Fight Club Movie Review

Directed by David Fincher and stars Edward Norton, Brad Pitt, and Helena Bonham Carter, Fight Club is an adaptation of the novel “Fight Club” written by Chuck Palahnuik. There is one thing that can be said about fight club, either you will really love it or you will really hate it. There is just no middle path about it.

I for one liked the movie. The movie has everything in it to make it a cult film. “An average men lives a life of quiet desperation”, Fight Club not only brings out that desperation but twists it, shows a form of vent and provides you with a hell of a climax. The film has great one liners :
“The first rule of fight club is do not talk about fight club”
“Self improvement is masturbation"
“We just lost cabin pressure”

"Man, I see in fight club the strongest and smartest men who've ever lived. I see all this potential, and I see squandering. God damn it, an entire generation pumping gas, waiting tables; slaves with white collars. Advertising has us chasing cars and clothes, working jobs we hate so we can buy shit we don't need. We're the middle children of history, man. No purpose or place. We have no Great War. No Great Depression. Our Great War's a spiritual war... our Great Depression is our lives. We've all been raised on television to believe that one day we'd all be millionaires, and movie gods, and rock stars. But we won't. And we're slowly learning that fact. And we're very, very pissed off. "

"Now, a question of etiquette - as I pass, do I give you the ass or the crotch? "

and a host of others. The narration is where the movie really scores. The direction and performances are sterling to say the least.
The film is not just a story but a way of life, a philosophy in making. The philosophy is anti consumerism , and advocates a nihilistic approach.
Norton plays the role of an average guy stuck in cubicle and an insomniac. He was so screwed up that he becomes addicted to support groups and this is where he met Helena, who also was a faker. There is no way out for him till he met Brad Pitt and his life changed forever. He moves in with him and started the life that Brad Pitt (Tyler) was living. Brad Pitt has really interesting theories about life and it amuses and contradicts everything we believe in but makes a point too. Fight Club was formed as a result of pent up frustration and no way to get it out. Slowly but certainly the number of members in fight club starts increasing and in time it was opened in a couple of places. The film concludes with “Project Mayhem” and a dramatic end.
Watch the movie once for you may really like it or you will really hate me for recommending it to you.

Barack Obama and India

The call for votes has got shriller on Indian soil. No these are not for the votes in Bihar elections rather the calls are made for American votes from India. Strange? Not really. After the recent drubbings Obama has been kind of desperate and hence his successful Indian visit is measured by the number of jobs that will be created in US. It seems the American Population is tired of the “Change Agent ” and hence they are seeking change at the presidency level and “Yes They Can”.
As a kid, I use to see “tight rope walking” act performed by street side artist whereby a kid would walk a rope tied to two posts and balance a pot on his head. He would also use a stick to balance himself.
Obama’s situation looks eerily similar to that kid only he is well dressed and better fed. As he walks the tight rope he has to appease India (begging India to open up and sounding anti protectionist) on the one hand and woo American voters (creating jobs and shouting anti outsourcing rhetoric) on the other. The pot balanced on his head is his presidency and the stick used to balance himself is Afghanistan which can easily led to his downfall.
The desperate situation of Obama can be gauged by the fact that his advisors had almost converted every deal he signs in terms of the jobs that will be created back home.
I cannot blame Mr Obama for asking for votes from Indian soil for we have been doing this our entire life (post freedom). Garnering votes by whatever means whether it be promising bikes to school children or bribing the constituency has been our specialty and it seems Obama has figured out what we do best.
All I can say is congrats Mr Obama for taking back 54000 jobs back with himself.

Rendezvous '10 Dhoom

On 24th of august, it was firmly established why Rendezvous IIT D is the biggest cultural fest in North India.
It was the third time that KK performed at IIT D and the audience loved, nah adored and lapped up his performance.


For me, the songs just took me a walk down the memory lane. "Yaaron dosti badi hi haseen hai" when sung by him kind of replayed my engineering days. The nothingness that used to fill my days, the passion with which we ranked the girls in our class, our senior batch, and our junior batch seemed like the most important task. We use to discuss almost everything under the sun except of course studies which was a taboo. Those were the days!!

The songs kept getting better and better. "Tadap tadap ke unplugged" unlocked the door of emotions which I have kept hidden and forgotten all about. This was the song which I use to sing when my girl friend at school left me. I remember singing this song a couple of times later in my life and after some time I just got used to heart break. Standing there however reminded me all about the dark days when I thought living is such a waste.

The night kept getting better and better. "Khuda Jaane from Bachna Ae Haseeno" had all the boys singing in their respective throaty voice for their current lovers, their imaginary lovers and for some to the unrequited love we are so familiar with.

The finest however was "Kal rahe na rahe yaad aayenge yeh pal" a line that aptly captures the emotion. A night of music before we get back to the world of classes, assignments, deadlines, placements. This is one night that I will remember long after it is gone.

