Table of contents for 25 December 2017 in Open Magazine

editor@openmedianetwork.in LETTER OF THE WEEK There is a new persona that Rahul Gandhi seems to be rolling out for the public over the past few months (‘The New Boss’, December 18th, 2017). And it comes as no surprise to anyone that he is now president-elect of the Congress party. However, it is a disappointment that India’s oldest party in politics could not break free of its family legacy, despite recent losses and clear signs that perhaps it’s time a leader was found from outside the Nehru-Gandhi family. The days of Indira, Rajiv and Sonia Gandhi were different—there was no social media, no memes and no Twitter. But today, one needs more than a ‘name’ and great public-speaking skills to woo the people of the country. One needs to have a…

THE PROBLEM WITH any advertisement for a condom is that the use of the product itself, in terms of the purpose for which it was created, is somewhat difficult to show. The message must thus be metaphorical. The earlier advertisements of Nirodh, the condom manufactured by the public sector unit Hindustan Latex Ltd, pitched the product in staid family planning terms, or couples holding hands, or closer for what looks like a hug, all symbolising sex of course. In the marketing era of private condom manufacturers, the boundaries of the metaphor were pushed to bring in the idea of pleasure. The sensuality quotient was ratcheted up. Sex was no longer a hint in a condom ad. Most parents, however, don’t really want to watch sex on TV along with their…

AJJI, PLAYED BY Sushama Deshpande, a grandmother-in-mourning, is spying on Vilasrao Dhavle (Abhishek Banerjee), the man who raped her 10-year-old granddaughter Manda (Sharvani Suryavanshi) not too long ago. Dhavle has just acquired a humanoid sex doll and the director takes pains to convey depravity through his eyes and body language. We know what’s coming next, and yet, Ajji and the audience are united in their horror even as Dhavle tears the doll’s arms out and begins to hump, climaxing shortly after. This sight settles it for Ajji. This man deserves death and she will be his executioner. This was perhaps the most talked-about scene from Devashish Makhija’s Ajji, a rape-revenge drama that released recently. Remarkably, Ajji was the fifth Bollywood release of 2017 within the rape-revenge genre, the others being…

MJ AKBAR AUTHOR AND MINISTER OF STATE FOR EXTERNAL AFFAIRS The oldest advertisement for travel claims that it broadens the mind. The anonymous chap who thought this up was probably referring to culture, architecture and possibly a variety of victuals he encountered on the long road to anywhere. In an age of widespread conflict, travel might equally easily narrow the mind. But if your work involves some pretty intense flying and drive-through airports, there is one certain way of improving your vision. Books. Books have been good travelling companions over the past year. Reading splits into two categories: the worthy, and the fun. They are complementary. Try one without the other, and you might merely broaden into a bore. There is always something to learn from a classic of another…

WHY DID SACHIN Tendulkar and Rekha accept Rajya Sabha nominations if they had no intention of showing up in Parliament for its sessions? Was their membership of the Upper House a favour, courtesy a corporate entity in the case of the former and Congress bosses keen to rile a film industry colleague who makes her presence felt on the opposition benches in the case of the latter? Whatever the reason, the cavalier attitude of these stars, now well past their sell-by dates, shows a lack of respect for the sanctum sanctorum of our republican order. Also, it casts in poor light those who nominated them without ensuring that they would spare a few days every year for the highest forum in our democratic arrangement for ordering the nation’s myriad affairs.…

FOR A COUNTRY that is located in a geopolitical hotspot, India has an admirable coolness about procuring essential weapon systems. When the Prime Minister launched the French-designed Scorpene submarine, INS Kalvari, on December 14th, there was all round jubilation. Yet, India’s defence planners need to celebrate less and worry more. Take INS Kalvari as an example. It is India’s first submarine in 17 years. It is first of the six ‘Project 75’ subs of the Indian Navy. The remaining five will be delivered over the next four years. In contrast, China already has a formidable array of submarines, many with stealth features and farsuperior capabilities. At the moment, India has a fleet of 13 ageing submarines that have long outlived their utility. If a 17-year wait sounds awful, consider the…

1 CALL ME BY YOUR NAME (English) Luca Guadagnino’s simmering summer-time story of first love is easily the best film I watched this year, and I caught it all the way back in February at the Berlinale. Both visually sumptuous and deeply affecting, it traces the relationship between Elio, a 17-year-old boy (played by Timothée Chalamet), and Oliver (Armie Hammer), a 24-year-old intern who works for Elio’s father and arrives at their 17th century Italian villa to spend the summer with him. It’s a beautiful and honest exploration of love and desire, and what’s remarkable is how universal the emotions and conflicts feel, no matter what your orientation may be. From the exquisite performances and understated score to the unhurried pace of the narrative, this is a masterclass in evocative…

