Indian Movie Stars need to be more media savvy

Sudeep is a well respected actor in the Kannada film industry. His arrival as a lead actor in the movie Sparsha was welcomed by Kannada cine lovers which was looking for some fresh talent. With his good looks and screen presence he has established himself as a dependable star and has also done his stint as a director. Such being the case I was terribly upset when I watched this interview of Sudeep on youtube (click here to watch the interview. It is on a Kannada TV, but they speak a lot of English). I thought he treated the interviewers with total disregard. I could not help conclude that his handling of the interview lacked finesse and professionalism. I have seen other actors fail to impress as individuals, not because they are not good individuals but they stop being themselves and start behaving arrogantly, once they acheive some amount of stardom.

Obviously this interview is a couple of years old and as such Sudeep may have left it behind him. My views are definitely not a personal comment on Sudeep. It is just that this interview is a typical representation of the mentality of many current Indian movie stars which is worth commenting about.

Now let's take some points raised in the interview. When asked about the success of recent hits like 'Mungaru Male' he was much more interested in denying credit to Ganesh the star of the movie than on talking about what led to the movie's success and learning from it. In fact Ganesh did have a great part in the success of Mungaru Male. Sudeep was upset that so much credit is being given to Ganesh for the success of the film. His comparison of Darshan and Ganesh was unwarranted. It sounds totally ridiculous when one movie star puts down another by saying "Darshan is 6 feet tall and Ganesh is juts 3.5 feet. avanelli ivanelli". I hope Sudeep recognises the irony in his view. Doesn't he know that irrespective of physical attributes the hero always beats the life out of the bad guy and his menacing bunch of 20 or more hoodlums armed with longs and machetes. More ironic was his denial of Ganesh's instant stardom with a reference to how much hard work a superstar like Vishnuvardhan had to endure before he was recognized as a star. We have not seen Dr. Rajkumar or Dr. Vishnu behaving like this in an interview. Even though they are from a previous generation, nothing stopped them from being snooty. But I am mindful of the fact that times are different now. Celebrities are in the public view more now than before what with 24 hour TV and Internet. Comparison is futile in such situations. But public life is as much an opportunity to present yourself impressively as it is a risk of revealing one's dirtier side.


The interviewers looked like very enthusiastic kids who were just eager to do a good interview. They asked pertinent questions. But Sudeep's demeanor was as if he was saying "I know what I should do and I know better than you ." They seemed excited to be given this opportunity to interview a star and he could have been encouraging. But he seemed to gain some satisfaction in putting down their views and questions.


I was impressed with the mild tenacity shown by the interviewers. In spite of being brushed aside by a domineering personality they kept pressing him on with their questions. The way the subject reacts to a question reveals a lot even if the subject does not answer the question.


The Indian film stars will do well if they can demonstrate the skills needed to present a professional public persona. I can't help compare this situation with the way the Nicole Kidmans, Tom Cruises and George Clooneys or the Obamas for that matter, charm the interviewer and the audience leaving a favourable impression.

Now that the world's gaze is falling more and more on the so called 'Bollywood' films industry, our stars will do well to learn that presenting oneself in a public forum is much different on the world stage. Self absorbed boorishness is not the way to go. A charming behavior with a touch of gentle humor sounds like a better choice. If they can demonstrate a whiff of intellect that would make them very sought after guests.

For your viewing please here are some links which speak for themselves. I liked the way Shah Rukh Khan handled his interview. He was very impressive with his awareness of the world around him. Thanks to those who have provided this content.

Sudeep's Interview on Kannada TV (But they speak a lot of English)

Aishwarya Rai on Letterman

Shah Rukh Khan on NPR. (Audio only)

You can also search for Aishwarya Rai and Abhishek Bacchan's interview on you tube.

A friendly atmosphere at Sneha Sapthami

KKNC 2010 - Sneha Sapthami program on Feb 20.

The bay area is home to 5000 Kannadigas (5K-K) according to one estimate. Kannada Koota of Northern California (KKNC) formed in 1972 has been doing a wonderful job in providing a forum for the community to stay in touch with their culture, language and traditions. Continuing that agenda the 2010 committee made a very good start with the program Sneha Saptami. (Photo: Gowthami Nagaraja).

