Movies -takeover by new genration in India

December 15, 2009

Rocket Singh

I saw two days back a nice Hindi movie "Rocket Singh -The sales man of the year". I enjoyed the movie very much.

Old colors
I enjoyed movies of sixties/seventies and also enjoy Today's. Though a lot of sweetness from the movies of earlier era in Hindi is no longer there. Like very sweet songs sung on the screen by two very sweet lovers, where even their holding hands together or just coming a little closer,
used to change your heart rhythms. Even now those songs still have the same effect on young generation also. Those sweet days of sixties or seventies are no longer there. Today they have been replaced by songs generally sung by a large group dancing. But you feel as if they are doing body-exercises- though doing admirably.

Today's colors
Still I enjoy Hindi movies of today also. Most of the time you do not go to a Hindi movie theater expecting some great story or theme conveying some big message, any way. Often you know whole story with in a first few frames. But they are so colorful with pleasing colors. People look so young, naive and sweet. Sounds are often very pleasing. Provocatively dressed heroes, heroines and their friends are attractive as long as style does not become filled with too much nudity to repulse you. Music is much louder but still pleasing. Sounds are sweet. I enjoy movies even now quite a bit. Commercial Hindi one's as well as others. I see only occasionally commercial movies in other Indian languages. Except for those in English (they are any way made generally by Americans), I think by and large they are similar. I prefer movies without violence and having nice sweet themes conveying pleasure. There are lots of them.

Theme
The movie Rocket Singh is a little different. Hero Harpreet Singh is a young guy - just got out of college with graduation finished some how. He starts a job as a salesman, in a large computer selling company, I think in Mumbai (I do not remember which city they showed, it does not matter any way). He sees even in his private company corruption and corruption. Marketing seems to have been replaced by bribing and cutting down your colleagues etc. He is surprised that the owner and manager of the company also promote the same. He can not easily mold himself in this mode and he is ridiculed by all in the marketing team.

He rebels. Slowly he forms a team by breaking up people in his own company offering them partnerships and starts forming his own company, selling computers and services. Promising quality and 24 hour services and keeping promise, despite meager resources. Ultimately succeeds with full colors. There are a few ups and downs in between. Like he gets help from a very sweet looking girl, who herself is also struggling to get her own company going. Ultimately he starts having an affair with her.


I do not know how others saw the movie. But this is what I felt after watching it- a new generation is taking over in India.


Generation of past and today's
We had a different world in 50's to 70's-lot of different colors. There were people who were very honest, mostly not rich at all, but kept their words and lived life happily with what ever little they had (signified in the movie with the hero's grand father). We had many very corrupt politicians and many very honest one's too. We had mostly honest journalists and editors but some very corrupt too. Even these people used to be very polite.

Now a days we seem to have mostly very corrupt politicians, journalists editors and media anchors. All of them are generally very rude. In those days there used to be a lot of people who were nationalistic and angry with corrupt leadership and management. Angry young man of 70's was similar to the hero in movies of 70's, played by Amitabh Bachchan.

Today, many see as an age in which, with multinational corporations and big government, becoming corrupt is not at all an issue. People do not feel ashamed about it. But I see that as a phenomena from past hangover and also result of increasing feudal rules, where top party managers of political parties are not very honest and keep hold on the party at any cost Hangover of this past you see among others too. Corrupt managers of old corporations with monopolies or managers of government institutions who grew up in license raj are of this type. So are top editors and anchors of media and press, who seem to see nothing wrong in aligning their whole channels with the side, who returns favors to them. I feel (well at least wish) people in this group are mostly  only extension of corrupt side of past generation, which now is middle aged.

In Rocket Singh, this is the image, aged owner of this corrupt company carries.

New generation of India
There is another generation of young guys and girls who are also taking over in India. Such people, you see them in malls working as sales persons, managers of these malls, or in call centers, or in IT companies, automobile companies, telecom companies etc. . You also see them among anchors of entertainment channels or business channels, or young actors and actresses on TV. You see them among managers, trainees, workers, actors all. They get paid ok and are satisfied with their income. They give good service and have professional politeness. They are not like rude anchors of news channels or young rude politicians coming to politics because of feudal hold and hierarchy.

People of this new generation have very little chance of doing corruption because of strict management control. Top manager has less chance of doing corruption at low level because his company is publicly listed and serves people all over world. He has to have good image in public for his company. He has to give good service. If a person belonging to this new generation does not get what he feels he deserves, he may become angry. But he does not become an angry young man like that of the last generation, who wanted to change the world. He gives up his job and starts his own company, business, group or just his own one man service, which may earn a lot by providing good services internationally.

Enjoy the take over by girls and guys of this new generation
This is the generation to which hero Harpreet Singh and his girl friend belong (played very ably by Ranbir Kapoor and Shazahn Padamsee). This is the generation, which I hope will take over India. Just as the movie, I am also enjoying this take over being played in actual world of ours in India very much by this generation.

Let the take over go a little faster
Only I wish, it happens at a little faster pace than it is taking place. Speed may increase if our rulers of political parties wake up give up their feudal hold on parties and decision making. They should start giving infra structure building task to this new generation. It is long overdue. We all have confidence that they can do it, if feudal control of these rulers over our political, law and order machinery as well as monopolistic hold of owners on media and press is released. I wish they release it on their own. They can not any way stop the take over. If they do not give up their feudal hold, let us hope the next generation will make them do it, in Rocket Singh style of no fight but still quite forcefuly.

(photos taken from promotional sites for the movie, Ranbir Kapoor and Shazahn Padamsee)