2 thumbs down to Hindi movie horrors

In this running around behind a million assignments and reports, I took out 5 minutes to see a relatively old Hindi song where the hero and the heroine disguise themselves and sing the final song of the movie in the middle of the villain's den....but the villain does not recognize them...the entire audience does but the villain who has built his empire of smuggled diamonds cannot recognize them....

who do these directors think we are? this is insulting audience intelligence at the highest level...


ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh....................!

3 Cheers to Hindi Social Melodrama!

I was seeing Saaheb, an old Indian movie starring Utpal Dutt, Anil Kapoor, Raakhi Gulzaar and others. I had seen it many years ago when I was in school. This is a typical family melodrama with a joint family on the verge of break up.

This revisit to this movie probably 16-18 years later just made me realize some things that made such movies great viewing. I saw a small piece where Anil Kapoor fails in his exam and he returns home depressed late in the evening. Utpal Dutt, his father is waiting – I expected a shouting scene where the father goes on saying things that he should not.

Instead, the scene was so sensitive and delicate that I almost choked. The scene was a mature dialogue portraying a worried father communicating his worry and apprehension to a responsible but intellectually weak son. Some movies should be rated as “Can be seen by U but understood by A”. A 12-year old can not understand this...no way.

It is astonishing to realize what these fantastic actors can do to a scene. Utpal Dutt talking 2 or 3 simple lines to Anil Kapoor was just amazing.

Three cheers to Hindi Social MeloDrama....!

Jerry Rao at IIM Ahmedabad - PGPX class is enthralled

You have to be here to realize what great teachers are made of.

" To understand the complexity of business, look at the people who run the show...look at what they have been ..." Thus started one of the best courses I have taken here at IIM Ahmedabad during PGPX.

Jerry Rao, ex-Citibanker and founder of the well known MPhasis BFL was here till the last week - not as one of the legends of Indian IT industry but as a teacher - and let me add a legendary teacher.

It is amazing to hear his point of view on many many things. The course was on perspectives and that was what we got. Truly amazing course. The books that we are reading for it at are great. I am overwhelmed listening to his truly fantastic views on some of the most celebrated companies and some not as celebrated ones.

The finest talk came when he spoke about himself, the Diaspora and how India and Indians are evolving....

- Siddharth

Term 3 at PGPX begins

The third terms been an amazing journey so far. Fantastic electives - fantastic faculty and a worldview of things. As we all see it the view is gaining altitude. We started with nitty-gritty in term 1(Official name was Building Blocks which it was).

Term 2 took us higher up. Expected us application and thought.

Term 3 has been whoa - we got to see what CEO's do. "Why" was the critical question so far. Why this? Why that? And in some cases "How".

But now all W's - why, when , where, what and of course how comes in. Scenario's become more and more complex. Quite amazing. It has been quite hectic but we are used to it now :)

Back to tomorrow's reading.

- Siddharth Garud

On to 2nd term

OK! It is a great feeling to complete the first term at the PGPX!

It is still sinking in that I am at IIMA! Did so many things that I never thought I could do! Presentations, analyses and so many things....

Well the 2nd term is picking up pace now. We had today a "WOW!!!!" class on MacroEconomics. Prof. Ravindra Dholakia just blew the class away with his views on Indian economic history. I never thought Economics could do be so amazing!!! This was not a lecture, it was an experience. We could see the RBI in action, the former Govts., the decision making as he walked us through the last 100 years.

Well other things are in motion. After the rigour of first term, I hope we are equipped for the rest of the year now.

More soon,
Sid