaels

If WWE is your temple, Shawn Michaels is definitely your God. He worked his way up the WWE ladder since debuting in the late 1980s and his DX ushered in the WWE's Attitude Era. His mat skills are unbelievable and his mike skills legendary. 

You can just wonder at his influence. Triple H and Chyna are just some of the people he got to the WWE. He also participated in the first Ladder Match and won the first elimination chamber and the first Hell in a Cell. If you love to hate Vince McMahon, thank HBK for that. He has been involved in by far the most intense rivalry sports entertainment has even seen with Bret Hart. If he calls himself the "show stopper" its not for nothing. He's the only wrestler to have posed for Playgirl.  Long after he's gone and till the day WWE continues, Shawn Michaels will continue to be on top of my list.

#2: Hulk Hogan

I've always thought of Hulk Hogan as overrated. His wretling skills would be among the worst in this list. But he scores on longevity and audience connect. He's the only symbol of professional wrestling in the US. He's the American Hero. And he's a sort of legend. As a ch

ild, I didn't know who exactly Hulk Hogan was, but I knew he was some kind of super-hero.

He's a 12-time champion. His championship reign was the second-longest in WWE history. He slammed Andre the Giant in what will be the best match of the 1980s. After he left WWE (then WWF), Hulk Hogan has been a less of a star. I wasn't really impressed with the NWO thing. But you got to hand it over to him to be equally successful in WWE and WCW. I guess he's just a bigger brand than what either ever was. So, for being the most famous wrestler and the most dominant WWE champion, Hulkamania is on this list too.

#3: The Undertaker

Undoubtedly the greatest gimmick of all time, the cultural influence of the Undertaker would rank next only to Hulk Hogan. Even before I got hooked to pro wrestling, the Undertaker was one of the only three wrestlers I knew, apart from Hogan and Michaels.

The guy's storyline has been developed really well by the WWE creative team. Almost all of WWE's speciality matches - hell in a cell, inferno, casket and the unforgettable buried alive - trace their roots to the Undertaker. He's been such a star attraction that he's never wrestled in the midcard (he has never even held a mid-level championship).

Mark Callaway's contribution to the Undertaker's character is no less. He's had the persona to carry off the larger-than-life wrestler and still make it believable. Even in wrestling skills, the Undertaker scores heavily with as many as four main finishers at last count. If there was ever a perfect wrestler, it is the Undertaker. (p.s. my blog's name, Funeral Parlor, was the Undertaker's chat show early on in WWE)

#4: 'Stone Cold' Steve Austin

He's the man who almost single-handedly saved WWE in the late 1990s. With Shawn Michaels and Bret Hart gone and Triple H and the Rock still to come to the top-card, Steve Austin ate lustfully into the 'big boss' Vince McMahon to carve an indellible legacy for wrestling fans to forever remember.

He might not be known as much for his mat skills, but they were undoubtedly the best among the WWE wrestlers of the late 1990s. What I remember best about him was his legendary rivalry with the Undertaker. WWE kind of lost the script post-2000. But for all hell that Steve Austin raised with the Rock, Bret Hart, Undertaker and Kane, he's right up here in the list.

#5: Bret 'The Hitman' Hart

He's arguably the most gifted wrestler of all times. He headlined WWE at a time when the company was going through turmoil and he left the company in times of turmoil. Had Goldberg not kicked him into retirement, we would all have been hoping for an encore from the 'best there was, the best there is and the best there will ever be'.

For me, his career's biggest highlight will be that such was his start power and so solid was his reputation that WCW made Goldberg lost thrice to him, out of the six matches that Goldberg ever lost in WCW. I haven't ever since the guy wrestler, but his records, his conduct and his legacy are so imprinted on any pro wrestling fan's mind that its hard to forget the contribution fo the Hitman.

#6: Mick Foley/Mankind/Cactus Jack/Dude Love

He's the hardcore legend and easily the most lovable wretler of all times. He's torn an ear while caught in the ropes, got teeth knocked out, fallen over 16 feet from over the cell. If you are talking about "shocking", here is your man.

