Best of youtube -- Thought-provoking and captivating stuff

The year is slowly closing like a creaky, rusty old shutter. I sit here, look back and think of things I watched this year. I published a list of highly recommended Foreign films 5 days ago. Time for another list. In this era of sequels and reboots you should have seen that coming.

Do you like boring speeches by intellectuals? Well, I don't like them either!! Do you like the shouting fests organised by the so called news channels (AKA the hour of the fretting and fuming ?) Please say NO.

Is there a middle-ground? Is there content that is neither mind numbingly boring nor mindlessly, blood curdlingly TRP friendly? Yes, there is!!

To prove my point I have prepared yet another year end list. A list of mentally stimulating, "Food for thought" kind of stuff in Youtube.  I will now post a list of some thought provoking stuff in youtube. These were not necessarily posted in youtube this year, it is just that I saw them this year.

Don't get intimidated by the lofty subject matters that they are tackling. They all are interesting, absorbing and stimulating. Not a single one of them is boring

1. Every Frame a Painting by Tony Zhou: This guy posts video essays on Cinema. A channel that I adore. Art of cinema analysed like never before. In a world full of dull and derivative content, and  this is such a breath of fresh air. Insightful, entertaining and very informative. It is like a guided tour of cinema.

2. Justice with Michael Sandel: If you thought that lectures are sleep inducing and dull think again! This is a series of lectures by Michael Sandel in Harvard. He talks about things like what Justice is, what the moral choices can be. It is one of the most popular courses in Harvard and you will know why once you watch it. Fascinating, thought-provoking, engaging and truly educational stuff.

3. Those who complain about the lack of good content in channels like Times now and NDTV must switch to Rajya Sabha TV. This might seem like to switching to unglamorous ART films after watching Farah Khan's films. Go for it if you think that such a switch would be good! I especially recommend the following:
Interview with Salim Khan on his life and screenplay writing. This is a part of an interview series called Guftagoo. Irfan Saab's Hindi/Urdu is so pleasing. And the people interviewed really have things to say that are worth listening. Watch other interviews also.
Tarkash with P Sainath: An eye-opener on how topics like rural India and poverty get ignored by the media. Gripping and moving.This is a part of another interview series called Tarkash.
Interview with Rajendra Singh on water conservation. Another great one about rivers and other water bodies. Part of the Tarkash series.

4. Nerdwriter: This guy makes very interesting video blogs/essays on very interesting topics. Always stimulates the brain, you always end up saying, "I got to learn something new". Give it a try.

5. Michael Greene on the concept of GDP. I have always felt that measuring the success of a country by GDP was a wrong idea. This man so articulately nails the point home about why it is so. Humourous and thought provoking.

6. Tarek Fatah on India and Pakistan: A critical view of Pakistan. Intellectual, piercing and forthright.  Indians will love this one. You will also learn so many things. I just did not want this one to end.

7. MJ Akbar on India and Pakistan: Almost on the same topic but a completely different perspective. Intellectual and thought - provoking.Worth listening to.

8. Gurumurthy on Indian financial models: Journalist Gurumurhty's lecture about Indian economy and financial models. This was delivered as a lecture in an IIT. Astounding, thoughtful and such an eye-opener.

9. INK talks: I am yet to watch most of their videos. This is an Indian version of TED talks. Looks very interesting.

10. Baloney detection Kit by Michael Shermer: How to detect bullshit? How to differentiate between valid claims and conspiracy theories? How to sift through the bogus claims and reach truth? Michael Shermer gives a set of tools.

Ten foreign films that you must watch -- An year end list

As the year staggers and teeters to a close, it is time for the movie buffs to drink a glass of masala buttermilk and compile year end lists. I didn't see that many 2015 releases, So I am offering a list of some very good foreign films that I saw this year. These films provided experiences I treasure.

1. Loft: Here is a gem from Belgium. One of the best mystery thrillers that I have seen recently. It meets my criteria of the "Best twist films". The film unfolds like a good puzzle about a murder and I am sure that you will not guess what really is happening. Yet, when they explain everything in the end, it comes as a surprise but it all makes perfect sense. Hallmark of a good whodunnit movie.

2. Omar: What do you need to make a good thriller film? Stars? Big budget? Explosions? Chases? Thumping music? No. All you need is a good story. Here is a stunning low budget film by Palestinian film-maker Hany Abu-Assad. I was waiting for this film as I had loved his previous film Paradise now which was about Suicide bombers.
Story takes place in the Israeli occupied places in West bank. Hero is a youngster who has his childhood friends and loves a girl, he also happens to be a freedom fighter/Terrorist. Film starts leisurely and then the tension starts building slowly. The last one hour is so gripping, suspenseful and tense. This is easily one of the best films in recent times.

3. Mother of mine: 70000 Finnish children were sent to Sweden during During world war II, this is the story of one such kid who has to leave his mother and stay with strangers. A mother and son type of emotional story. Very touching and captivating.

4. Halima's path: Those who liked "Incendies" which was about the horrors of the war in Lebanon will like this. A deeply moving portrayal of the heartbreaking consequences of Bosnian war, a very touching, human story of love,loss and discovery. Keep your kerchiefs ready.

5. Divided we fall: A terrific film from Czechoslovakia. What an amazing, virtually unknown, gem! It deals with a Czech family during the German occupation of World War II who hide a Jew in their home. The characters are fleshed out and portrayed in a way that is deeply involving.

6. Captain Abu Raed: This is a film from Jordan. It is the story of of an Airport janitor who picks a captain's hat from the trash bin one day and walks back home. Kids in the neighbourhood assume that he must be a captain, from there it becomes a character based drama on how his relationship with the kids changes.
Film has a distinctly middle eastern flavours. It sort of reminds you of the Iranian films of Majidi Majidi and Makmalbaf. It is a humanistic story about suffering, wisdom, forgiveness and sacrifice told in an endearing manner. The pace is is unhurried and leisurely. Slow pacing works nicely for the movie. It is a low budget film , it is simple and charmingly so.

7. Balzac and the Chinese seamstress: It is about two Chinese male teens sent to a remote Mountain village in China to be re-educated about Communism. It is a meditation on power of stories and books. It is about the magical quality of books to really bring your fantasy to things you will never see in real life.

8. Barfuss: This is a romantic comedy from Germany. Nice lighthearted fun. Story is a about a loser falling for a mentally ill girl. It has the right mix of emotions and gags to make it a good entertaining watch. An interesting and funny love story.

9. He loves me loves me not: A French thriller.It stars Audrey Tautou whose on screen image is that of a cutie, quirky, sweety pie(Mainly because of Amelie).
It starts as a love story but morphs into something else, I don't want to ruin it for those who haven't seen it. It is told cleverly in a non-linear style. There are sufficient twists and turns in the series of events to keep the viewer intensely interested and wanting more.

