Dream Seller

Phew!!

editor@ibnlive.com — Thu, 30 Nov 2006 05:35:49 +0530

Nowhere in this world can so many things happen in two days. A cricketer returns. A murder case gets closer to being solved. A minister is convicted of murder.

Youth You-can!!!

editor@ibnlive.com — Wed, 30 May 2007 03:46:10 +0530

The world is closing in Did you ever think That we could be so close, like brothers The future's in the air I can feel it everywhere Blowing with the

Bas Ek Saal!!

editor@ibnlive.com — Fri, 29 Dec 2006 12:14:06 +0530

As another year closes in, I sit down with my morning cup of tea and contemplate. I could have done so much more this year - could have finished writing

A cry for help..!!

editor@ibnlive.com — Mon, 28 Aug 2006 01:33:13 +0530

A central government directive wanted all schools to recite the first two stanzas of the song at 11 am on September 7 to mark the completion of the centenary celebrations

Ban me!

editor@ibnlive.com — Fri, 23 Nov 2007 05:15:16 +0530

Golfer (in India): Hey buddy! I read your book the other day. Nice book. I am a big fan, mate! Writer (in India): What the hell? Please don't read my

KBC SRK-ishtyle!

editor@ibnlive.com — Tue, 23 Jan 2007 03:38:20 +0530

I like Shah Rukh Khan. I am not a big SRK fanatic but nonetheless I like the guy. Something about him is quite endearing. As my Pa would say, "He

Will you sleep with me?

editor@ibnlive.com — Sun, 22 Jul 2007 02:23:09 +0530

I used to laugh at all the jokes that me and my friends used to share amongst us. Whenever one of us asked the other for a favour, one of the others would immediately retort with a sly smile, "Turn around and bend down, buddy!" And then the other day, when I was on my way to the office, I heard on the radio Sonu Nigam shout out, "I will take him to the cleaners. I will not tolerate any man asking for sexual favors from me. Ditto for women." And I promised not make a joke of this ever again. You never know, someone might actually take me to cleaners one day! I know I might sound like a freak but I cannot stop my mind from working this out. Is casting couch is a necessary evil" Let me try answering this. If it did not exist, then we would not have nice looking people or talented people on-screen or on-air. Well, a renowned sociologist's theory states that the normal human tendency is to select something that appeals to his or her tastes. And by that philosophy, the casting couch would throw up good looking or talented people ONLY! And thus, it is indeed, a necessary evil. I know by now you all must be swearing to stomp on me. I know, I don't blame you. I think the same way as you do. The first paragraph was me simply penning down just a random thought - on the benefits of this particular "evil" phenomenon. The casting couch is a term used for a widely recognized sociological phenomenon that involves the trading of sexual favors by an aspirant, apprentice employee, or subordinate to a superior, in return for access into an occupation, or for other career advancement within an organization. This practice is thought to be an occurrence in vocations that are highly attractive and conventionally complex to break into, principally the movie, television, advertising and music industries. Such dealing of favors may be considered an abuse of supremacy, power and authority and become a wider sex scandal if deemed newsworthy. Over the last few weeks, the revelations have been startling for me. I always thought that poor women always faced the brunt. But the stories in the last few days have revealed that the casting couch is now just not restricted to any one particular gender on either side of the trade-off. Like someone rightly said, "the casting couch has always existed for both men and women. It isn't a gender issue at all. It's a power issue. Wherever there is an equation of power, there will be exploitation." Casting couch phenomenon is accounted in almost every possible occupation and situations involving subordinates and superiors, where the boss has momentous influence on the future career progression of the subordinate. It involves either the superior asking sexual favor from a subordinate in return for financial or professional support, or the assistant enticing and tantalizing the supervisor with the aspiration of bartering career or monetary evolution. What confuses me now is that which version is true" I realize that obviously the "need" comes from either ends but which way does it weigh more" Do people "give in" to get something easily and quickly or do people know that they have power and hence they "ask"" With media becoming a force to reckon with and arguably a very powerful social justice tool in the last decade - we have heard and seen so many stories unfold talking about this dark, ghoulish and morbid phenomenon existing in our society. Remember Alisha Chinai shouting out that Anu Malik had made advances towards her" Or take the Aman Verma and Skakti Kapoor incident for that matter. Or the curious incident of Zhang Yu, a Chinese actress, who released 20 graphic sex videos that she made to certify her claim that she had got countless roles in films through the casting couch stream. And then who would forget an obscure woman called Preeti Jain accusing Madhur Bhandarkar of sexually exploiting her in promise of a role (which apparently he never gave her!). And now Sonu Nigam and Bobby Darling!! And say it or not, people, like you and I, use this bit of news as scoop. We love to hear more of it; talk about it; see it. Due to the public's attraction with this supposed dark and gory system, several films, books, and TV narratives deal with shady management folks attempting to misuse their position. The 1994 Hollywood blockbuster called Disclosure starring Demi Moore and Michael Douglas (which was remade in Hindi and was re-christened Aitraaz) - where Demi tries to take sexual favors from her subordinate Douglas only to be refused. In the year 1996, the Friends Episode number 34 "The One With Russ", Joey is forced to sleep with a studio executive to land a role in the soap opera Days of our Lives. Madhur Bhandarkar's Page 3 also showed how a super-star in Bollywood sexually uses a starlet and throws her to the bin. In a forthcoming movie called Anubhav, a theatre actor [Sanjay Suri] who has a dream of carving a niche in Bollywood, falls prey to the casting couch system and transforms into a gigolo in the course due to circumstances. In the 2003 Hollywood film Honey, Jessica Alba who plays the main character is blackballed from the music video industry because she refuses to sleep with a powerful video producer. So much has the desire to make fun at casting couch gone up that a fake business in Disney's California Adventure theme park in the park's Hollywood Pictures Backlot area is named "Philip A. Couch Casting Agency". Phew!! And in the lyric from the song "I Wanna Be A Producer", written by Mel Brooks, the chorus girls sing "...He wants to be a producer with a great big casting couch!" This phenomenon is definitely worth a research; a hearing; a raised eyebrow; a team to fight it out and justice. This issue is at large - like molestation, this issue is also at my home, your home and everyone else's. It is everywhere - like any other ill in the society. And it is not a sudden occurrence. I am sure that if we flip back the pages in history, many more skeletons will come out of the closet. But I realize that like any other social issue, this subject is also something that people love to take to their grave in fear that no one would believe them, no justice will be meted out and people like me and my friends will make a joke out of it again. And again.Until, one of us decides to stand up against it. So, will the real slim shady stand up this time around" ( No pun intened!)

