Unity in Diversity?

There were clearly rock star vibes in the auditorium. The audience was chanting, 'Modi, Modi!' as the spotlight shone on him. The Prime Minister of India, Narendra Modi, was in town for a two-day State Visit. As he and Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim walked towards the centre stage, his starry-eyed Indian expatriates and Malaysians of Indian origin in the crowd could not hold back their excitement. Even though they had been given strict instructions to remain seated throughout the event, they just had to give the man, Modiji, as they affectionately referred to him, a standing ovation. 

Modi was in Kuala Lumpur during this tumultuous time, when the world faced many uncertainties: an uprising in Iran, a yo-yoing tariff threat from the USA, a move to remove the USD as the main trading currency, and more. Modi's visit was considered significant. The lingering question of the provocative preacher Zakir Naik's status in Malaysia was also expected to be addressed. India was also trying to infiltrate ASEAN by offering its expertise, which is increasingly scorned by citizens of developed nations whose economies India has surpassed and left in awe. The former colonisers, however, have not shed their imperialist mindset. 

Things only settled down when the national anthems of respective countries came on air, Negaraku and Jana Gana Mana. 

With great humility, the Malaysian Prime Minister, Anwar Ibrahim, began his speech by praising India as a longstanding trading partner and a cultural reservoir for the region. What irked the audience, as I heard the hushed sniggering, was when he addressed the audience as 'brothers and sisters'. Was he trying to sound like Swami Vivekananda in his 1893 Chicago speech? The Malaysians among the audience were quite aware of his 'semua anak saya' pre- election rhetoric and how all that changed when it really mattered. Still, he went on a rant about how India and Malaysia are interlinked over the ages through the Bali Yatra. I thought it would be easier to simply affirm the longstanding, unconfirmed rumour that his grandfather was a sacred-thread-wearing Brahmana to show the link, if the rumour is indeed true. Of course, he did not.

Modi turned out to be quite a salesman. Starting his address with greetings to the crowd, he offered salutations in English, Malay, Tamil, Hindi, Punjabi, and other Indian languages to a frenzied audience. Punctuated by applause, he impressed the listeners with his Malay words, his comparison of the Malaysian favourite food, Roti Canai, to the Malabar Pratha of Kerala, and the names of towns in Malaysia rolling off his tongue, like Batu Caves and Bagan Datoh. Using a teleprompter, the listeners were given the illusion that he was speaking off the cuff, looking directly into their eyes.

He highlighted the giant strides India has made over the last ten years, becoming a force that cannot be ignored. Modi called his old buddy, Anwar Ibrahim, who was his friend before his PMship and other Malaysians to use their common heritage to prosper. 

Like Father Christmas, Modi announced some goodies.  Malaysians of Indian origin, up to six generations, may qualify as Overseas Indian Citizens and receive an unlimited visa and other benefits. He also mentioned the imminent launch of India’s Unified Payments Interface (UPI) in Malaysia. This would be a boon to the trans-Indian Ocean trade, bypassing the SWIFT system and unnecessary Western banking intervention. 

Both leaders try to sell their ideas of unity in diversity. Modi highlighted the various cultures and languages that live under the umbrella of India. Anwar echoed the same sentiments, showcasing the potpourri of cultures through the dances. The highlight of the event was the ensemble of 800 over dancers from various Indian traditions to one song. The performance broke the record in Malaysia's Book of Records for the largest gathering of traditional Indian dancers. 

Everything seemed like everyone was living in utopia, and love was oozing from every orifice. Among the Indian attendees, many were Muslim, as evidenced by the characteristic skullcaps and Arabic garb they wore. 

Unity in diversity was the buzzword. Each party seems to be patting itself on the back for promoting unity and embracing diversity. Surprisingly, people living under their leadership tend to disagree. In India, many accuse Modi of prioritising the welfare of a particular community. At home, Malaysians are accusing Anwar of the same, practising 'divide-and-rule'. Just 15km from the venue, a group of protesters was assembling to express their discontent toward another community. In the morning, before the function, another group gathered to make it clear to Modi that he is not welcome in Malaysia. We live in a bizarre world. Everyone has their own point of view and is hellbent on proving it right. Who is to say he is wrong?