10. The Raid 2: Berandal - Indonesian. Finally watched this sequel on which I was having a goni cheela(sack) full of expectations. Raid redemption had my adrenalin pumping like never before. Like in Ong Bak or Bruce Lee and Jackie Chan films here also entire film was just an excuse to show the fighting skills of hero and other characters. What I had liked was the way the tension got escalated. Tension would keep mounting every 5 minutes. That way this film is quite different. This one actually tries to go the Infernal affairs/Departed way and tries to tell a story. So there are just 4-5 fights.
The last 2-3 fights were awesome and completely had me stunned. Good characters and some real bad-ass, stunningly choreographed and executed fights make it worthwhile.

ಅಮೀರ ಖಾನನೂ ಭೋಗ ಷಟ್ಪದಿಯೂ!

ದಿನ ಬೆಳಗಾದರೆ ಅದೇ intoleranceಉ, ಮತ್ತದೇ ಪ್ರಶಸ್ತಿ ವಾಪಸ್ ಸುದ್ದಿ , ಅದೇ ಸಹಿಷ್ಣುತೆ, ಮಾಮೂಲಿ ಎಡ ಬಲಗಳ ಕಚ್ಚಾಟ ನೋಡಿ ನೋಡಿ ನೋಡಿ ತಲೆ ಚಿಟ್ಟುಹಿಡಿದಿದೆ. ಬೇರೆ ಏನಾದರೂ ಮಾತಾಡ್ರಪ್ಪಾ ಅನ್ನುವವರಿಗೆ, ನಾನೂ ಅದರ ಬಗ್ಗೆ ಬರೆದು ತಲೆ ನೋವು ಕೊಡೋಣ ಅಂತ! ಹೆದರಿಕೆ ಆಯ್ತಾ, ನಾನು ಹೇಳಿದ್ದು ಆ ತರ ಅಲ್ಲ. ಸ್ವಲ್ಪ ದಿನಕ್ಕೆ ಮೊದಲು ಕುಮಾರ ವ್ಯಾಸ Fight Club ನ ಸಂಭಾಷಣೆಯನ್ನು ಭಾಮಿನೀ ಷಟ್ಪದಿ ಯಲ್ಲಿ ಬರೆದರೆ ಹೇಗಿರುತ್ತದೆ ಅಂತ ಒಂದು ತಮಾಷೆಯ ಕಲ್ಪನೆಮಾಡಿದ್ದೆ(ಓದಿರದೇ ಇರುವವರಿಗಾಗಿ ಅದನ್ನು ಕೆಳಗೆ ಕೊಟ್ಟಿದ್ದೇನೆ). ಇವತ್ತು ಇನ್ನೊಬ್ಬ ಕವಿಯನ್ನ ಹಾಳು ಮಾಡೋಣ ಅಂತ.

"ತಿರುಕನ ಕನಸು" ಹಾಡು ಕೇಳಿದ್ದೀರಲ್ಲ ? ಅದು ಮುಪ್ಪಿನಷಡಕ್ಷರಿಗಳು ಬರೆದ ಹಾಡು. ಅವರು ಹದಿನಾರನೇ ಶತಮಾನದವರು. ಆ ಹಾಡು ಭೋಗ ಷಟ್ಪದಿಯಲ್ಲಿದೆ. ಆ ಮುಪ್ಪಿನ ಷಡಕ್ಷರಿಗಳು ನಮ್ಮ ಅಮೀರ್ ಖಾನ್ ಪ್ರಹಸನದ ಬಗ್ಗೆ ಹೇಗೆ ಬರೀಬಹುದು ಅಂತ ಒಂದು ವಿಚಿತ್ರ ಕಲ್ಪನೆ, ಭೋಗ ಷಟ್ಪದಿಯಲ್ಲಿ:
ಮಿಡುಕಿದಳು ರವೀನಾ ಬೆದರಿ
ಸಿಡುಕಿದನು ಅರ್ನಬ್ ಟೀವಿಯಲಿ
ಹುಡುಕಿ ಹೇಳಿ ನಿಜವ ದೇಶ ಕೇಳುತ್ತಿರಲು
ದುಡುಕಿ ರಮಣಿ ಹೇಳಲ್ ದೇಶ
ಬಿಡುವಮೀರ ಖಾನರೆ ನೀವು
ಕಡುಕಷ್ಟವೆ ನಿಮಗೆ ಏನಚ್ಚರಿ ಅಕಟಕಟಾ

ಹಳೇ ಬರಹದ ತುಣುಕು :
"You are not your job, you're not how much money you have in the bank. You are not the car you drive. You're not the contents of your wallet. You are not your fucking khakis. You are all singing, all dancing crap of the world" ― Chuck Palahniuk, Fight Club
ಇದನ್ನ ನಮ್ಮ ಕುಮಾರ ವ್ಯಾಸ ಬರೆದರೆ ಹೇಗಿರಬಹುದು ? ಹೀಗೆ :

ಕಾಯಕವು ನೀನಲ್ಲವೊ ಕೇಳು
ಮಾಯಕದ ಧನ ಕನಕ ನೀನಲ್ಲ
ರಾಯರೆಲ್ಲರನೊಯ್ವ ರಥವೇ ನೀನು ಧರಣಿಯಲಿ
ಕಾಯ ಒಪ್ಪುವ ಬಟ್ಟೆ ನಿನ್ನದೆ
ಆಯೆನುತ ಬೊಬ್ಬಿರಿದು ದುಗುಡದಲಿ
ಗಾಯನದಲಿ ಬಾಯ ಮೌನವ ಮುರಿವೆ ನೀನೆಂದ
(ಹೆಚ್ಚು ಕಮ್ಮಿ ಭಾಮಿನೀ ಷಟ್ಪದಿಯಲ್ಲೇ ಇದೆ, ಕಲಿಯುಗ ದ್ವಾಪರವಾಯಿತೋ ಇಲ್ಲವೋ ಗೊತ್ತಿಲ್ಲ , ಆದಿ ಪ್ರಾಸಗಳನ್ನ ತರುವಷ್ಟರಲ್ಲಿ ನನಗಂತೂ ಸಾಕಾಯಿತು)

ಕೊನೆಸಿಡಿ:ನಮ್ಮ ಎಫ್ಫೆಮ್ ಚಾನೆಲ್ ಗಳ ಜನರನ್ನ ಕುಮಾರ ವ್ಯಾಸನ ಕಾಲಕ್ಕೆ ಕರ್ಕೊಂಡು ಹೋಗಿ (Time Travel) , "ಎಲ್ಲಿ ಒಂದು ಗಣೇಶ ಸ್ತುತಿ ಭಾಮಿನೀ ಷಟ್ಪದಿಯಲ್ಲಿ ಬರೀರಿ ನೋಡೋಣ" ಅಂದರೆ ಹೇಗೆ ಬರೀಬಹುದು? ಹೀಗೆ(ಇದು ಜಿಪಿ ರಾಜರತ್ನಂ ತಮಾಷೆಗೆ ಬರೆದ ಪದ್ಯ) :
Cultಉ ಕಾವ್ಯದ ಮಸಿಯ ಕುಡಿಕೆಯ
Tiltಉ ಮಾಡುವ ಮೊದಲು ಹಾವಿನ
Beltಉ ಹಾಕಿದ ಗಣಪನನು ಹಾಡುವುದು ನಮ್ಮವರ |
Faultಉ ಮೀರಿದರಿದನು severe
Joltಉ ತಪ್ಪದು ಸತ್ಯ thunder
Boltಉ ಬಿದ್ದಂತೆಂದು therefore ಗಣಪತಿಯ ನೆನೆವೆ ||

Kannada cinema for dummies

I came up with my version of Kannada cinema for dummies. A hitch-hiker's guide to Sandalwood!