Having Sneha (friendship) as the objective of this event was a very good idea. In all aspects of the program there was a well planned effort to maintain a friendly and family spirit and it was highly successful. It started right at the doors where smiling committee members. welcomed the arriving attendees. Inside the auditorium one could see people smiling and talking to friends while enjoying the entertainment on the stage. It was like a family event . The hospitality committee did a good job mixing and talking cordially to the with the attendees. The only thing missing was the traditional mantra heard during marriage celebrations "tumba taDa AghOytu. nidhannake OOTA maadi".

This committee with Raghu Halur as President appears highly enthusiastic and motivated. They had a well planned agenda and had come up with creative ideas to engage the audience. The team exhibited cordiality and enthusiasm which rubbed off on the attendees too. (Below: Crowd of more than 1000. Photo: Yogi Subbaiah)It is a good forum for talented members to display their talents under the gaze of a supportive audience. More importantly for women, it is a great occasion to display their grand sarees and latest acquisition in jewelery department. It appeared that some of them could not decide which jewelry to wear and so played it safe by wearing their entire inventory from their safe deposit boxes. This burden explains why they could not reign in their kids . It was left to the men folk to take care of the kids while at the same discussing economy and world peace. Reminds me of a hanigavana by famous Kannada poet Dundiraj.

shopping mugisi manege baruvaaga
hendathiya mukhadalli santrupti, nagu,
ade gandana kaiyalli -
byaagu magu

(Elegent Front Decoration: Photo by Yogi Subbaiah)
The program line up was short by previous standards but I did not feel that I missed any thing compared to previous programs. KKNC programs have developed a bad habit of going on for long hours causing the audience to leave half way through the programs. Those who stay back feel exhausted by the time they reach their homes close to midnight. This committee had promised to start and end the program on time and lived up to it.


The program was started off with wonderful music by Padmaja Kishore's students. Anitha and her troupe performed a spirited dance to the tune of 'cheluvayya cheluvo'. 'Kaalinga mardana' dance by students of Reema Kashyap was nicely done. (Right: Photo by Yogi Subbaiah) Kiran Mohan and team put up a hilarious program called Mad Ads which reminded me of my college days. This program was noteworthy because it displayed a freshness which is very welcome. Their string of short sketches were well created and well acted. This program was funny and spoofed many current events. I am sure we can expect many more innovative and novel performances from this team. Padma Rao and team's 'Mysooru mallige' was a tribute to the late Dr. C Aswath. They sang K.S Narasimhaswamy's poems really well and had small enactments in between. The stage setting was nicely done too. (Photo below:Scene from Mysooru Mallige: by Yogi Subbiah) . The last program was 'Saamarasyke ondu Salahe' by the drama veteran Alamelu Iyengar. It was hilarious with barbs on the behaviour of men, women and the confused NRI parents. Apart from being funny Alamelu delivered a very thoughtful analysis of the relationship between children and their NRI parents. This program was very well received by the audience which rolled in laughter at the way the drama laid bare their own foibles. It is a good sign that people are wiling to laugh at themselves. The anchors Satheesh Heddese and Kavya Kurbur did a good job in providing transitions between programs. There was an elegant artistic display in the front.

In the spirit of the Silicon Valley Inc.'s corporate mantra, there is always scope for improvement. Here are some. Speeches should be kept short. It would have been more effective if the talking between programs was a little bit shorter . The food was not up to the mark. The Biryani was dry and the sabji spicy. The fact that my 3 year old daughter emptied her water bottle into my food tray did not solve either of these problems. I understand it is a bit hard to come up with a universally appealing menu. It is not for nothing that they say "oota tanna icche, nota parara icche'. (taste is personal)

I liked the theme of Sneha (friendship). The audience picked up on this queue and indulged in a whole lot of friending. (The new addition to the English lexicon, thanks to Facebook). I myself had very pleasant conversations with my college mates, old and new friends. It was a great sight to see the members sitting on the floor eating food and chatting and laughing.

