The Great Indian Takeover

Today's ET blares out - "The Great Indian Takeover". As I flipped through the pages of the newspapers, an overwhelming sense of pride took the better of me. Ratan Tata might have taken over Corus for business reasons. But its a sign of India stamping its authority in the global scenario, beyond just IT.

And the pride emerges from hitting back at The Empire- Corus (erstwhile British Steel) and an icon of the British Empire is now ready to fly the Indian tricolour. Who says life does not come a full circle...

Ostentatious LN Mittal is a man of "grey" and he is more of an Englishman than an Indian. Though the Corus deal is smaller than Arcelor Mittal's, the sense of appreciation and pride is much more. Envy Ratan Tata for the awesome crack team he keeps company of.

After TCS, Tata Motors and Tata Tea, it is now Tata Steel which has gone in for M&A. He has now tasted the sweetness of blood. I dont see Ratan Tata lying back. I am sure he is not going to stop his shopping spree.

Mani disappoints

Being an ardent fan of Maniratnam, however much I try to write a biased review of Guru, I am just not able to put down any positives of the film, except for Abhishek's stunning performance. The film is truly disappointing considering the expectations it had built. (I actually watched the film on Day 1 night show).

Abhishek has definitely carried the film on his shoulders even as the screenplay sags at times and the hindi dialogues are little tough on you (actually i went to the film thinking it was the tamil version and over that, the dialogues were very difficult to understand at most times). Most of the characters are wasted including Vidya Balan and Aishwarya, who stand there in most of the scenes without much to do. But Mithun is a revelation for people who have not seen his art films. He truly shines .

As much as Mani tries to say it is not the story of Dhirubhai, the credibility dies down looking at the story, especially the scenes that have links to Dhirubhai's tussle with Wadias, RP Goenka and Gurumurthy, Gurukant "Ambani" Desai's offbeat" methods of raising money and gaining import licenses. It could have been a wonderful biopic of Ambani, but Mani smudges storyline inbetween. Wonder why he ever did that, taking the charm away.

I am not sure how many people who do not know the story of Ambani (more so in rural areas) understand what shareholder AGMs, public issues and non-convertible debentures mean. Even higher end movie-goers will not appreciate it.

But overall, when you walk out of the movie hall, Abhishek's stunning performance of a rustic villager-turned millionaire is faded by the disappointment of Mani's yet another directorial failure.

Mani, waiting for you to stike back with Lajjo.

India Poised

India Poised (www.indiapoised.com) is one of the best India-centric campaigns in recent times. From the house of my ex-employer Times of India, it has come at the onset of the 60th year of being a free nation. Times is celebrating 2007 as the "Year of India". Truly it will be.

The ads have received extensive visibility in all of Times channels including TOI and even Times Now TV. With the booming voice of Amitabh Bachchan reciting it, the anthem is very inpsiring. Here's the text:

India v/s India

There are two Indias in this country.

One India is straining at the leash, eager to spring forthand live up to all the adjectives that the world has been showering recently upon us.

The other India is the leash.

One India says, give me a chance and I 'll prove myself. The other India says, prove yourself first and maybe then you'll have a chance.

One India lives in the optimism of our hearts. The other India lurks in the skepticism of our minds.

One India wants. The other India hopes.

One India leads. The other India follows.

But conversions are on the rise. With each passing day more and more people from the other India have been coming over to this side.

And quietly, while the world is not looking, a pulsating, dynamic new India is emerging.

An India whose faith in success is far greater than its fear of failure.

An India that no longer boycotts foreign-made goods but buys out the companies that make them instead.

History, they say, is a bad motorist. It rarely ever signals its intentions when it is taking a turn.

This is that rarely-ever moment. History is turning a page.

For more than half a century, our nation has sprung, stumbled, run, fallen, rolled over, got up, dusted herself and cantered, sometimes lurched on.

But today, as we begin our 60th year as a free nation, the ride has brought us to the edge of time's great precipice.

And one India - a tiny little voice at the back of the head - is looking down at the bottom of the ravine and hesitating.

The other India is looking up at the sky and saying , it's time to fly.