The Indian budget every year has always been an eagerly awaited event. For many decades, the best minds in economics, finance, tax, business and industry throng the media house to analyze the provisions shared by the Financial Minister.
Sometimes major events completely disconnected may be data points for the plans of the different powers around the world. The challenge is to discern what purpose they serve? More critically, what are we moving towards?
When the US Ambassador threatened India's "Strategic Autonomy" policy over India's friendship with Russia - much more than meets the eye was at stake. Let us unpack how the Ukraine war has fundamentally changed the US and the world. And why are we here anyway?
THe year 2012 was a great year for the Bollywood films. A phenomenon which had started with Ghajini a few years back – of megahits earning Rs 100 crores – suddenly became a rush. This year therefore brought several things into vogue that should change the way things are done in the industry.
Loss of Luminaries:
As the new trends took over and the new brigade came up on the horizon, the industry also lost some of the greatest that the Indian film screen has seen. Bollywood greats who died this year: Rajesh Khanna, Yash Chopra, Dara Singh, B R Ishara, Dinesh Thakur, Ashok Mehta, Joy Mukherjee, A K Hangal, Jaspal Bhatti. Yash Chopra, however, created his swan song blockbuster Jab Tak Hai Jaan before taking the bow.
New Faces and Young Brigade:
Some potentially great talent came up on the horizon.
Acting:
Arjun Kapoorin Ishaqzaade, Ayushmann Khurrana in Vicky Donor, Mehdi Nebbou in English Vinglish, Diana Penty in Cocktail, Ileana D’Cruz in Barfi!, Siddharth Malhotra-Varun Dhawan-Alia Bhatt in Student Of The Year, child actor Mohammad Samad in Gattu, Richa Chadda and Huma Qureshiin Gangs Of Wasseypur, Parambrata Chatterjee in Kahaani. We also saw new talent in other areas as well –Director Gauri Shinde (English Vinglish), music composer Sneha Khanwalkar (Gangs Of Wasseypur).
Small movies make it big:
Some of the not-so-big movies in terms of budgets and star cast made it big this year. Films like Student of the Year, Vicky Donor, Tigmanshu Dhulia’s Paan Singh Tomar, Sameer Sharma’s Luv Shuv Tey Chicken Khurana and Gangs Of Wasseypur – did well this year or at least got critical acclaim.
Blast from the Past: Three past actors were seen again this year. Leading the whole group was Sridevi. She came back with a blockbuster and made a splash with English Vinglish. Through that movie, she also established that a movie can run with a female-based script, even when the heroine is not well established on the box office. Other two who made the return were Anu Kapoor in Vicky Donor and the loudmouth Girish Karnad in Ek Tha Tiger. But there was another comeback that surprised everyone. Yesteryear heart-throb Rishi Kapoor came as a villain in Agneepath in a role that he portrayed extremely excellently!100 crores club gets crowded:
This year, 2012, saw movies that entered the Rs 100 crores club rise to 9, up from 5 in 2011 and 2 in 2010, and one each in 2009 and 2008. Among the actors, the 100 crores club is led by Salman Khan, followed by Ajay Devgun, Shahrukh Khan, Amir Khan and Akshay Kumar. Ranbir Kapoor made his appearance in this club for the first time in only his 11th movie, besting many others who have been in the industry for so long.
Here are the actors who have given the 100 crores club movies. Among the heroines, Sonakshi Sinha became the most successful heroine in 2012 with 3 movies entering in the 100 crores club!
Comeback of the traditional sexy woman in a Saree:
With the success of Sonakshi Sinha and her promotion of the image of a woman in saree as a contemporary female has meant a comeback for the traditional Indian attire, the Saree. For quite a few years now – decades actually – Bollywood actresses, in order to look sexy, have tried to shed their clothes or wear skimpy ones. Sonakshi Sinha showed that looking sexy was a factor of how a woman carried herself. It is how she looks and behaves that makes her desirable. In fact, a saree can make a woman look more sexy than the skimpiest of bikinis!
The Indian budget every year has always been an eagerly awaited event. For many decades, the best minds in economics, finance, tax, business and industry throng the media house to analyze the provisions shared by the Financial Minister.
When the US Ambassador threatened India's "Strategic Autonomy" policy over India's friendship with Russia - much more than meets the eye was at stake. Let us unpack how the Ukraine war has fundamentally changed the US and the world. And why are we here anyway?
This visit of India left me with many questions. Many observations and inputs from different people and sections. Food for thought that I have tried to contemplate on and make sense of. Sharing all that with you.
When you analyze the last 60 years of the economic miracles of Singapore, South Korea and Malaysia versus the continued impoverished Indian economy, you get very interesting lessons. Can Indians have the wherewithal in them to do in one generation so that the coming generations may rise?
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