For once IIT roared louder than the airplanes flying above us and who knows the loud screams were signs of the time to come. A loud impact that we all endeavor to make once we are out of IIT D campus.

CRUSH-1

When I saw her for the first time I knew she is my dream girl. She had everything that I have always wanted. The scintillating looks, the near perfect skin and most important of all the dazzling smile; it almost gave her an angel like appearance. Once when I passed her in the corridor of our class, I can smell her fragrance and it almost made me dizzy for I have never been so close to her. I kept looking at her in the class with rapt attention while she jotted down every word the Prof spoke. Oh she was beauty personified. I was content enough just to see her and this way a week passed. Now greed crept in, I wanted more, I was no longer satisfied with her smile and fragrance began to lost that enigma, I now wanted to talk to her. But that was not just possible. Whenever I tried to talk to her it felt like I have lost my voice, for even if I opened my mouth words would not come out. My mind went blank as soon as I was near her.
I thought of many lines to start the conversation with but there was no perfect line for her. Every attempt of mine felt lame and every night I would sleep thoroughly annoyed with myself. Finally I left it to fate, if god wants it, it will happen.
To my surprise God really wanted it for in one class she sat next to me.
Shreya- “Hi.”
Me- “Hi.” Oh! I managed hi without embarrassing myself. This must be my lucky day.
Me- “I am Dhiraj.”
Shreya- “I know.” This line almost gave me heart attack, she not only said hi to me but she also knew my name. I was overjoyed but suddenly my bubble burst for I understood how she knows my name. She must have asked her friend “Who is that creepy pervert who keeps looking at me?” almost in that instant I wanted earth to open and take me in. It is strange though how in one moment I was the happiest guy in the world and the next moment I was wishing for obliteration.
We talked a little that day, mostly about how prof is the most horrible person in the world and crib about mess food and the likes. It was an eventful day in my life, one which I will not forget for a long time to come.

What to write about!!!

Ever since I was a kid, I have always wanted to write. I was not sure what I want to write about but I was sure I want to write. When I first read Sherlock Holmes, I thought that maybe someday I will write detective fiction myself. Detective fiction was my first choice of writing but as I read more realized the depth that can be achieved by power of words.



There is popcorn variety (I do not know if this term applies in writing) like Chetan Bhagat, Sidney Sheldon etc. I also had meaningful association with non fiction writers like Dale Carnegie, Norman Vincent Peale, Robin Sharma. Dale Carnegie has been a huge influence on me. There was a time when I wanted to narrate stories the way he does to win friends and influence people. Then I read biography of Mohan Oberoi and autobiography of Mahatma Gandhi. I want to admit, I never wanted to write biography but I sure wanted someone to write about me sometime in the future. Oberoi’s story was that of a quintessential entrepreneur, one who will spot opportunity where none existed. Gandhi’s story on the other hand looked like a confession of sorts, though it was not confidential and was there for all of us to see (or read). I also had my brushing with literature, with the likes of Tolstoy, Gabriel Marquez and that was also the time when I realized my limitation. No matter how much effort I put in writing, I would never be able to capture the human emotions the way they did. This was a dark time and I thought of giving up writing altogether
That and there was another reason. What will I write about? I was not born into poverty, never had to stole to fill my stomach, never killed anyone. I do not have an exciting job nor can I write about my escapades, so what could I possibly write about. I am just one in a million of faceless population who wake up, go to class, come back, mug up the stuff taught in class and may be something here and there.
After writing all this and after some introspection I finally found something to write about but for that you will have to wait. And see I wrote a post about not having anything to write.:-)