So brutal was his career and so violent his matches that he retired in 2000. He's made Extreme wrestling enormously popular in the sport. He is almost a terrible athlete, but that is not what he was meant to be, anyway. His matches with Vader were so violent that they were never booked in a match again. Today's wrestling owes almost everything to Mick Foley. 

You can't think of today's wrestling without hardcore. And when you think of hardcore, you can't miss Mick Foley. And that is why he makes it here in the list.

#7: Ric Flair

Professional wrestling is going global and that is the reason why Ric Flair is not on top of the list. True, he's a superb athlete and perhaps the best heel of all times, but his influence has been limited to America. He's not the most easily recognisable superstars abroad.

But he's a 16-time champion, a Royal Rumble winner and won his first Intercontinental Championship almost 20 years after his prime. You have to respect the man for wrestling at the age that he did. You also got to put him in your all-time best list for inspiring a generation of would-be wrestlers.

In stature, he's next only to the Hulkster. And in influence, maybe next to none. He'll forever be the greatest wretler that the US ever saw. Wrestling will forever be synonymous with Ric Flair in America. Woooo....

#8: John Cena

You can love him, you can hate him (I don't like him either), but you just cannot ignore him. Most of you would say that I've contradicted my own criterion of 'longevity' to rank John Cena, but had it not been for longevity, he might have been higher than at No.8.

He's achieved so much in such a short time. He's the longest reigning WWE Champion since Diesel in the mid-1990s. He's been the biggest star of WWE for almost three years now. Its so hard to see John Cena without the WWE championship around his waist.

He's also enormously talented. He's powerful. He's a mix between Hogan and Michaels and that's why I'm sure that by the time he retires, Cena would be in my Top 3. The question is - who'll be out?

#9: Chyna

I expect almosteveryone to disagree on this name on my list. But you have to be reasonable.What she's achieved is no mean thing. She is the first and only woman to participate in the Royal Rumble (and eliminated, hold your breath, Mark Henry and Chris Jericho), the first to be the number one contender for the WWE championship and the first to win the Intercontinental Championship (that too, twice!!).

There were legends in women wrestling before her. But she's the one who competed on an equal footing with the boys. She went one-on-one with Chris Jericho, Eddie Gurrero and Jeff Jarett. Before her, men had to be paid to lose to women. But after her, women like Beth Phoenix and the Awesome Kong have defeated men without much of a fuss over it.

And the best part is that its not even fake. X-Pac had to run to the police because Chyna beat him up so bad in real life. Had her career not been cut short by WWE, Chyna would easily have been in the Top 5 in my list. Nevertheless, for giving an all new dimension to Women Professional Wrestling, the "ninth wonder of the world" is number nine on my list.

#10: The Big Show

The Big Show probably should not be in this list. For most of you, Andre the Giant should be the only 'Giant' who should be in any Top-10 list. But I have no doubt that if reservation exists for 'Giants', the Big Show should occupy it.

He's more skilled than Andre. When was the last time a wrestler had only a punch as a finisher? The guy learnt boxing while he was away for a year. He's a much better athlete than Yokozuna and Rikishi (he lost 50 pounds while Yoko and Kishi were fired for not losing weight). He's far better at the audience than Khali or Giant Gonzales. And the most important fact is that he's the only guy ever to hold the WWE, WCW and ECW titles (the ECW, though, was as a WWE brand). He probably won't leave much of an influence when he retires, but he's given world wrestling some very memorable moments and is the most decorated giant of all times. For this, and for his ability to excite the crowd, the Big Show rounds off my list of the Top 10 of the Modern Era.

More Awards:

(1) Best Announcer: John Bradshaw Layfield

He made up for his lack of skills in the ring while behind the mike.

(2) Best General Manager: Vickie Guerrero

She's made Smackdown better than RAW.

(3) Best Stable: NWO

The NWO had all start and all storylines.