(K)not for Women!!!

editor@ibnlive.com — Thu, 20 Apr 2006 08:03:00 +0530

We all must have heard of the saying "Behind every successful man, there is a woman.". And there is tag to it too - "Behind every unsuccessful man, there are

Hi..I am a Professional..

editor@ibnlive.com — Sun, 19 Aug 2007 07:33:35 +0530

Everyone is this country is suddenly talking about 60 years of independence. And also about sex education. But this article is not on sex education or on 60 years of

Gandhigiri is DEAD...

editor@ibnlive.com — Mon, 18 Sep 2006 02:26:16 +0530

There was a time when I heard my uncles mutter, " Amitabh de din gaye." That was almost more than a decade back. And then KBC happened. My

Kiss n YELL! !!!

editor@ibnlive.com — Sun, 18 Jun 2006 06:35:18 +0530

I have always noticed that when there is a road accident, the car driver is blamed. No matter whose fault it is (and most of the times, the person crossing

Hung up on Hanging!!

editor@ibnlive.com — Tue, 17 Oct 2006 11:16:40 +0530

I remember how many people had lined up to bid farewell to Dhananjoy Chatterjee. Probably, more than the number of people who had come to see off Bhagat Singh. Probably.

Kill, Kill and Kill more!!

editor@ibnlive.com — Wed, 17 Jan 2007 11:22:46 +0530

Kill. Yes. That is the mantra - Kill. Unlike my other blogs, I will keep this blog within readable limits. No - not because that I have suddenly

This is NOT news!!

editor@ibnlive.com — Fri, 16 Mar 2007 03:00:01 +0530

I know this topic comes really out of the blue. I am not selling stories here. I can but will not write on Orkut. Or India's chances in the World

Tale of 3 citites

editor@ibnlive.com — Sun, 14 May 2006 10:29:08 +0530

Three beauties. Three themes. Three souls. For all those who are thinking that I am talking about celestial bodies existing in the film industries or about 12th century paintings

The night my party ended..forever!

editor@ibnlive.com — Mon, 13 Nov 2006 10:04:24 +0530

I did not know that I would die this way. An inglorious and untimely death. I was born in a poor family somewhere in Bangladesh. My parents died

Mujhe uncle mat bolna!

editor@ibnlive.com — Wed, 12 Sep 2007 03:20:22 +0530

Last night my uncle hit the bed vowing that he will hit the gym like a sucker, first thing in the morning. He said he would work out

I am Zidane. Are you?

editor@ibnlive.com — Wed, 12 Jul 2006 06:25:00 +0530

The latest Zidane joke: Where is Zidane now? He is in a rock concert - head-banging to the music!!! Well, now that the tone has been set, let

I discriminate, so do you...

editor@ibnlive.com — Thu, 10 Aug 2006 05:35:09 +0530

Recently, Dean Jones was sacked for making a racist remark and Zidane turned wild when Materazzi abused him on racial terms. Both Materazzi and Jones were punished. The reason cited

Name Sake

editor@ibnlive.com — Mon, 10 Apr 2006 12:15:00 +0530

What's in the name, one might ask? But have you ever wondered what would have happened if your boyfriend was christened Gajodhar (no inspiration drawn from any stand-up comedy show!!)?

Identity Crisis

editor@ibnlive.com — Mon, 10 Apr 2006 04:20:38 +0530

Twins. Born apart. India and Bharat.Or should it be Bharat and India? The charade is more complicated and confusing when one sits down to contemplate that between the two, which

The Man of the Moment!!

editor@ibnlive.com — Fri, 08 Dec 2006 05:31:45 +0530

He is the man who everyone loves to hate. Or the man who people adore completely. Very rare in the history would you find someone who is loathed and

Finding Bliss!!

editor@ibnlive.com — Thu, 05 Oct 2006 02:21:13 +0530

It was a bleak morning in Mumbai. The clouds were heavy; the breeze cold. And as usual, I was missing being in Kolkata at this point in time. It was

Lets get "High"!!!

editor@ibnlive.com — Mon, 05 Jun 2006 01:42:00 +0530

Instance One - I had fallen ill once when I was 8. My father accosted a doctor to write a prescription for me. My mother got medicines for me. And