Monday, July 20, 2009

Bollywood landing on Moon

1969
It's been forty years since man landed on the moon, then considered one of the best achievements for mankind. There were talks then that in twenty years man would colonize the moon, travel to the moon would be a regular affair and all that futuristic science fiction stuff. They were excited..

Cut to

2009
..I am still excited thinking about it. Forty year's have passed, I haven't found a colony yet, forget getting a visa to the moon. Somewhere a future prediction went wrong, a prediction that could have been possible if there were enough studies, research and funding diverted towards it. There was just talk, not much done in terms of action. Today we could have been sitting on the moon and could have dealt with global warming with a larger perspective. Hopefully in my life time I get to see that happening.

So with that thought I hope population will grow, they will be need for entertainment in Moon. As you read on different newspapers everyday, everyone quotes the same thing, Indian cinema today is going through a wonderful phase, amazing time for Indian cinema, I am fortunate etc... By the time we land on moon, I am hoping entertainment would have evolved in India and the content that goes out of Bollywood to the moon. I am so thrilled to be part of this growing process. There are great plots, almost every movie seems to be great films. Alternative film makers are slowly becoming mainstream. With so many great films, Bollywood today is no more known only by song and dances, but a unique form of cinema from India has evolved and found a voice. Actors are now supporting alternative cinema because the artist in them thirsts to be creative with their work, so they support off beat film makers. In fact the word "off beat" will be outdated. I am so excited. Wow, my phone's ringing, a production house has just decided to give me an offer to make our first film..... Strange sound. Poof. Flash of Lighting. Gone.

Flash. WTF ?

2049
Bollywood Division, Mumbai Dome, MOON TERRITORY

4 hours since Earthrise
I am in front of a mob holding placards. That man on the placard looks familiar, there is some protest. The police arrive in some flying ships open tear gas. Part of the crowd disperse, I move through the crowd and reach a clearing. Oh shit I recognize that face on the placard, it's one of the alternative film makers of our times. He is been publicly executed. There are cheers. A group of women break into a a Bollywood dance, in the end, the film maker is killed.

I continue running, this is a different world, i see an old face begging, he used to be one of a fellow writers during my struggle years, what happened? There is poster of a movie produced by some Kumar clan called "Galatic Ishq", wow and the poster is playing a song, it a remix that played on radio, sounds familiar. Oh my Gosh, News flashes in a signboard. SRK and GURU Dutt to team up? Technology has made it possible.

The beggar comes behind me and speaks to himself " They don't need stars anymore, there are lots of virtual stars everywhere. All created by the Clans, Bollywood is now ruled by clans who are off springs of the Bachans, Khans, Chopras, Roshans. UTV buildings have been bombed, Hollywood is waging a war of creativity with Bollywood. War Against Creativity. The rest of the world only gets Bollywod films and other markets have their own versions of bollywood films. Even the Chinese have broken into the territory. Every movie is the same plot, with different faces. Writing job does not exist anymore. The alternative film makers have been arrested and executed. Some still teach the craft, they are branded as terrorists and revolutionaries for thinking different. They run these training centers in some remote places hard to penetrate. Some underground market sells those films like drugs peddled in the crater areas of the moon. Very expensive, good cinema is illegal. Youngsters roam about with blue tooth enabled phones, downloading stuff (films) from the peddlers. Writers are been executed." A chill runs down my spine

I am still trying to grasp on how I landed here, I walk away from the beggar, I walk down the street, people begin staring at me. I receive an MMS. LAST WRITER SPOTTED. He looks familiar. It's me. I am surrounded by the cops in the small space ships. The cop points something at me. A jolt.. Black Out.

BOB DYLAN SONG PLAYS ..

Come writers and critics
Who prophesize with your pen
And keep your eyes wide
The chance won't come again
And don't speak too soon

For the wheel's still in spin
And there's no tellin' who
That it's namin'.
For the loser now
Will be later to win

For the times they are a-changin'.


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1 comment:

fightclub said...

hahahaha...but then writers will finally get a place, somehwere. may b in some museum, the extinct species. but then will bob daylan still play and if his voice can be heard, things cant go so wrong. some day!