Yogaraj Bhat

• Goes to a road-side bookshop in majestic. 
• Buys a travel guide like, "ಕರ್ನಾಟಕಗಳು, ಪ್ರೇಕ್ಷಣೀಯ ಸ್ಥಳಗಳು,ಒಳ್ಳೊಳ್ಳೆ ಸೀನರಿಗಳು ಮತ್ತು ಇತರ ಹಾಳುಮೂಳುಗಳು"
• Our hero is lazy, ಫುಲ್ಲು ಓತ್ಲಾ, ದಂಡಪಿಂಡ. But he is a motor-mouth. 
• Hero goes to this ಪ್ರೇಕ್ಷಣೀಯ ಸ್ಥಳ with ಒಳ್ಳೊಳ್ಳೆ ಸೀನರಿಗಳು
• He meets our heroine(who acts like a mental) and falls in love
• Sonu Nigam song. Tippu song, ಹರಿಕೃಷ್ಣ ಸಾಂಗ್, Othla song, ಸಿಕ್ಕಾಪಟ್ಟೆ ಫೀಲಿಂಗ್ ಸಾಂಗ್ 
• More of ಪೋಲಿ ವೇದಾಂತ and ಓತ್ಲಾ ವೇದಾಂತ

Suri

• Buys ಹತ್ರೂಪಾಯಿಗೆ ಸಿಗೋ Benglooru map. 
• Searches for the best slums
• Locates the bars with the dimmest lights nearby
• Auditions for people who can play rapists, psychos and ಮಚ್ಚು - ಲಾಂಗು types
• Thinks of ಸ್ಮಶಾನ, ಡೆಡ್ bodies and all things dark and gloomy
• Weaves a story that can include all of the above

Naga Shekar

• Writes the climax first, which is -- Hero/Heroine dies
• Makes a list of all possible tragic things like Earthquake, Volcano, Rape, AIDS, Ebola, poverty, betrayal etc etc..
• Inflicts at least 2 or more of the tragic things upon hero/heroine
• Creates a story that can meet the conditions mentioned above

Pawan Kumar

 Of the Facebook, by the Facebook, for the Facebook

Uppi

• Takes notes from Philosophy 101 book
• Hero has a Phd in ಕಿರುಚಾಟ and ಅರಚಾಟ
• Heroine is a bitch
• This bitchy heroine does something bad to our hero
• Twist. Confusion. More confusion.
• Hero tames the heroine
• Wait, another twist, heroine was actually a good girl/she was a metaphor for something

Guru Prasad

•  They sit and talk
•  A new character enters and he joins the talk
• After a while................................................They change the topic and continue to talk

Sudeep

Please refer to the article on Telugu films*

Appu

• Appu smiles, he dances, he fights
• Appu meets the girl. He smiles, he dances and he fights
• Appu gets sent to Africa to abolish Ebola and he smiles, dances and fights

Ravi Chandran

• Heads to the nearest market
• Buys ನವಿಲು ಗರಿ, ಬಲೂನು, ಪಾರಿವಾಳ, ಸೀರೆ, ಹೂವು ಅಂಡ್ ಹಣ್ಣು (ದ್ರಾಕ್ಷೆ, ಇನ್ಯಾವುದು ?!)
• Designs fancy sets for songs
• Uses all the items purchased in step 2 on a gorgeous looking heroine in songs Searches for a Tamil story that can fill in the blanks between these songs

* The article is yet to be written!

Disclaimer: ಇಲ್ಲಿ ಯಾರ್ಯಾರ ಕಾಲು ಎಳೆದಿದ್ದೇನೋ ಅವರ ಸಿನೆಮಾಗಳು ಒಂದೂ ಬಿಡದೆ ನೋಡಿದ್ದೇನೆ, ಉಪ್ಪಿ, ಸೂರಿ, ಗುರು , ಯೋಗರಾಜ್ ಇವರುಗಳ ಬಗ್ಗೆ ನನಗೆ ಅಭಿಮಾನ ಇದೆ ಅಂದರೂ ಸರಿಯೇ. ಇವರಿಗಿಂತ ಹೆಚ್ಚಿಗೆ ನನಗೆ ಗೊತ್ತಿದೆ ಅನ್ನುವ ಭ್ರಮೆ ನನಗಂತೂ ಇಲ್ಲ . ಇದು ಸುಮ್ನೆ ತಮಾಷೆಗೆ, ಕಾಲು ಎಳೆಯುವುದಕ್ಕೆ ಬರೆದಿದ್ದು. ನಿನ್ನೆ ಬಾಲಿವುಡ್ ಅನ್ನ ಹೀಗೇ ಕಾಲು ಎಳಿಯುವ ಪೋಸ್ಟ್ ಅನ್ನು Facebookನಲ್ಲಿ ಶೇರ್ ಮಾಡಿದ್ದೆ. ಅದನ್ನು ಓದಿ ಕನ್ನಡ ಫ್ಯಾನ್ಗಳು ನಮ್ಮ ಕನ್ನಡ ಸಿನಿಮಾದ ಬಗ್ಗೆಯೂ ಇಂತದ್ದು ಬೇಕು ಅಂದರು, ಅದೇ ಜೋಶ್ನಲ್ಲಿ ಬರೆದೆ ಅಷ್ಟೇ. ಕುರಿ ಕಾರ್ಯಕ್ರಮದಲ್ಲಿ ಹೇಳುವ ಹಾಗೆ : ನಾವು ಮಾಡಿದ್ದು ತಮಾಷೆಗಾಗಿ . ದುರುದ್ದೇಶ ಏನೂ ಇಲ್ಲ. ನಾನೂ ನಿಮ್ಮ ಹಾಗೆ ಕನ್ನಡ ಸಿನೆಮಾಗಳ ಅಭಿಮಾನಿಯೇ

Paris Attack and Syrian Crisis Made easy

World War 4!!

Paris attacked. Syria. ISIS. Wondering what the fuss is all about? I am providing an oversimplified, easy to understand, layman's version of what happened. Meant for Indian readers who want the Paris attack and Syrian war explained.

Imagine a badly made Bollywood movie from the 80s that is based on the script of Inception! Syrian conflict is like that. Think of Amreesh Puri, Pran, Amjad Khan,Shakti Kapoor, Danny, Gulshan Grover — All in the same film, fighting against one another. Middle east is like that. Syria especially is like that. It is a clusterfuck and anybody who tells you they know for sure who is on what side is probably just making shit up.

Let us understand the key ingredients of this conflict first. Before we start take a look at the map once:

6 key things: USA, IRAQ, Shia Vs Sunni fights, ISIS, Kurds, Arab Spring -- things that affected Syria. 

Let us glance at them one by one.

1. USA: Their policy is simple. If the ruler of a country dances to their tunes, all is good, they let him stay. If he shows the middle finger to them they suddenly feel the need to establish democracy by throwing out the dude in question. Examples? Saddam Hussein, Gaddafi.