The idea of politics played out delightfully across the pages in 2017. Politics as narrative storytelling has been thriving as a literary genre for a while, and to add dramatic tension and ideological diversity to the story, the arena is getting crowded with new subversives and usurpers. As 2016 came to a close, those refreshing arguments lingered, whether it was against democracy (by Jason Brennan) or in praise of forgetting (by David Rief) or in favour of restoring classical rhetoric in political discourse (by Mark Thompson). In 2017, the combined effect of Trump and Brexit continued to influence the writing on the power of populism. In The Road to Somewhere: The Populist Revolt and the Future of Politics (Hurst), David Goodhart argues that the most defining crisis in democracy today…

SIXTY-ONE YEAR old Tom Hanks is one of Hollywood’s most bankable stars. He earned his first Academy Award nomination as Best Actor back in 1988 for the fantasy-comedy Big. He has since made a name for himself with landmark films such as Forrest Gump (1994) and Sully (2016). He stars opposite Meryl Streep in his latest film The Post, directed by Steven Spielberg. Streep plays the founder and publisher of the Washington Post. With the help of her editor Ben Bradlee (Tom Hanks), they try to catch up with The New York Times in a race to expose a government cover-up that spanned three decades. In your research, what did you discover about Ben Bradlee? Well, I think the degree of competitiveness that he had straight as a guy wanting…

HOW WOULD I like to remember Shashi Kapoor? I was privileged to have him as a friend, and so saw him at many stages of his life. But as a friend, one can’t pick and choose—you see the best and the worst, and the moments in between, but all these are part of what someone is for you (and you for them). Shashi’s best period, both personally and professionally, was undoubtedly when he produced and asked Shyam Benegal to direct Junoon and Kalyug. They are outstanding films, telling compelling stories in a riveting way, with none of the diversions into side alleys that dilute the narrative in our cinema. In both, Shashi Kapoor is at his finest as an actor, romantic, intense; and in both, his looks had matured from…

THE WRITING OF history and the development of national identity frequently go together, colluding in mutual creation. This has been a live issue in India for decades now, and there are no signs of swift or neat resolution. Since independence, the dominant interpretation within Indian history has remained the Congress-approved narrative taught in schools, with its accent on diversity and tolerance. But the most assertive strand, particularly within medieval and ancient history, is much more aggressively Hindu in tone. This strand has high ranking adherents within the current Government, who have been ready to assert eyebrow-raising claims about Vedic culture and technological achievements. It is a strand that also supports a different kind of patriotism. The Congress developed a broad national critique of the British, but the principal target of…

When Merriam-Webster’s Word of the Year (or the most looked-up word) is ‘feminism’, we can safely say that something is afoot. On the other hand, 2016’s word of the year was ‘surreal’, as life appeared ‘marked by the intense irrational reality of a dream’ (thanks to Brexit, US presidential elections, the death of Muhammad Ali, etcetera). ‘Feminism’ showed a 70 per cent increase over 2016, and that is reason to celebrate and introspect. We cannot sum up an entire year with a single word, but we can conclude that feminism was a leading topic of conversation. Yippee to that. ‘Feminism’ first entered an English dictionary in 1841. The definition read: ‘the qualities of females’. Today’s definitions are thankfully different. They read: ‘the theory of the political, economic, and social equality…

NON-FICTION WHY I AM A HINDU By Shashi Tharoor (Aleph) It starts with an examination of the author’s belief in Hinduism. He discusses those who made major contributions to the essence of the religion. He explains, in accessible language, important aspects and concepts of Hindu philosophy. He analyses Hindutva, explains its rise and dwells at length on the beliefs of Deen Dayal Upadhyaya, one of its most significant ideologues. He is unsparing in his criticism of extremist ‘bhakts’ and unequivocal in his conviction that everything that makes India a great culture will be imperilled if religious fundamentalists are allowed the upper hand. INDIAN CULTURES AS HERITAGE: CONTEMPORARY PASTS By Romila Thapar (Aleph) An enquiry into the hotly contested subject of Indian culture. This is a book that will spark debate…

Ducking the Spotlight By the time you read this, Monsoon Shootout will already be in cinemas. This noir film starring Vijay Varma and Nawazuddin Siddiqui was shot nearly five years ago, and was first screened in Cannes in 2013 to good reviews, but producer Guneet Monga has faced an uphill battle bringing it to the screen. Now Nawazuddin has reportedly refused to do press conferences, citing his busy shoot schedule. The actor is currently wrapping up Sacred Games with Anurag Kashyap while also shooting Lunchbox director Ritesh Batra’s next, opposite Dangal star Sanya Malhotra. Those in the know, however, reveal that Nawazuddin may be deliberately distancing himself from the film. Turns out he has a supporting role in it and he doesn’t want to fool his fans into getting their…