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No one would harm a penguin, except Batman!

My fascination with penguins started long ago during the transitional period when colour TV was slowly being introduced. There was a time, as a teenager, when the greatest excitement around the neighbourhood was knowing which home had a colour TV. Looking across the flat facing mine, I could guess which units had the latest device, which was the talk of the time, which was the flickering flash of hues emanating from each unit. Maybe its occupants purposely watch TV with the lights off to show the world they have indeed arrived!

I was once watching someone's TV during an ongoing show. I had a hard time deciding whether his TV was monochrome or colour. It was a long-shot scene from Antarctica, with a lone penguin walking against a pristine white snow background. That is when I realised that a penguin can fit into any world without creating a fuss. It also struck me that a penguin can be an unassuming animal, just minding its own business, walking, flipping its flippers and squawking all day.

I later discovered that my sisters, who were both in Convent School, had a name for the nun school caretakers: penguins. Dressed in long black robes, with their hands tucked behind their backs, they would suddenly appear at the back of the class unannounced. Against the bright light in the background, they would appear like penguins when students turned to find the nun at the back of the class.

The reference to penguins came again in the late 80s when I was in university. The Iranian Revolution had succeeded, and sympathisers were hopeful of a return to the glory days of the Ottoman Empire. Islamic dressing was the flavour of the day, and pretty soon people were moving around in black garb, complete with black facial veils and gloves. There were even five medical students at the university who had such fashion sense. These 'penguins', as they were referred to by fellow culture-shocked students, were politely told to pursue other academic fields which avoided public interactions.

Embrace the penguin
Times of India

After MH370's disappearance, the South Seas were mentioned as a possible area where the wreckage could be found. I started watching documentaries about these seas and the lands surrounding them, which are described as the harshest places on Earth. Penguins came up yet again. The story of their survival, chicks waiting in winter for their parents to bring food, grow, mate, lay eggs, partners taking turns incubating, all within a short window of opportunity and under the prancing eyes of the predators is just amazing.

Recently, I watched an episode of Season 5 of 'Slow Horses'. Penguins came up again. A group of terrorists sent a warning to the police that they meant business. They detonated a bomb in, of all places, the zoo. The casualty, penguins. One of the investigators cursed, "Who the heck hates penguins?" Another replied, "Batman!"

Almost serendipitously, a certain world leader expressed his intention to control Greenland, which was thought to be a giant icy wasteland all this time. Newspapers tried to showcase the case to the world, complemented by a picture of Trump walking towards an icy oblivion, leading a penguin by its flipper.

Instead of creating awareness of the heady direction US foreign policy was heading, the picture soon became the showpiece of how PR companies could go wrong. Netizens were quick to educate Trump's PR team that penguins do not live anywhere near the Arctic Circle, definitely not in Greenland.

Antarctica - Encounters at the End of the World
The Nihilistic Penguin

Netizens also noted that the penguin picture bore a strong resemblance to the one that appeared in the 2007 documentary 'Encounters at the End of the World' by Werner Herzog. The documentary maker noted that, rather than following the herd, which tends to stay by the sea where its food is, that particular penguin decided to venture away from the pack. At a glance, it appeared the penguin was certainly on its way to meet its maker, which is probably what happened. No matter what the modern management guru may say about taking the path least travelled, what lay ahead of the animal was miles and miles of ice, and more ice. That earned the penguin a quirky nickname, 'nihilistic penguin'. The scientists in the show explained that occasionally one or two penguins stray away from the pack. A possible reason for this behaviour could be spatial disorientation or a brain infection. Scientists, amongst themselves, have an agreed code. Whenever they observe any behaviour in animals that would endanger themselves, they generally do not intervene. They let nature take its course. 

So, the image of Trump leading the penguin spells doom and gloom for both Greenland and the USA. Would anyone interfere, or would everyone just let nature take its course?

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How to spur nationalism?