2. Shia Vs Sunni: When Prophet Muhammad died nobody knew who his successor had to be. Group A was a bit like our Congress, it wanted the “Family” to rule (Family of prophet). Group B wanted an elected guy to rule instead. They fought. After close to 1350 years these two groups are still fighting. The groups are Shias and Sunnis, two groups of Muslims.

3. IRAQ: Saddam showed the middle finger to US. Guess what happened next? US invaded Iraq in 2003, threw him out, occupied it, destroyed the country and left in 2011. The guy who came to power was an idiot who took the Shia Sunni fight to a new level. Country was like a Prestige Cooker with bubbling Sambar inside waiting to be spilled. President who had to act like the lid of the cooker acted like an asshole instead. Riots broke out. Country became totally unstable. Result? Power vacuum. Weak military. Just what the terrorists wanted.

4. ISIS: Created in IRAQ in the situation mentioned above. Went batshit crazy. These guys were responsible for all of the beheading and massacre that pissed EVERYONE off. Even the dudes at Al-Qaeda considered these guys to be brutal. That is how crazy they are. They have captured many oil wells. You know what that means. Their goal? To rule half of the world based on some idiotic interpretation of Islam that they have. Most dangerous terrorist group on earth right now. Difference between Al-Qaeda and ISIS?
Al-Qaeda – We hate the west. Especially America.
ISIS – We will rule half the world baby!

5. Kurds: Kurds are mostly Sunni Muslims belonging to a different ethnic group(Like the Mizoram and Nagaland folks here). These are nice guys who were persecuted and oppressed everywhere. Saddam for instance killed more than 1 lakh of them. They want their own nation.

6. Arab Spring: A movement by people to throw the dictators out and bring democracy in Arab nations. Happened in Tunisia, Egypt, Yemen, Libya etc. A huge mess of civil wars and anarchy in each country that tried

Syria: A dictator called Assad rules the place. Like in a bunch of other Arab countries, the common Syrian people were all like, "Ya, we don't like our government! Things aren't fair!” They take to the streets and protest. Assad freaks out. He sends a god-damn army to shoot and kill the protesters. Hell breaks loose. What happens when fighting starts somewhere? The people who like fighting and killing go there. Every other country was like, "Hey, it sounds like there's a riot happening down the street, let's go check it out."

These were the interested parties that gathered in Syria:

Assad: Trying to save his ass with the support of army.
Moderate rebels: Syrians. People like you and me trying to bring democracy.
Armed rebels: Syrians. Dudes with Guns and bombs. Close to 40 different groups, many fighting each other.
ISIS: They wanted to rule the world remember? They want to start with Syria.
Kurds: Poor guys want a nation. See this as a good chance.
USA: Against Assad. Why? He pissed them off that is why. They support armed rebels and call them as moderate rebels J
Russia: Friends of Assad. Against all rebels. Have a naval base in Syria. Have business interests also.
Iran: Interested in the Sunni Vs Shia fight
Saudi, Qatar and UAE: Interested in the Shia Vs Sunni fights. Dudes with the money.
Turkey: Against Kurds since they want a piece of Turkey in their new nation
France: Against ISIS and Assad (This should explain why ISIS attacked them)

Countries like Canada, Australia, Jordan and Lebanon are also involved. Can you see how complicated that is? It really is a world war. Lakhs of Syrians are already killed and tens of lakhs are fleeing as refugees to Europe. Remember the photo of that 3 year old kid who drowned in sea? The photo that went viral? That was a Syrian kid.

What next?

 ISIS might attack other countries. After the French attack everyone seems to have woken up. All the biggies will now get together to crush ISIS. Other rebels might agree to negotiate. Russia might send a massive army to wipe out ISIS and crush other rebellion and try to restore peace in Syria. Let us pray for the French,Syrian and Iraqi people. Let the war end

ಸಿರಿಗನ್ನಡ ಮತ್ತು ಸರಿಗನ್ನಡ!!

ಇದು ಕನ್ನಡ ರಾಜ್ಯೋತ್ಸವ ಸ್ಪೆಷಲ್ !! ಇಂಗ್ಲೀಷಿನಲ್ಲಿ "Mistakes we make while speaking English"ಅಥವಾ "Common English bloopers" ಅಂತ ಹೇಳುವ ಹಾಗೆ, ಕನ್ನಡದ ಬಳಕೆಯಲ್ಲಿ ಆಗುವ ತಪ್ಪುಗಳ ಬಗ್ಗೆ ಒಂದು ಪುಟ್ಟ ಟಿಪ್ಪಣಿ.

ಪುನೀತ್ ಅಭಿಮಾನಿಗಳಿಗೆ ಒಂದು ಪ್ರಶ್ನೆ. ಅವರು ನಡೆಸಿ ಕೊಡ್ತಾ ಇದ್ದ ಕಾರ್ಯಕ್ರಮದ ಹೆಸರು ಹೇಳಿ ನೋಡೋಣ! ಏನಂದ್ರಿ ? ಕನ್ನಡದ "ಕೋಟ್ಯಾಧಿಪತಿ" ಅಂದ್ರಾ ? ಹಹಹಾ !! ಸಿಕ್ಕಿ ಹಾಕ್ಕೊಂಡ್ರಿ. ಅದು ಕೋಟ್ಯಧಿಪತಿ ಆಗಬೇಕಿತ್ತು ,ಕೋಟ್ಯಾಧಿಪತಿ ಅಲ್ಲ. ಕೋಟಿ + ಅಧಿಪತಿ = ಕೋಟ್ಯಧಿಪತಿ. ಕಾರ್ಯಕ್ರಮ ಹೆಚ್ಚು ದೀರ್ಘವಾಗಿ ಇರ್ಲಿಲ್ಲ, ಹಾಗಾಗಿ ದೀರ್ಘ ಬೇಡ! ಇದೇ ಜಾತಿಗೆ ಸೇರಿದ ಮತ್ತೊಂದು "ಜಾತ್ಯಾತೀತ", ದಿನ ಬೆಳಗಾದರೆ ಎಲ್ಲರೂ ತಾವು ಜಾತ್ಯಾತೀತರು ಅಂತ ಹೇಳಿಕೊಳ್ಳುವಾಗ ನೀವು ಮಾತ್ರ ನಾನು ಜಾತ್ಯತೀತ ಅಂತ ಹೇಳಿ, ನಿಟ್ಟುಸಿರು ಬಿಡಿ. ಪ್ರಾಕಾರ ಅನ್ನುವ ಶಬ್ದವೂ ಹೀಗೆಯೇ. ಪ್ರಕಾರ ಅನ್ನಬೇಕಾದಲ್ಲಿ ಸುಮ್ಮನೆ ದೀರ್ಘವನ್ನ ಎಳೆದು ತಂದು ಪ್ರಾಕಾರ ಮಾಡುವವರಿದ್ದಾರೆ. ಉದಾ : ಯಕ್ಷಗಾನ ಒಂದು ಕಲಾ ಪ್ರಕಾರ, ಪ್ರಾಕಾರ ಅಲ್ಲ. ಪ್ರಾಕಾರ ಅಂದರೆ ಸುತ್ತಲೂ ಆವರಿಸಿ ಇರುವ ಸುತ್ತುಗೋಡೆ. ಕೋಟೆಗಳಲ್ಲಿ ಪ್ರಾಕಾರಗಳು ಇದ್ದವು, ದೇವಸ್ಥಾನಗಳಲ್ಲಿ ಗರ್ಭ ಗುಡಿಯ ಸುತ್ತ  ಪ್ರಾಕಾರಗಳು ಇರುತ್ತವೆ. 