Notable Omissions:

(1) The Rock: I would definitely have put The Rock on this list had I had just one more place. But maybe The Rock, by choosing Hollywood over Wrestling put brakes on a wonderful career. 

(2) Edge: He's won over 40 championships, but the WWE has made him seem a very weak champion. They could have done better. Maybe if he turns face sometime soon, he'll be in the list.

(3) Kane: He's my personal favourite, but WWE has almost ruined his career. At his peak, he eliminated 11 men from the Royal Rumble. If Undertaker is No.3 on my list, he owes a lot of it to Kane.

(4) Kurt Angle: He's a far better wrestler than several people on my list and his rivalry with Lesnar is the stuff of legends. But he wasn't just in the top 10.

:: In The City of Joy ::

My hippie lifestyle of late brought me back to Kolkata this week. I had been to this city before, but never really stayed for a long duration. And here I was in the supposed cultural capital of India. My expectations were simple - a rustic city, bubbly bengali people, narrow one-way roads and a marxist atmosphere in the city.

I was fairly surprised by the city. Of course, for a die-hard Delhiite like me, the city was as close as I could go to a small town. 

(1) The Roads : Though Delhi's roads are far superior, Kolkata is not far behind. However, the traffic sense of Kolkata's people is much worse than Delhiites. There is not even a slight sense of lane driving. Traffic signals are few and far apart. The yellow taxis are as irritating and ubiquitous as the green autos of Delhi, though their larger size means a bigger nuisance.

(2) The Food: Unlike Delhi, Kolkata has a unique food culture. Bengalis have their own form of biryani, which is much oilier and consists of a plateful of slightly coloured rice, a boiled potato and a single peace of chicken. Any form of chicken gravy is strictly avoidable for health reasons (the gravy is mostly oil). But Kolkata is a non-vegitarian's ultimate delight. You get all kinds of rolls and then you have great bakeries that serve all kind of non-vegitarian fare. Not to forget China Town, the paradise of Chinese food. You get authentic chinese fare at reasonable rates. A great bargain!!

(3) The Weather : Kolkata's cold is obviously not as chilling as Delhi's. But I noticed that its always foggy in Kolkata. You can roam around with just a t-shirt on, something unimaginable in Delhi (of course, the native people tend to wear a lot more on them). The summers are bad. If there is any power cut, you better pray for electricity to return soon. Or else, you'll be drenched in sweat within minutes.

(4) People : I've mostly been annoyed with the people of Kolkata. They're enthusiastic, alright. But they're also very proud, vane, slow and loud. They tend to speak at very high volumes. They are capable of parking their vehicles in such a way that the road traffic gets blogged. The shopkeepers don't seem to want to sell their things - they're so slow. Compare this to a Delhiite, who is generally a bully and is fast, conceited and proud. Maybe its because the Government has pampered the people. That's what a Marxist Government tends to do.

(5) The Public Places : Kolkata's public places are more "intellectual" than Delhi's. Its very difficult for people to survive the entire National Museum of Kolkata - not to mention the fact that half the things in their Egypt section are fakes. The science city, my brother told me, is very boring. You have Nicco Park, which is a decent amusement park, with a water park better than Delhi's Oysters. The ticket price of Rs.250 is quite worth it. The malls are good, though no match on Delhi's malls. 

However, the place where I stay (Patuli) is an ideal place for someone like me. There is almost no visible air or land pollution. Its a little far from the central areas, but there is no need to go to places like the Park Street. You have quite a few malls nearby. And the greenery !! The greenery in the entire Kolkata makes it worth a stay. 

The Girl That Was : Deboleena

Deboleena recently gave me a slamsheet to fill. She's not one for slamsheets, she is one for the blogosphere.