Dhurandhar (Stalwart, Hindi; 2025)
Director: Aditya Dhar

https://www.filmbooster.fi/en/film/1703284-
dhurandhar/overview/

How does one stir up a country against its enemies? How does one remind them of the wrongdoings their enemies committed? This is it. Make a film like Dhurandhar. It is so good that even the supposed enemies enjoy it. Pakistan and the Gulf States have banned it, yet it remains the most illegally downloaded Hindi film by Pakistanis of all time. Even in the 70s, when Amitabh Bachchan was at the peak of his anti-hero era, Hindi films did not attract many Pakistanis. 

At an official event, Pakistanis were observed dancing to a song featured in the 'banned' movie, much to the dismay of the leaders. The movie's catchy soundtrack, performed by a Bahraini rapper in Arabic, is causing a stir among viewers. Fans are creating their own clips and dances to the song. Reels from Pakistan show Pakistanis highly praising the film, calling it top-quality and realistic! Some Pakistanis may have experienced the vibrant days of 2000s Karachi, particularly in Liyari Town. Even now, Karachi remains labelled as the second most dangerous city after Caracas.

The entire film is a summary of blaming Pakistan for all of India's problems. And they succeeded significantly. It begins with disastrous concessions to the demands of the Kandahar hijackers in late 1999, when Mazood Azahar had to be released. Mazood went on to establish JeM (Jaish-e-Mohammed) and was the mastermind behind the 2001 Parliament attack and subsequent unrest in Jammu and Kashmir.

Ajit Doval, who first gained prominence during the Kandahar hijackings, makes a notable appearance in this film. His role is superbly portrayed by R Madhavan, who is unrecognisable beneath all the makeup. Through a fictional operation, Dhurandhar, an Indian spy, is inserted into Pakistan. In real life, Doval, while serving as a staff member at the Indian High Commission in Islamabad, went undercover to gather intelligence on Pakistan. On one occasion, he disguised himself as a beggar to retrieve hair from a barber's shop to assess radioactive traces in scientists' hair, aiming to determine Pakistan's nuclear activities. Like Doval, the film's protagonist, Hamza, enters Karachi as a Baloch vagabond, attempting to infiltrate Liyari town.

Liyari was controlled by warlords involved in various illegal activities such as Indian rupee counterfeiting, extortion, and drug trafficking. They were feared even by the Karachi police. A fact: turf wars made Rahman Baloch @ Dakoit the de facto leader. Through a deal with the Pakistani government, Rahman Baloch established his own police force, school, and social justice system for the residents of his territory. It was a country within a country, as President Musharraf acknowledged in an interview.  

In reality, a dedicated Police Superintendent, Chaudhry Aslam, was determined to end the violence in that part of Karachi. The story skillfully weaves Hamza's assistance into the Superintendent's plan to eliminate Rahman Baloch. Also drawn into the unfolding events is the ISI chief, Major Iqbal, who might be connected to the 26/11 Mumbai attack.

The writing on the wall is very clear. This film aims to foster patriotism among Indians, whom they see as having been too meek under the previous government. A quote from Zia ul Haq, following their 1971 defeat in the civil war, is evidence of this. He is said to have vowed to 'bleed India with a thousand cuts'. All the minor skirmishes happening around India serve as proof of this.

If you think this three-and-a-half-hour presentation is too long, it isn't over yet. Be prepared for Part 2 in March 2026.

 

The stunts and violence, although quite gruesome, are carried out professionally, comparable to those in any blockbuster on the international stage. The continuity holds well despite the complex plot and side tracks. The recreation of Liyari is fantastic; even the residents of Liyari are demanding a share of the box office takings. Meanwhile, Dhurandhar continues to gross more at the box office and is likely to set a record of some kind soon.

Flipperachi (Hussam Aseem)

Hanumankind

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Papa, don’t preach?

Kappela (Chapel, Malayalam, 2020)
Written & Directed: Muhammad Musthafa

Another Malayalam movie that makes its viewers think.

https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/kappela

Growing up, I often saw my mother hovering over my sisters. She would insist on having the final say on how they should dress, behave, and interact with others. My sisters believed that my mother was just a typical conservative mum, thinking her daughters were like beauty queens and that the world was an overly testosterone-charged place waiting to target them. Throughout their teenage years, they disliked my mother for that, but, being obedient girls, they simply complied and focused on their studies.