ಇದರ ಉಲ್ಟಾ ಅನ್ನಿಸುವ ತಪ್ಪೂ ಇದೆ, ದೀರ್ಘ ಬೇಕಾದಲ್ಲಿ ದೀರ್ಘ ಹಾಕದೆ ಇರುವುದನ್ನ ನೋಡಬೇಕಾದರೆ ಬಸವನಗುಡಿಯ ನೆಟ್ಟಕಲ್ಲಪ್ಪ ಸರ್ಕಲ್ ಹತ್ತಿರ ಬನ್ನಿ. ಅಲ್ಲಿ "ಉಪಹಾರ ದರ್ಶಿನಿ" ಅನ್ನುವ ಬೋರ್ಡು ಕಣ್ಣಿಗೆ ರಾಚುತ್ತದೆ. ಅಲ್ಲಿ ನಿಮಗೆ ಯಾರೂ ಹಾರ ಹಾಕುವುದಿಲ್ಲ. 
ಅಲ್ಲಿ ನಿಜವಾಗಿಯೂ ಸಿಗುವುದು ಉಪ + ಆಹಾರ = ಉಪಾಹಾರ. ಇನ್ನು ಸಸ್ಯಹಾರ, ಮಾಂಸಹಾರ ಬೇಡವೇ ಬೇಡ. ಚಿನ್ನದ ಹಾರ, ಮುತ್ತಿನ ಹಾರ , ರತ್ನದ ಹಾರ ಎಲ್ಲ ಇರುವಾಗ ಸುಮ್ನೆ ಮಾಂಸದ ಹಾರ ಯಾಕೆ ಹಾಕಿಕೊಳ್ತೀರಿ! ಮಾಂಸಹಾರ ಬಿಟ್ಟು  ಮಾಂಸ + ಆಹಾರ = ಮಾಂಸಾಹಾರ ತಿನ್ನಿ( ನೀವು ಮಾಂಸಾಹಾರಿ ಆಗಿದ್ದರೆ! )

ಹೋಟೆಲು ಅಂದಾಗ ನೆನಪಾಯಿತು, ನೀವು ಶಾಖಾಹಾರಿ ಹೋಟೆಲ್ಗಳನ್ನ ನೋಡಿದ್ದೀರಾ ? 'ಶಾಖ’ ಎಂದರೆ ಬಿಸಿಯಾದದ್ದು. ಆದ್ದರಿಂದ ‘ಶಾಖಾಹಾರ’ ಅಂದರೆ ‘ಬಿಸಿಯಾದ ಅಡುಗೆ’ ಎಂದಾಗುತ್ತದೆ ಮತ್ತು ಇಂತಹ ಹೋಟೆಲುಗಳಲ್ಲಿ ತಣಿದ ಆಹಾರವೇ ಸಿಗುತ್ತದೆ! ಶಾಕ = ತರಕಾರಿ, ನೀವು ಒಂದು ಹೊಸ ಹೋಟೆಲು ತೆರೆದರೆ ಶಾಕಾಹಾರಿ ಅಂತಲೇ ಬರೆಸಿ. 

ಮಹಾಪ್ರಾಣದಲ್ಲಿ ಹೇಳಿದರೆ ಗೌರವ ಹೆಚ್ಚು ಅಂತ ನಮ್ಮ ಜನ ಭಾವಿಸುವುದರಿಂದ ಹೀಗೆ ಪ್ರಯೋಗ ಮಾಡುತ್ತಾರೆ. ಶಾಖ ಅಂದರೆ ಮರ್ಯಾದೆ ಜಾಸ್ತಿ ಶಾಕ ಅಂದರೆ ಕಡಿಮೆ ಅನ್ನುವ ಭಾವನೆ! ಮಹಾಪ್ರಾಣಿಗಳಾದ ಹುಲಿ, ಸಿಂಹಗಳು ಕೂಗಿದ ಮಾತ್ರಕ್ಕೆ ಮೊದಲಕ್ಷರ ಮಹಾಪ್ರಾಣವಾಗಬೇಕಿಲ್ಲ. 
ಘರ್ಜನೆ - ತಪ್ಪು, ಅದನ್ನು ಗರ್ಜನೆ ಅಂದರೆ ಸಾಕು.
ನನ್ನ ಮೇಲೆ ಸಿಟ್ಟು ಬಂದರೆ ನ್ಯಾಯಾಲಯಕ್ಕೆ ಹೋಗಿ. ಆದರೆ ಉಚ್ಚ ನ್ಯಾಯಾಲಯಕ್ಕೆ ಹೋದರೆ ಸಾಕು, ಉಚ್ಛ ನ್ಯಾಯಾಲಯ ಬೇಡ. 'ಚ' ಒತ್ತು ಸಾಕು. 'ಛ' ಒತ್ತು ಬೇಡ. ಮಹಾಪ್ರಾಣದ ವ್ಯಾಮೋಹಕ್ಕೆ ಕಡೇ ಉದಾಹರಣೆ: ಕುಂಕುಮಕ್ಕೆ ಇರುವ ಶಬ್ದ. ಸಿಂದೂರ ಅಂದರೆ ಕುಂಕುಮ (ಬಾಲ ಇಲ್ಲ). ಸಿಂಧೂರ ಅಂದರೆ ಆನೆ (ಬಾಲ ಇದೆ, ಹಾಗಾಗಿ ಆನೆ ಅನ್ನಿ!), ಹುಡುಗಿಯರನ್ನ ಆನೆಗೆ ಹೋಲಿಸಿ ಬೈಸಿಕೊಳ್ಳಬೇಡಿ. 

ವಿದ್ಯಾಭ್ಯಾಸ ಮಾಡಿದವರೂ ಇಂತಹ ತಪ್ಪುಗಳನ್ನು ಮಾಡುತ್ತಾರೆ. ಅದನ್ನೆಲ್ಲಾ ಬಿಡಿ. "ವಿದ್ಯಾಭ್ಯಾಸ" ಅನ್ನುವ ಶಬ್ದವನ್ನೇ ತಪ್ಪಾಗಿ "ವಿಧ್ಯಾಬ್ಯಾಸ" ಅಂತ ಬರೆಯುವವರು ಎಷ್ಟು ಜನ ಇಲ್ಲ!  ನೀವು ಅದೇನು ಕಲಿತು ಗುಡ್ಡೆ ಹಾಕಿದರೂ ಅದು ವಿದ್ಯೆ(ಬಾಲ ಇಲ್ಲ ) ವಿಧ್ಯೆ ಅಲ್ಲ. ವಿದ್ಯೆ ಕಲಿತರೆ ಕೆಲವರಿಗೆ ಕೋಡು ಬರುವ ಹಾಗೆ ವಿದ್ಯೆಗೆ ಬಾಲ ಬಂದು  ವಿಧ್ಯಾ ಆಗುವುದು ಬೇಡ. ಅಭ್ಯಾಸವನ್ನ ಅಬ್ಯಾಸ ಮಾಡಿದರೆ ಅದೂ ಆಭಾಸವೇ, ಈ ಅಭ್ಯಾಸ ಬಿಟ್ಟು ಬಿಡಿ. 