Death of Socialist Ideals

The recent drubbings of the Left parties in election and of the leftist ideal parties in the European Union election point to one thing, amidst such recession too the leftist ideals are not able to hold ground. Socialism which was considered as the most viable alternative to the rogue and oppressive capitalism is failing the test. Soviet Union did not survive and with Right to Property granted in China it cannot be called a socialist country though there is strong state control. What I want to discuss here in this piece is why the socialist loosed the battle despite offering world peace and harmony between countries based on mutual respect and trust. It lost though it promised that there would be no hungry people and that men would be equal, despite offering an equitable and just society it lost .Why??
Though I am not an expert and there may be thousands article written on it but I would just like to propose my idea. It lost because men are inherently wicked and such high ideals were just too much for him. It is good thing that there would be no hungry people around but to quell someone’s freedom of speech and his way of thinking just because it was not acceptable to society means that though he is not hungry but he is not satisfied and in some time rebellious feeling will begin to grow inside him. Not to mention that they had a worthy foe in America which was hell bent on making capitalism order of the day. Soviet Union were may be equal to America in terms of military power but were they prepared for the soft power that America was using against it. All over the world American lifestyle became synonymous with liberty, luxury and while the world was pursuing the great American Dream what was Russia offering us?? Bicycles, square meals a day, justice and fair society far too lofty ideas for a common man. While America was showing the world that they are free Russia was shrinking in a shell of its own.
Capitalism has many benefits too over socialism. It promotes competition, free thinking and encourage new ideas. Competition ensures that you have variety, have options. Free thinking lead to intellectual development and expression of the same. New ideas carry the world forward. In contrast in socialist society there is no competition and prices are fixed by the state, no competition and hence no option and no variety .You cannot say a word against the state and civil rights are nonexistent. Ya if that’s starting to sound like slavery don’t blame me this is the way thing is. We know of several brands like Nike, reebok, McDonalds and other all originating from capitalistic countries and none from socialistic country. It cannot be a coincidence. All of you, who would give China as an example, let me tell you it is a different form of socialism. Socialist government cannot survive for long because once people have ensured that they are well fed they yearn for free thinking and personal freedom and when this stage reached Soviet Union could not survive it. China on the other hand has learnt from the mistakes and learnt it well. First it turned its full attention on the countryside so that it has its share of support there because no revolution can succeed without rural masses. Secondly it provided them with economic freedom and security. Plus it has allowed foreign investment and with right to property it has taken another step in the direction of capitalism and if not capitalism at least mixed economy like India. For it know too well that they cannot entirely control people and that curb on free thinking and unbiased media wont last long if they do not deliver at the economic front. Though socialism did not survive excepting of course in some countries like Cuba and Venezuala they could not really exert influence the world like Soviet Union did and its good for self sufficiency but it cannot give prosperity , Chinese form of economy certainly can and in my opinion this is the way forward.

Path to Recovery

In recent months or may be from last year we have seen some tremendous ideological changes at the national level and more so at the international level. People no longer speak of reforms as some magic wand that will solve all the problems. Don’t get me wrong they are not against it either but they are apprehensive about it. It has lost its charm. If people do approve of reforms they ask for stricter regulation. Being a Keynesian is no longer a drawback. The reason for this tectonic shift is the ongoing recession. It is the worst that the world has faced after The Great Depression and hopefully the worst that I would see in my life time. Though the damage in India was not of the same magnitude as in America or Europe but it certainly was felt. I agree that banks did not collapsed neither do companies seek state support or filed for bankruptcy but there is decline in the foreign direct investment, GDP clocked its lowest in the last five year and there certainly is decline in the job sector, something which all of us are familiar with!! What was most frustrating in the entire experience was lack of information. Suddenly everyone was expert and even the experts were clueless about the impact. First there was denial (Even likes of Chidambaram said that our economy is decoupled from the world economy and that we do not depend entirely on exports, ours is domestic demand driven economy and that the recession would not affect us), then there were talks of credit card crises about to break out in US, talks of China proposing new world currency (how would that affect us, I have no idea), prices of houses going down and inflation was high thereby making it hard for government to infuse liquidity in the market and it being an election year government was in no mood to risk. It seemed like a bottomless pit and on top of that Obama was saying that it is going to be worse before it gets any better.
But that’s not the case with India. The worst is behind us and we can look ahead for better times. Sure recession is not over yet but we are well on our way to recovery. There are signs of recovery and I am not making facts up. The following points will illustrate my view.
1. Indian economy clocked 6.7 GDP in 2008-09 year while most economies around the globe contracted. This performance was better than those predicted by the IMF and other leading economic bodies which said that we will clock 5-5.5. The performance was even better than that predicted by even RBI which said 6-6.5. The unexpected but robust performance enthused investors round the globe about India’s future potential.
2. The Sensex is riding high again. Though I believe it is not a parameter to judge economic growth but it is a parameter to check how world perceives us. Its current bull riding on FII is an indicator that world sees us as a safe and profitable investment option. That means we can look forward to some increased FDI flow in the country and if we can get huge FDI in infrastructure then it will certainly augur well for the country.
3. The most visible signs of recovery are the increase in the direct tax collection which is 17%higher than last year’s may collection when economy was booming. This is an early but sure signs of recovery. If there is an increase in the corporate tax collection for first quarter it would certainly be an indication of revival.
Add to this the return of UPA with a thunderous majority and their resolve to carry out reforms has infused markets with new optimism. However there are few bottlenecks too. The government expenditure would have to rise if we to have to continue on the path to economic recovery. The yawning fiscal deficit is a hindrance to it. Though we know that Manmohan Singh led government is not blind to it but the flagship schemes and others social sector programs (very important though) is costing exchequer heavily. Unless we get huge FDI inflow we can see reduced expenditure in infrastructure and sectors like increasing land under irrigation. Both of them are very important for the long term and should be ignored at one’s own peril. What lies ahead for the government is a tough balancing act between social sector expenditures, infrastructure and yawning fiscal deficit. It would have to tread very carefully. Can we trust Team Manmohan for the job? I will bet my money on them..
Signing off
DJ.