Deboleena. The first time I saw her name was among the topper's list. And that is where Deboleena belonged - among the stars, not for those on the Earth (poor little creatures like me). The next time I noticed her, she was out jutting answers in the JSTSE extra classes (this was the class when I too was feeling like I actually knew things). I don't know when actually we became friends, but I know that we struck it immediately - the Bong Connection actually works, people. I still envy her for all the lovely tiffin boxes that she used to get - non-veg biryanis and all. The guys in the NTSE class started linking us and there was this playful awkwardness from both of us. And then one day, Deboleena came and said "Subhashish, I really like you." I tried to act as if it surprised me, but it really didn't. When your peer group puts that kind of pressure on you, you tend to expect these things. I really don't know if she felt it. I really behaved as if I didn't like her, and maybe this was why she said two minutes later "No, I used to like him." I don't want to think about it anymore and I'm sure neither does she. It was very difficult to being great friends again, but I guess now we are thick as thieves again.

This is one person in the ENTIRE DPS, R K Puram whom I agree is more intelligent than me. She can do great wonders in whatever she does. She is THE person whom I expect to surely get into IIT. I believe in what Deboleena stands for. I believe in the purity of her heart. And I believe that this girl is going to do great wonders in life.

Rating the Contests

Now that my inter-school events are over, this is the time for me to look back and evaluate all the events that I have been to :

(1) The ARTHSHNAMA - Modern School, Barakhamba Road
Strengths - Good refreshments, Well Organised, Reputed judges
Weaknesses - Terrible Quiz, Sketchy judging
Rating - Six on Ten

(2) The ECONOMITE - Modern School, Modern School
Strengths - Good events
Weaknesses - Terrible Quiz, Unfair topics for Ads Act
Rating - Four on Ten

(3) The MATRIX - ECOMMBUZZ SYMPOSIUM - Mount St. Mary's School
Strengths - Very grandly organised
Weaknesses - Very sketchy judging
Rating - Eight on Ten

(4) The COLUMBAN OPEN QUIZ - St. Columba's School
Strengths - A legend continued ...
Weaknesses - The quarters and semis were not balanced
Rating - Seven on Ten

(5) The Fest at DPS, Mathura Road
Strengths - A very big event
Weaknesses - Pathetic Judging
Rating - Three on Ten

(6) CONFLUX - St. Columba's School
Strengths - Good topics for symposium
Weaknesses - Interjectors allowed to sit with teams
Rating - Four on Ten

(7) The HERITAGE INDIA QUIZ - CBSE
Strengths - Good questions, good quizmaster
Weaknesses - Teams that got eliminated in zonals were not that good
Rating - Ten on Ten

(8) SOCIAL SCIENCE QUIZ - Vasant Valley School
Strengths - Amusing prelims
Weaknesses - The only quiz I'm sure was rigged
Rating - Two on Ten

Shubham: The Best There Was, The Best There Is and the Second-Best There Will Ever Be

DPS, R. K. Puram is pejoratively known as a factory. I believe that is because we churn out excellence in such numbers that it is difficult for others to keep track. In other schools, the same guy who goes for a quiz will go for a debate and so on; but in DPS, R. K. Puram, most of those on top are specialized guys. Akshay Kohli can’t do what Shreshth Singhal can and vice-versa. So, it really becomes very difficult to find out one guy and say “Oh, he’s the star of this batch.” But I have an answer. Shubham Prakhar.

When I think of all that could have been, I think of people whose lives were directly affected by Shubham’s ICG triumph. First on the list is, of course, Shubham Prakhar himself. Imagine, Shubham keeps on winning quizzes, but he really would not have come to DPS, R. K. Puram and he would have been quite a different person then. His three years in the hostel is a feat I stand up and solute. I used to be envious of all the attention that got him from the teachers, but I now fully understand and I am quite ashamed of my thoughts earlier.

The next on the list is yours truly. Before Shubham came, I was your regular curriculum-obsessed nerd. I took the Olympiads often but I never got a rank. I took part in debates and all, but I performed miserably. And quizzing was the last thing I did on the face of Earth. I was a typical wannabe. I had the ambition, but it was all a juvenile thing. And then that day – April 2, 2005. Shubham Prakhar entered the class and my juvenile attempts became ambitions. I worked very hard for JSTSE. Though I didn’t qualify (no one till date can explain that), I churned out top-50 ranks in all national Olympiads (school rank 1 or 2 mostly). I was initiated into quizzing (which I really developed in class 11) and I got this very new confidence. Me and Shubham have the most interesting rivalry this school might have ever seen. These complex emotions don’t really come easily.