ಬೊಂಬೆಯಾಟವಯ್ಯ ಹಾಡು ಕೇಳಿದ್ದೀರಲ್ಲ ? ಆ ಚಿತ್ರದಲ್ಲಿ ನಮ್ಮ ಕಣ್ಣೀರು ಸ್ಪೆಷಲಿಸ್ಟ್ ಶೃತಿ ನಟಿಸಿದರೆ ಅದನ್ನು ಏನಂತ ಹೇಳಬಹುದಿತ್ತು? ಶ್ರುತಿ ಸೇರಿದಾಗ ಚಿತ್ರದಲ್ಲಿ ಶೃತಿ ಸೇರಿದಾಗ!! ಶ್ರುತಿ ಅಂದರೆ ಸರಿ. ಶೃತಿ ಅಂದರೆ ಏನು ಅಂತ ಗೊತ್ತಾದರೆ ಆ ನಟಿ ಕಣ್ಣೀರು ಸುರಿಸಬಹುದೇನೋ( 'ಶೃತಿ’ ಪದಕ್ಕೆ cooked, boiled, dressed ಎನ್ನುವ ಅರ್ಥ). ಇದೇ ರೀತಿ ಧ್ರುವ ಅಂದರೆ ಸರಿ, ಧೃವ ಅಂದರೆ ತಪ್ಪು.
ಇದನ್ನು ಓದಿ ಸುಸ್ತಾದೆ, ನಿಶ್ಯಕ್ತಿ ಆಗಿದೆ ಅನ್ನಬೇಡಿ. ಅದು ಶ್ಯಕ್ತಿ ಅಲ್ಲ, ಶಕ್ತಿ. ನಿಃ + ಶಕ್ತಿ = ನಿಶ್ಶಕ್ತಿ ('ಯ' ಒತ್ತು ಅಲ್ಲ 'ಶ' ಒತ್ತು). ಮಹಾಭಾರತದಲ್ಲಿ ಬರುವುದು ದುಶ್ಯಾಸನ ಅಲ್ಲ, ಅವನು ದುಶ್ಶಾಸನ . "ಅನಾವಶ್ಯಕ" ಇಷ್ಟು ಉದ್ದ ಬರ್ದಿದ್ದಾನೆ ಅಂದಿರಾ ? ನೋಡಿ ಅದೂ ಸರಿಯಲ್ಲ, ಇದರ ಬಗ್ಗೆ ವಿವರಣೆ ಅನವಶ್ಯಕ!!

ಕೊನೆ ಸಿಡಿ : ನನ್ನ ದುಡ್ಡು Axis ಬ್ಯಾಂಕಿನಲ್ಲಿದೆ . ಈ ಸಲ ದೀಪಾವಳಿಗೆ ಬೇರೆಯವರೆಲ್ಲ ಏನಾದರೂ ಮಾಡ್ಕೊಂಡು ಹಾಳಾಗಿ ಹೋಗಲಿ, Axis ಬ್ಯಾಂಕಿನವರು ಮಾತ್ರ ಹ್ಯಾಪಿ "ದಿವಾಳಿ" ಅಂತ ಹಾರೈಸದೆ ಇದ್ದರೆ ಸಾಕು.
‪#‎ಅರ್ಥ_ಇರೋ_ಕನ್ನಡ_ಪದಕ್ಕಿಂತ_ಅರ್ಥ_ಇಲ್ಲದ_ಇಂಗ್ಲೀಷು_ಪದಾನೇ_ನಮಗಿಷ್ಟ‬

Uppi 2 Coaching Classes to start in KG Road

A faking news style piece by me on the much awaited, much hyped film Uppi 2 that stunned everyone with the upside down Cut-out and teaser:

After having realised that there is a huge demand for some explanations on all the confusing terms and posters and cut outs of Upendra's latest film Uppi 2, Mr Venkateshi from Magadi road has come up with a plan to open Uppi 2 coaching classes near Nartaki theatre, Bengaluru. 

"As the film is releasing on Friday, A fresh batch will start this Wednesday", he announced. "After having spoiled the youngsters with all the LKG, UKG, 7th Std, SSLC, PUC, IIT-JEE, IAS and CAT and sundry other coaching classes the time has come for me to enter the film industry", he said. "People are not understanding the screenplays written by these new age film-makers like Rakshith Shetty and good old Upendra, and that causes frustrations", he fumed.

First 2 classes will teach word combinations like Naanu, Neenu, Unknownu, Naanu annonu unknownu, Neenu unknownu annonu, Neenemba naanu, naanemba neenu, neenu kandante naanu, naanu kandante neenu, Avanu kandante naanu mattu neenu and various other permutations and combinations of nouns,pronouns, proper nouns, gerunds, verbs, adverbs, adjectives and every other combination from Wren and Martin Grammar books.

There will be separate classes for those who have just seen the posters, for those who have watched the teasers and for those who have watched the film just once.

"Those who have watched the film more than once will be admitted to a different batch", he promised. A guest lecturer will be taking a session on understanding a film that has a film within a film within a film in a reverse screenplay format happening inside a flashback all the while being a metaphor for a symbolic thing.

A special gym instructor will join to teach people as to how the necks are to be bent for ulta viewing of the upside down shots in the film. Some die-hard fans who were really excited about the "Aham Naaneshwara" chant have enrolled to the Wednesday classes demanding that they want to know what it means.

There will also be special auto rickshaw services to take confused people coming out of the theatres directly to the class where an equally confused teacher will explain the meanings/interpretations and hidden meanings of what they just saw. The autos will be parked just outside the exit gate of Nartaki theatre with the "Excuse me please" sign boards.

Uppi 2 Teaser

Greece Debt Crisis made easy!!

I wrote this elsewhere on July 15th. Thought there might be others who would want to read this. This was my answer to someone who wanted an easy to understand/intuitive explanation about Greece's Debt crisis. Here is an oversimplified, easy to understand, layman's version of what happened to Greece and what the fuss is all about. This was written for a movie group, hence the movie related analogy.

Assume that Greece is a film producer from Gandhi Nagara in Bengalooru, India.

1.All producers borrow money from financiers(All countries borrow money with the help of Govt. bonds). Greece also did.