Later in life, they would tell me about the harassment they endured, as I had already left the house for further education. In hindsight, however, they thought she had to do what a mother must do to guide her children in the right direction. Perhaps they would not be so comfortably settled in life now if not for our mother's vigilance and, perhaps, paranoia. 

Again, when we, the children, became parents ourselves, we also had to balance giving freedom, being modern parents, and educating about predatory behaviours to our own. It became even more difficult with access to the outside world through social media and the spreading of anarchic values celebrated by the leftists as progressive. Whatever Eastern values were promoted are seen as outdated and discarded. 

People who have not been parents themselves might not understand the storyline. Scolding a young girl for sitting as a passenger on her male classmates' bicycle may seem old-fashioned, but her parent had his reasons. After hearing stories of children going astray, parents naturally become cautious. 

A misdialled call leads to romance between an older teenage girl who has failed her public school examinations and a random auto-rickshaw driver. The driver seems like a kind and well-meaning chap. After frequent exchanges of calls, the lovers decide to meet when her parents are away. 

At their rendezvous in another town, there is a frustrated and angry young graduate who is unable to find a job. This young man is seen as a violent individual who does not hesitate to fight for his cause. 

In the story's intriguing development, the audience is shown another side of the nice guy, who is not so nice after all, and the anti-hero is actually a saviour of the naive girl. The nice guy is a predator, and the angry man is a do-gooder. 

How many times have we witnessed these stories unfold repeatedly? The spring of youth, with its hormones impairing rational thought, may have lifelong consequences. Stalking is mistaken for care, and touching is seen as unrestrained passion and a way to express love. Sadly, only hindsight offers perfect clarity.

(P.S. Thanks, JM, for the recommendation.)

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In Bad Taste!

The Shameless (Hindi, 2024)
Written & Directed by: Konstatin Bojanov

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt15437986/

The director initially aimed to make a documentary after acquiring the rights to William Dalrymple's book, 'Nine Lives: In Search of the Sacred in Modern India'. Due to financial constraints, he ultimately produced this feature film instead. The subject of this film was drawn from one of the nine stories (lives) in the book.

This multinational production has been hailed as a bold, provocative queer movie that highlights the challenges faced by the modern Indian woman. It even gained recognition at the Cannes Film Festival. Of course, it did. Any film that presents a bleak view of India tends to succeed internationally, just like Danny Boyle's 'Slumdog Millionaire' in 2008. Portraying India as grimy, lawless, lacking culture, and saturated with toxic masculinity appears to be a favourite pastime. Nothing has changed since Columbus 'discovered' the New World, and the Portuguese were accompanied by Gujarati seafarers from Durban to Kalikat. The colonists assume the role of bearers of truth, burdened with the task of educating the 'less civilised'.

A sex worker named Renuka escapes from a brothel after killing a police officer. The worker lives incognito next to a Hindu religious family. The family belongs to the devadasi community and is preparing to 'send off' their teenage daughter, Devika, to the highest bidder to serve at a temple. 

In the historical context, during the pre-colonial era, it was customary to 'marry' pre-pubescent girls from lower castes to Goddess Yellamma, dedicating their lives to the goddess's service and temple duties. These girls often became concubines to wealthy men and, in some cases, accumulated wealth themselves. Since 1988, this tradition has been outlawed, and the temple has distanced itself from their plight.

So, the filmmakers decided to portray a non-existent problem as significant. Essentially, they equated the drug-addicted, hard-drinking prostitute with the girl from the devadasi community, who is handed over to the temple—both as sex workers, one due to social circumstances and the other in the name of an archaic religious practice. Coincidentally, the two girls develop a romantic attraction and plan an escape, with the police and the girl's mother close behind. A Hindu nationalist party is also involved in this complex situation. 

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The mother-daughter dynamics

Mother Mary Comes to Me 

Author: Arundhati Roy 

It is a widespread adage. Boys tend to gravitate toward their mothers, while daughters regard their fathers as their soulmates. Many daughters have a love-hate relationship with their mothers. They often appear to be at loggerheads and argue over the most trivial reasons, but at the first sign of distress, both are quick to be each other's Rock of Gibraltar.