And then there were a lot more. I myself spread the benefits I received to others. Kritika Bajaj is an example. Whatever I took from Shubham I gave to Kritika. And in this way, Shubham Prakhar is the true Godfather of this batch of DPS, R. K. Puram because his presence created many many new talents. In a way, a lot of us came from Shubham’s ICG win.
Me and Shubham lost the Heritage India Quiz today in the pre-finals. I thought that me and Shubham were the best team possible. Not arrogance, but a reality. We were the only competition that each of us had in history. But we lost. Actually, it was a very good experience for me. All teams in the national pre-finals were so damn good that it was all left to luck. Luck did not favour us today, but let me assure you that a person of Shubham’s brilliance is bigger than such quizzes. When I saw people come up to him and say “Hey, you are Shubham Prakhar, Mr. ICG, right?”, I no more felt jealous. I felt very very happy. My friend, my mentor, my guide Shubham Prakhar deserves all this and much more. Maybe what the Heritage Quiz did was break the ice between Shubham and I. We both had common ambitions and we gave our heart and soul for it. Shubham, let me assure you that our hardwork will never go waste. I felt very depressed after my JSTSE results. But as Tanya had told me then, the results of my hardwork will come. Sometime or the other. And it came next year for me when I qualified NTSE without having studied 25% of what I did for JSTSE. Destiny, my friend. We are destined.

A lot of people do not like Shubham. I believe they’re just plain jealous. You can be Asia’s Child Genius or anything, but you can never be Shubham Prakhar. You can defeat Shubham in a 1001 quizzes, but no one will ever remember you. Even the CBSE woman in the Heritage remembered Shubham by name. This Is what Shubham Prakhar stands for. So, all you whiners, go back and pour your jealousies out. Because Shubham Prakhar is infallible. He’s not King IC and not even close to that. But he’s bigger and better. I have had the privilege of sharing the stage with him several times. Truly, it was a privilege.

I know Shubham better than any of his friends. Because I have been his most spiteful enemy and his thickest of friends. Despite the frost in our relation, he (like a true pro) came to ask me for the Heritage Quiz. And that is why we got the highest marks in any zonal all over India. I believe not in winning, but in making a mark. And that we did.
Cheers!

After the Storm?

I have been online for over 10 hours now and I (obviously) have a splitting headache. I came online to study for the Heritage India quiz, but I haven't really been into it, though. I go to facebook, orkut, wikipedia, yahoo and then again after a half hour I go to facebook, orkut, wikipedia, yahoo. It is almost like an OCD problem. I must add that my preparation for the heritage is coming off just about fine. I wish I had a week now .... but I have half a day left and I am going to pack as much of a punch as I can. I am sorry if I disappoint you, Shubham Prakhar, but I tried as much as I could.

Life has been so dead ever since ECONORM got over. I have been chasing teachers for my foreign applications. I never wanted to go abroad. I just filled the SAT form because everyone did that and after that, I have been getting sucked into the quagmire. St.Stephen's is no more my goal ... it is either Harvard or St.Xavier's. Nevetheless, life has been very very listless of late. And I still repent something about Heritage ... really don't know what.

As I told my good friend yesterday, my life without studies is nothing. Have I been degrading into an aimless person? Maybe. I just don't study. Studies was perhaps the glue that held me together and now it is not there. Maybe that is the problem. Life used to be (ironically) so much fun earlier when I used to study. Now, it is very very dull.

So, I'll pick up the pieces and try to start studying. Classes 9th and 10th exhausted me, it seems. I just cannot do it anymore. But I will try, give it my best. True, everything that I could have worked for is over. But my life isn't. A new set of opportunities will arise. And I will rise with them.