2. A producer has to earn more than what he has borrowed with the help of ticket sales(Countries collect Taxes)

3.Now a producer has to spend this borrowed money on a movie. But this dude Greece spent it on stuff like 5 star hotels, resorts, free Switzerland trip to hero etc( Greece gave exorbitant salaries to Govt employees, ridiculously high pensions, spent money on useless infra projects etc. instead of using it to boost the GDP)

4.No theatres give the ticket price back to this Greece guy. All audiences are entering cinemahalls without tickets(Massive Corruption, Nobody pays taxes in Greece, tax evasion is unimaginably high)

5.You can get money for low interest rates if you join nirmapakara sangha(Association of producers) [Joining Euro Zone]

6. To join you must be eligible. You should have produced at least 1 hit and you should possess 2 crore in cash. Greece pushes one film and shows cooked up excel sheets projecting a 2 crore balance( Greece lies to Eurozone about debts,GDP and stuff)

7. Now nobody is ready to lend money to Greece. And interest rates are doubled for him. Sangha(Association) helps him but asks him to cut all the budget and finish film within 1 crore. (Euro zone demands Greece to cut all expenses and increase tax)

8. Greece thinks that making a low budget film will only hurt him. Greece asks a 10 Crore loan so that he can make another big budget film and bounce back(Greece asks for a bailout so that it can get the economy going)

9. A biggie like Rockline Venkatesh (Germany) is angry. He says, "we can’t give another 10 Crore loan so that he can pay the 15 crore loan he already has". Greece argues that only way to repay loan is to make another big film which is possible only if he gets a new loan!! about debts,GDP and stuff)

7. Now nobody is ready to lend money to Greece. And interest rates are doubled for him. Sangha(Association) helps him but asks him to cut all the budget and finish film within 1 crore. (Eurozone demands Greece to cut all expenses and increase tax)

8. Greece thinks that making a low budget film will only hurt him. Greece asks a 10 Crore loan so that he can make another big budget film and bounce back(Greece asks for a bailout so that it can get the economy going)

9. A biggie like Rockline Venkatesh (Germany) is angry. He says, "we can’t give another 10 Crore loan so that he can pay the 15 crore loan he already has". Greece argues that only way to repay loan is to make another big film which is possible only if he gets a new loan!!

Note: This is primarily based on a chapter from the book Boomerang by Michael Lewis. Here is a detailed article by Michael Lewis(it is an excerpt from the same book):

http://www.vanityfair.com/news/2010/10/greeks-bearing-bonds-201010

ಕುಮಾರ ವ್ಯಾಸನು ಹಾಡಿದನೆಂದರೆ!!

ಇದೊಂದು ವಿಚಿತ್ರ ಕಲ್ಪನೆ, ಈಗಿನ ಹಾಲಿವುಡ್ ಸಿನೆಮಾಗಳ ಸಂಭಾಷಣೆಗಳನ್ನ ನಮ್ಮ medieval ಕವಿಗಳು ಬರೆದರೆ ಹೇಗಿದ್ದೀತು ಅಂತ. ಸಿಕ್ಕಾಪಟ್ಟೆ ತಲೆ ಕೆಡಿಸೋ ಡೈಲಾಗ್ಗಳು ಇರೋ Fight Club ಅನ್ನೇ ತಗೊಳ್ಳೋಣ, ಇದು Chuck Palahniuk ಬರೆದ ಕಾದಂಬರಿ ಆಧರಿಸಿದ ಚಿತ್ರ. ನಾನು ತುಂಬಾ ಇಷ್ಟ ಪಡುವ ನಿರ್ದೇಶಕ David Fincher ಇದನ್ನ ನಿರ್ದೇಶಿಸಿದ್ದ. 

"You are not your job, you're not how much money you have in the bank. You are not the car you drive. You're not the contents of your wallet. You are not your fucking khakis. You are all singing, all dancing crap of the world" ― Chuck Palahniuk, Fight Club

ಇದನ್ನ ನಮ್ಮ ಕುಮಾರ ವ್ಯಾಸ ಬರೆದರೆ ಹೇಗಿರಬಹುದು ? ಹೀಗೆ :

ಕಾಯಕವು ನೀನಲ್ಲವೊ ಕೇಳು

ಮಾಯಕದ ಧನ ಕನಕ ನೀನಲ್ಲ

ರಾಯರೆಲ್ಲರನೊಯ್ವ ರಥವೇ ನೀನು ಧರಣಿಯಲಿ

ಕಾಯ ಒಪ್ಪುವ ಬಟ್ಟೆ ನಿನ್ನದೆ

ಆಯೆನುತ ಬೊಬ್ಬಿರಿದು ದುಗುಡದಲಿ

ಗಾಯನದಲಿ ಬಾಯ ಮೌನವ ಮುರಿವೆ ನೀನೆಂದ

(ಹೆಚ್ಚು ಕಮ್ಮಿ ಭಾಮಿನೀ ಷಟ್ಪದಿಯಲ್ಲೇ ಇದೆ, ಕಲಿಯುಗ ದ್ವಾಪರವಾಯಿತೋ ಇಲ್ಲವೋ ಗೊತ್ತಿಲ್ಲ , ಆದಿ ಪ್ರಾಸಗಳನ್ನ ತರುವಷ್ಟರಲ್ಲಿ ನನಗಂತೂ ಸಾಕಾಯಿತು)

"We buy things we don't need, with money we don't have to impress people we don't like" ― Chuck Palahniuk, Fight Club

ಇದು ನಮ್ಮ ಬಸವಣ್ಣನವರ ವಚನ ಶೈಲಿಯಲ್ಲಿ:

ಉಳ್ಳವರು ಕೊಳ್ಳುವರು

ಇಲ್ಲಿ ಇಲ್ಲದ ಹೊನ್ನ ಕಳೆದು

ತಮಗೆ ಸಲ್ಲದ ಜನರ ಮೆಚ್ಚಿಸಲಿಕ್ಕೆ

ತನಗೊಲ್ಲದ ಕಡೆ ನಡೆಯೆಂಬರಯ್ಯಾ

ಇದ ಕೂಡಲ ಸಂಗಮ ದೇವಯ್ಯನೊಲ್ಲ ಕಾಣಿರಣ್ಣ

To Dub or not to dub is the question!!!

With the news about a dubbed film being ready for release, the dubbing debate has resurfaced. Should Kannada film industry allow dubbing or not is the question. The answer is not an easy one.

Let me also take an anticipatory bail. I am neither completely for Dubbing, nor completely against it.

To put things in perspective:

The articles by Udaya Marakini and Pawan have covered most of the points(Check this discussion in Gandhadagudi ) So, read this as a companion piece to those 2. I will try to cover what they have not already covered.

I guess, this whole issue is about what will happen to the B and C center audience if Dubbing comes. Cosmo Kannadigas are not watching Kannada films anyway. Apart from an occasional Uppi, Guru Prasad, Rakshith Shetty, Pawan kumar or Yograj Bhat film they don't even know much about the Kannada films anyway. At max ,they might watch some Puneeth and Sudeep films. Neither are they for Machu longu nor are they fans of SRK, Darshan and other heroes with mass appeal. Abbabba andre once in a while they might watch films of good looking heroes like Diganth or Chethan. They are happy watching Hollywood and Bollywood movies. A tiny fraction of them might even be watching Tamil/Malayalam/Telugu.

