Black Friday

Black friday is one of the best movies i have ever witnessed in my life.After watching the movie i was one of the many fans of Anurag Kashyap and since then i am following his career like a loyal fan.That day i was just roaming around and went to my friend's place,they were watching some unknown movie called Black Friday.I just sat with them and watched the movie.Wow! it was just amazing!!

The movie is based on Black Friday - The True Story of the Bombay Bomb Blasts, a book written by S. Hussain Zaidi.Both the book and movie created a lot of controversy.Initially the movie was not allowed to screen but after two years of hiatus the movie finally got released.But the movie failed to attract the audience mainly because of lack of promotion.The movie is very realistically made,one chase scene of a suspect by police is very well made and shot in actual slums of Mumbai.(I felt like that is the actual slum).

The film was screend in many Film festivals and garnered positive reviews from most of the critics.It also won handful of awards.The performance of Kay Kay Menon is worth mentioning.The screenplay by Anurag is wonderful.It has an 86% fresh rating on very famous Roten Tomatoes website.British film maker Danny Boyle said that Black Friday is one of the inspiration for him to do Academy Award winner Slumdog Millionaire. And soundtrack of the movie is composed by one of the very earliest fusion band of India "Indian Ocean".The song "Bandeh" became immensely popular in India.The music too got critical appreciation as it is completely different from what an usual Indian movie offers.

But the movie is very underrated in India though it got recognition in foreign countries.

Walking Encyclopedia

A man of many faces.This is what i say when i remember of a great writer,thinker,environmentalist,philosopher,educator,artist,film maker,social activist and Yakshagana artiste(is a folk dance drama popular in coastal Karnataka).He is also one of the 7 Jnanpitha award winner for Kannada,a higest award given to any literary works by Govt. of India.

This genius born in Udupi district of coastal Karnataka in Brahmin family.He left his studies to participate in India's freedom fight.At the same time he started to write plays and novels.Later he wrote literary masterpieces like Marali Mannige,Chigurida Kanasu,Chomana Dudi,Mookajjiya Kanasugalu,for which he won Jnanapith award,Hucchu Manasina Hatthu Mukhagalu,an autobiography.Chomana Dudi and Chigurida Kanasu went on to be cinemas.Chomana Dudi movie won the Swarna Kamal,National Award for the best film in 1975.His contribution to Yakshagana is also remarkable.He tried to revive this semi-folk art and made some experiments in Yakshagana using Russian Ballet.He also tried his hand in painting,he wrote books on folks,science,fiction.He also wrote a book on birds at the age of 95!(Craazzzy huh!!!).Apart from the 47 novels, he also wrote 31 plays, 4 short stories, 6 books of essays and sketches,13 books on art, a standard treatise on the Yakshagana, a three volume book of knowledge for children, a four volume encyclopedia on science for grown ups, 240 children's books, six books on travel, two books on birds, three travelogues, an autobiography.He has 417 books to his credit.He also tried his hand in art and designed cover page for his books.

He won Jnanapitha award for his book 'Mookajjiya Kanasugalu' which means Dreams of mute gandmother.Hucchu Manasina Hatthu Mukhagalu is his autobiography and he also wrote second part of his autobiography called Smrathipataladinda.He built a toy train and it was the first toy train in Asia.He also won Padma Bhushan,the third highest civilian award but returned it in protest against emergency.He also won Swedish Academy award.He is also been awarded as one of the ten makers of India in last 60 years by CNN-IBN.About 87 books were written on him and he the only person in Asia on whom so many books have been written.He is the winner of Sahitya Akademi, as well as the Sangeet Natak Akademi also a Jnanpitha and Tulsi Samman.He also won doctarate from many universities in India.A rare achievement.He was rightly called "Walking Encyclopedia".


His son Ullas Karanth too is an environmentalist and tiger expert and working for Newyork based Wildlife Conservation Society.


This genius left his imprint on every cultural arena.This literary giant died in 1997 at the age of 95.He lived all his life quietly in Kota,a small village.Later shifted to Puttur.He never came to big cities in search of fame or money.But this great visionary,activist,humble human being plunged into politics and got defeated!!