The audience appreciated the motto of this team - 'every one should go ba ck from the function feeling they had a friendly experience'. The team led by Raghu achieved this objective. They deserve a pat on the back. I am sure KKNC will continue to flourish under this team.

Review: MaLeyali Jotheyali

Title: MaLeyali Jotheyali (Kannada 2009)
Starring: Ganesh, Anjana Sukhani, Yuvika Chaudary, Rangayana Raghu, Dattanna, Sihikahi Chandru, Sihikahi Geetha, Sharan
Directed by: Preetham Gubbi
Music: Hari Krishna
Photography: Krishna

Verdict: Enjoyable and worth watching.

Now-a-days there are lots of Kannada movies being screened here in California bay area. As frequently as once a month we get the opportunity to watch a movie which has been certified as a 'recent hit' by Kannada audience in India. Some times the movies are so mediocre that they leave the bay area audience wondering how such a movie could be a hit. Many times these movies 'running to packed houses in Karnataka' not only lack in quality but they also peddle shocking levels of crass and tasteless entertainment. So it is hard to have an expectation of a movie watching experience. My simplified yardstick is 'if it is a Kannada movie, just go and watch it'. And it is always fun to watch a movie with a crowd.

Theatre Atmosphere
So on Saturday Feb 6th, I was at Serra theatres in Milpitas for the 6 PM show. I stood in a long line to but tickets and I went into the theatre. I was in disbelief as I saw a noisy and excited crowd of about 150 eagerly waiting for the movie to start. That was in itself a thrilling sight. And when the Golden hero Ganesh made his entrance, there was whistling and screaming. I was pleasantly surprised at Ganesh's stardom in this part of the world.

Plot (does not reveal the whole story)
The movie's protagonist is Preetam (Ganesh) who has passed his PUC (12th) exams in his 7th attempt. He is a road-romeo who proposes to any young girl he finds attractive. His box of tricks to charm the girls include flattering the girls with extremely over-the-top poetic phrases. He gets into form especially when it starts raining. His rich but good natured simpleton dad (Rangayana Raghu) wants to get him married in the traditional arranged way. So Ganesh's friend Venkatesh (Sharan) hatches a plan where they convince the dad that Ganesh should go and meet Venkatesh's military uncle Tamayya (Dattanna) and marry the uncle's (fictitious) daughter. Tammayya lives in the hilly Sakaleshpura. Ganesh arrives there to meet 2 love interests - Sandhya and Anjali. Sandhya (Anjana Sukhani)is the modern aggressive female whereas Anjali (Yuvika Chaudary) is the traditional demure heroine. The story revolves around this love triangle in a filmy but good natured way.

Analysis
The director Preetam Gubbi has treated the story line in a mature way and has attempted to keep it lively and handles the emotional scenes with good restraint. He has avoided overt sentimentality and avoids syrupy dialogues and situations. But the movie does occasionally slide into formulaic dialogues and situations not wanting to let go of the tried and trusted tricks to win the audience. For instance the irritating and over-talkative hero who tries to woo the girls with his goofiness.(I find it hard to believe that women keep finding this attractive). Then there is over-cute child who talks beyond her age. But in spite of making these objections I find the director ends up on the positive side.

Performance
The movie has a lot of attractions. The lush mountains, homes and life of the Malnad area in and around Sakaleshpur have been captured beautifully. Background music by Hari Krishna is very good and there are some melodious songs by Sonu Nigam, Tipu, Shreya Goshal and Ganesh himself. It was funny that Hari Krishna has used an All India Radio tune during sombre emotions.

Ganesh reiterates that he has very good talent for histrionics and that his star value is dependable. Rangayana Raghu devours the role of the goofy dad. Yuvika (Anjali) has a freshness about her looks, smile and acting that she has a good future. Anjana who plays Sandhya looked like an unlikely choice for a heroine but she uses the opportunity to show her acting ability. The two heroines and Ganesh bring a lot of charm to the movie. But I am still peeved that the have bring heroines from outside.

This movie is definitely worth watching and provides good entertainment in spite of hanging on to some boring cliches.

Score: 7 out of 10