Dubbing or no dubbing will not make any difference to KFI as far as this cosmo kannadiga class is considered. It is like the guy who buys Hyundai cars. The debate is about whether Ambassador Cars should be allowed or not. It will not make any difference to him since he is not using Ambassador cars anyway. He is buying Hyundai cars and he will continue to do so. Ambassador or no ambassador will not mean anything to him.

People like me will watch Hollywood films in English itself. I will watch French/Italian/Spanish/Iranian films in the original language with subtitles.

So, the argument boils down to: What will happen to the B and C Centers? Will the mass stop watching Kannada films if dubbing comes? The answer to this can only be speculative. That is why I am neither for dubbing, nor against it. A skilled debater can argue either way as we can see from countless articles quoted in the Gandhadagudi forum 's thread that I have mentioned above.

Some points that I can think of:

For:
1. I want this remake culture to stop. You remake good films like Autograph and Aptha Mithra once in a while. Such remakes once in a while are welcome and necessary. But our stars are doing remakes afte remakes after remakes. Vishnu Vardhan, Ravi mams, Sudeep, Puneeth and Darshan are to be blamed mainly for this. Salute to SRk in this matter for taking a bold stand. I want dubbing to discourage the remake trend. And scene lifting might also be discouraged.

2. Capitalistic theory: Competition is good. Competition results in better products. If you sit in your home, protected by your parents, you will not grow or become good. It is when you go out and compete with the best that you learn. Take Pre-Globalization era India. Ambassador, Maruti 800/Omni and Fiat were the only cars available. After globalisation we have so many options. Now Maruthi has to face competition. they did not close their factory. Competition has only made them better. They have responded by reinventing and producing new cars which can compete with other Global brands. They have released stuff like Alto also. We want KFI to be like Maruti. Let us compete with Telugu and Tamil. We might lose a few battles initially but eventually we will learn to beat them. We will be forced to make stories that are better than Tamil/Telugu films.

3. Who are you to dictate what the audience can and can not see? Let them make a choice. Can you stop people from using iPhones because local phone manufacturers don't want you to get iPhones? We will say, let the local guys produce something better than iPhones and we will but it. Don't force us. Give us that freedom. We will buy whatever we like. If you want us to buy your product then create something that will attract me. Don't make remake films like Bul Bul, Yare Koogadali or Varada nayaka and blame kannada audience for not coming to theaters.
Regarding lip sync: I will reject the films with bad lip syncs. Don't decide for me. I will decide whether I want to watch a lip synced film or not. Films with bad lip syncs will irritate me and I will naturally reject them.

4. Situation back in the 60s was different. There was no such thing called KFI. It was Madras which was everything. We were not at all organised, there were no professionals, no stars, nothing. So, A Na Kru and Raj Kumar and all had a valid point. Now it is an established film industry. We are very well established now. Let the Box Office Sultans and Abhinaya chakravartis and all face Vikram,Surya, Mahesh babu and such. If they really are Box Office chakravartis and Abhinaya specialists then they will emerge victorious.

5. Watching films is more like an addiction, abhyasa bala. Just because Pizzas and burgers came we will not stop eating Dose, Idli and rice. SImilarly those who are addicted to kannada film will continue to watch kannada films. SRK fans will watch his next big films no matter whether a Tom Cruise or Pawan kalyan or Amitabh Bachchan has a Co release. This abhyasa, addiction will not go anywhere.

6. Culture, language and all: Firstly, KFI does not do justice to the culture and language of karnataka. It just shows the culture of Bangalore and Mandya. Karnataka is not limited to mandya and bangalore. There are other parts also. KFI has not even bothered to check what people in other parts do and how they speak. Our culture was alive long before the film industry came and it will be alive in future also.

7. Raj Kumar at least spoke in crystal clear kannada and taught people how to talk in kannada. What have today's heroes done? They just take 3/4 crore and act. They are rarely concerned about creativity, bhaashe and all. They are busy protecting their image and making money. They have acted like businessmen. A businessman is concerned only about profit. Heroes are only concerned about Box Office, Image, money and such.
Even the Munis and Manjus are concerned with how much money they can make, nobody here is really concerned about kannada. They are using kannada sentiments for their business/ money making. So, don't ask for our sympathies now. We will also act like the customers of a businessman. Let the best businessman with the best product flourish, even if he is from some other state.


Against:

1. We already have given half of our theaters to Tamil, telugu and all. Now you guys want to snatch the rest of theaters also for your dubbed films? Where will we release Kannada films? In Mangala Graha?

2. You can not compare Kannadigas with Tamil/telugu guys. A telugu guy will even watch a dabba(mediocre) film. An ordinary film like Dookudu will also make 40 crore business there. We are nirabhimaanis, Kannadigas would have been very harsh on a movie like that. Their screen density and movie watching populations are high resulting in a much bigger market for Tamil and Telugu. So, we face a real danger of extinction in the long run. Spare us.

3. Competition is between equals. Because of our nirabhimaana, inferiority complex, meekness and various other factors, KFI is already like a person with a knee injury. If you ask a person with knee injury to compete with Usain Bolt, it is not equality. It is like they are already on shoulders of a giant and we are still crawling. Competition will destroy us. Can we ask a 5 year old kid to compete with a 25 year old guy? Competition will destroy the kid. Kid needs protection.

4. Try for a job in Europe. You will see that only Permanent residents of that region are allowed. If they allow open market policy then people there will be unemployed. They protect their people first. Even in Singapore PRs are preferred 1st. This is natural. Let us say that your son gets very low scores in the exams. He is not doing well. Do you say ask him to perish because he can not compete with others? Do you say, "Let him fail because he is not doing well"?
You give some concession to him. You give some concession to him. You protect him and in the future he might become the best engineer/Doctor/Lawyer/teacher/Social worker/Poet/writer/businessman whatever.
KFI is like this son. It is ours after-all. These are our people. Let us give some discount/concession to them.

5. In Argentina, they watch dubbed versions of Hollywood films. There is no such thing as an Argentinean film industry. Dubbing has almost killed the Argentinean film industry(May be dubbing was like condom, it did not even allow the Argentinean film industry to take birth), Do you want Karnataka to be another Argentina?

6. We all saw how our distributors and multiplexes inflicted injustice upon a small Kannada film like Rangitaranga by snatching theaters and not giving prime time shows, by not displaying the show-timings etc.(Check the details here: Justice for Rangitaranga). This problem will only aggravate with dubbing. When a Baahubali releases, we will have 300 shows for the Telugu version, 100 shows for Hindi and Tamil versions and another 200 shows for the Kananda dubbed version. Only way to do this is to snatch theaters from a film like Rangitaranga. Stars will not face this problem as they already have a big fan base. Filmmakers like Anup,Rakshith, Pawan, Giri Raj will certainly see theaters and shows being snatched for the next big Telugu film!! Let us agree that the world is not always fair. There is no level playing field and the big often kills the small unfairly. Rangitaranga had overwhelmingly positive reviews and it had nothing but "Sold Outs" mind you, it still had to lose theaters. A Kannada film made with a budget of 3 Crores will always lose theaters to a hyped up 100 Crore Telugu/Tamil/Hindi/English film. This will happen no matter how good the film is. Rangitaranga losing theaters to Baahubali is a very good case in point.