Comments on Vikram and Neha: Proud of the Fatherland!

I guess the problem with Indians is that they are ...

2008-08-01T02:13:00.000-07:00

I guess the problem with Indians is that they are living in their past glory. They are content letting things be as they are and when someone points out the failings of the country and the limitatios of the people, there is paranoia that grips them. Since they do not know how to deal with it or work towards improving things they react aggressively. I guess aggression comes naturally to us Indians and we use it most frequently as a defense mechanism.

You talk about Bollywood copying foreign films. I recently wrote to a well known Indian economist asking him that since India was neither a true capitalistic society nor a true welfare state, what is the middle path that we should adopt. His response and I am not kidding - let us copy the UK, German or French model! I could only laugh. Is there nothing to be siad for the different growth stages, different demographics etc. I guess not in this gentleman's world.

I agree with you that as long as you praise everything Indian, you are an India lover. The minute you start being honest you are deemed as an India hater. The fact that some of us live outside India also leads to furthering the accusation since we apparently "deserted" the country.

Great to find you on blogspot.

TB

When you offer a scathing and severe criticism of ...

2008-04-09T23:10:00.000-07:00

When you offer a scathing and severe criticism of anything without giving definite reasons for it, there will be people (most likely the ones who are loyal to or who have liked that particular thing) who will retort and they will do that not necessarily in a logical way. Make a general comment like "Indian movies are useless crap" and there will be a number of people who will jump up in defense of Indian movies and cast doubt about your understanding of a movie, your intelligence, your patriotism, your loyalty towards your birthplace and so on. So one needs to be neutral (and also appear to be so) when offering a critical opinion about anything.
The comment that 'Bheja Fry' is a shitty copy of a French movie has provided an example of this phenomenon. You must have seen the French version which according to you was much superior. But the majority of Indian viewers had not and for them it was as good as an original movie. They truly enjoyed the movie which despite not having the typical ingredients of a masala movie(songs, stars, female lead etc.)made them laugh and consequently went on to become a major hit. Your disapproval of it being a copy was also questionable. A good movie, in any language, deserves to be copied in as many languages as possible (with appropriate changes in the plot as to adapt to different cultural backgrounds) so that most people can enjoy it. So some people, who must have liked the movie objected to your criticism, and did so in a highly irrational manner.
If you wanted to criticize that particular movie, you should have been specific about what you did not like in it and then your criticism might have been taken in a positive manner, may be even accepted. When you criticize a well liked object or thing in a general way, there will always be the danger of being attacked in its defense.
That said, there are lots of things wrong in India which need to be talked about. As long as you are neutral and dispassionate in your discussion, no one should take a personal offense because of it. Being over sensitive about criticism of one's country is akin to burying one's head in sand and pretending everything is just fine.
And yes, watching Indian movies is no proof of anyone's love for India. People in India watch movies not out of patriotism but because there is little else by way of entertainment in this country.

i was searching for details on changla pass - step...

2008-04-05T21:29:00.000-07:00

i was searching for details on changla pass - stepped into your site and this blog

thanks for providing wonderful info which i was searching for (not 100% but to some extent)

गुरुदेव दया करो दीन जने
gurudEva dayaa karo deena jane

of course all critics are not i HATE INDIANS.. whe...

2008-04-03T11:15:00.000-07:00

of course all critics are not i HATE INDIANS.. when u do something there is always ppl who supporst you and ppl who are against you idea.. its that your point is worth noting..
keep writing
BS