Perhaps secretly, each of them sees a version of themselves in the other, and they dislike what they see. The mother might think she could have made better choices, such as selecting a better life partner or achieving a higher career status. With those noble intentions, she may be constantly watching her daughter, hoping to see her attain a life of greater stature than her own. 

The daughter believes the mother has a lifelong vendetta to ruin every part of her future. Everything the daughter does, it seems, is a disappointment. Perhaps the mother is simply old-fashioned and jealous of the freedom the daughter enjoys, which the mother was denied. Under the guise of securing her future, the mother acts as the villain, destroying whatever few bricks are left laid. 

Susanne Arundhati Roy recalls her childhood in Kerala, growing up with her mother. Her father was estranged, but Roy's lively mother was no pushover. She founded a private school after losing her inheritance because of an outdated state law. She took legal action against the family and successfully had the law amended after taking her case to a higher court. 

Roy grew up with her mother in a steam cooker environment with the elder constantly breathing down her neck, despite the mother's struggle with chronic asthma. The mother ran the school and her family (Arundhati and her brother) with an iron fist, supported by subservient helpers. 

The biopic continues with Roy heading to architecture school, experimenting with writing, becoming involved with a married filmmaker, engaging with the leftist movement, and writing her first novel, 'The God of Small Things.' It concludes around the time of her mother's death. 

 

An engaging book that depicts the bittersweet relationship between a mother and daughter. 

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Find love via stalking?

Annayum Rasoolum (Malayalam; 2013)

Story and Direction: Rajeev Ravi

https://madaboutmoviez.wordpress.com/2013/01/24/annayum-rasoolum-
movie-review-tender-love-story-ode-lovely-city/

This is one of those movies where stalking is portrayed as a legitimate way to try to win a girl's heart. The approach is to appear occasionally, put on a penitent expression, and hope that she will pity him and fall for him. The film also depicts a female character with no agency, swayed effortlessly like lallang in the wind, by her parents and the men in her life, without ever making a sound. This role suits Andrea Jeremiah perfectly as her debut in a Malayalam movie, portraying a naïve Catholic girl from a conservative family. 

The feminists among us would cringe that such a story is even allowed to be made, as it may steer society in that direction, since we, descendants of primates, follow the adage 'monkey see, monkey do'! Look around. People come in all forms, sizes, and ways of life. Increasingly, some among us believe that certain people should be just seen and not heard. They are also regressive in their thinking, claiming that all world problems are caused by women, the weaker sex and the ones who carry half the credibility of their male counterparts. Witnesses only carry half the weight. They are given second priority in the distribution of wealth and educational opportunities. And this trend is seen across societies. 

What fascinated me about this movie is the location. Shot in the remote and less developed areas of Kerala, in Kochi and Vichy, regions 'discovered' by the Portuguese in the late 15th century. These areas are also adjacent to the most familiar tourist spots, the backwaters of Kerala. The cinematography is simply stunning, and viewers would not mind the slow storytelling because of the visual gratification on offer. 

It is a story of love at first sight when Muslim taxi driver Rasool spots Anna, a saree shop assistant. She takes the ferry to work every day. Our hero believed the best way to win her over was to stalk her, to follow her to work. It worked. The problem mainly arose from Anna's family. They wanted Rasool to convert to Christianity, which Rasool refused. 

It swings like a yo-yo. Anna's family decide to marry her off to a random widower. In a scene almost reminiscent of the final scene from 'The Graduate', Rasool makes a dash to pull Anna away from a pre-wedding counselling course at a church. 

More trouble ensues, complicating matters further. As the ultimate solution for all life's crises, in the Indian movie style, there must be a death. 

Another crowd-pleaser in the film is the music. The songs resemble Sufi music with poetic lines about love, death, and divine forces, infused with Arabic words. It is refreshing to enjoy these Sufi melodies accompanied by electric guitars and drums.

 

The movie performed well at the box office and was nominated for many awards, winning a few on the technical side. 

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