A tale of two Muslims..!

While one Muslim died on Monday, another is facing the gallows.

The entire nation hails the first one, admires him as an ace rocket scientist, likes the simple-living of the former President and prays for the peace of his soul. On the other hand, the second is hated for his anti-India stand, his dubious role in Mumbai riots and for making a mockery of the Indian judicial system.

India knows what to look for and what not to nit-pick when it comes to good men and bad men. No Indian looked at Dr. A.P.J. Abdul Kalam's religion when adoring him as his own family member. Had the divisive mindset been there, as has been projected outside the country, Kalam would have neither ascended the highest position, nor would he have become the darling of the Indians.

The other side of the coin has the Memon who has been awarded a death sentence for his role in Mumbai blasts. Whether death sentence has to be done away with is a different cup of tea on the human rights front, but the argument put forth that he has been sentenced to death only because of his religious background is absurd. Research shows that only 5 p.c. of those awarded death sentence in India so far are Muslims. Unfortunately, there are voices against the judiciary even within the country. Even people holding responsible positions wag their tongue so carelessly on such a sensitive issue. It so happens in a vibrant democracy, unless the judiciary takes offence and declares it as contempt.

The world does not have to teach secularism to our country. We know whom to admire and whom to abhor. Playing the 'Muslim card' is too old a trick and I hope the parties shun it and focus on their development, in real terms.

As a friend pointed out in a lighter vein, there is no threat to secularism in India, as long the Ramzan Haleem and Christmas plum cake titillate the taste buds of the friendly Hindus..!

Bahubali: A film of epic proportions...!

Finally, the mega movie of Tollywood is out amid huge expectations and to overwhelming response.

Not only the team's painstaking shooting and post-production effort for two years, but also the maverick marketing effort during the last two months, seem to have paid off, as the film has evoked a roaring hype on the first day. Prabhas and Rajamouli carried the film throughout on their shoulders and the result is evident. The body-builder has really slogged it out for offering a fine performance, which, without an iota of doubt, will remain the best in his career. However, I find something missing in his magnetic eyes. Is it the charm in the romance scenes or the fire in the fighting scenes? 

The movie was chiseled to perfection by the master sculptor S.S. Rajamouli, who appears in every frame of the movie in the form of his trademark grandeur. It's the turn of the audience to watch awe-struck as the scenes navigate through the picturesque waterfalls to the exuberant palace via the snow-capped mountains.  In some scenes, it is hard to tell the real scenes from those created in the studios through computer graphics. The aerial depiction of Fort Mahishmathi appears to have drawn inspiration from his previous flick 'Magadheera'.

Hunk Rana as the cruel king Bhallala Deva talks little, but evokes a sense of fear and repulsion. Snow white Tamannah Bhatia moved beyond hip-shaking to portray a powerful role by wielding the sword. Expected Anushka Shetty to don the 'Arundhati-like' royal look yet again, but as the aged queen, imprisoned and shackled for 25 years, she presents a dignified role.

The film clearly takes Telugu film-making to a rung higher. In spite of the all the hype and the film's ability to maintain it till the end, there's something that an ardent Rajamouli follower will find missing. The hero enters the heavily-guarded fort in no time, making a mockery of the multi-layer security system. Similarly, when he walks up to his shackled mother, the overwhelming emotion in the face of Anushka is clearly missing. The war in the flashback takes a lot of time, but still does not sag. The film proceeds on expected lines and there's almost nothing that is not unpredictable. The only thing unpredictable is when the curtain comes down with a thud, alongside a message that 'Bahubali 2' will be released in 2016.

At the end, the hero rescues his mother from the cruel king. No points for guessing that the sequel will focus on senior Prabhas wedding Anushka in the flashback and the junior Prabhas killing Rana to avenge his father's death. Sathyaraj, Ramya Krishna, Nasser have powerful portrayals, while Rohini and Sudeep leave a mark. M.M. Keeravani's indelible impression is hard to miss in the background score, rather than the songs. The loud cheers that Rajamouli's brief appearance as a bartender evoked from the audience is indicative of his growing visibility, especially on television and social media in the recent months.

After 2 hours and 45 minutes, one finds the end very tame and sudden, with nothing great achieved till then. The 'divide-into-two-parts' might have been a result of the elaborate script and the lengthy taking, but it has to be seen if Rajamouli & Co will be able to retain audience interest on the sequel. On a positive note, the unit has enough scope to mould the sequel going by the response to the first part.

Hope the hype does not kill the real interest of the audience...!