Monday, November 10, 2008

wrong place, wrong time

I did a series of short films on Mumbai for an internet channel in California, when internet movie uploading and watching was at an experimental stage, and so like a lot of my other work, the films were largely unseen. (My heart wails)

 I used to shoot the films on a small 3CCD mini-DV, sometimes by myself, sometimes with Teja, sometimes with any other cinematographer friend who'd oblige.

This is one of my favourites. I was wandering around Juhu beach on my own, and I could see from the corner of my eyes, these 2 men hovering just outside the edge of my frame. I turned the camera on them, and out poured this:

22 comments:

Anonymous said...

These guys seem to have found grapes that are very, very sour! :-) They need to return to Hicksville (never realised that was Delhi!) ASAP - while their izzat and "culture" are still intact.

Anonymous said...

:)
Your voice is so sweet, Banno. Ever thought of talking on the radio?

anja said...

Sudeep Singh ki emotional dath ho gayi so many naughty girls doing sax in the street..terribal. No wonder this guy hasn't 'done anything like this type!'

Anonymous said...

OMG. What would they do over here? Poor things. And it is lovely to hear your voice, Banno :-)

Banno said...

Bollyviewer, yes, it did sound like they were longing for some 'fun' themselves. Poor guys.

Grasshopper, thank you. But have always hated my voice when recorded. I did get a job offer for DD news once in a long forgotten age. Wonder where I'd have been now, if I were doing that.

Anja, I know.

Memsaab, yes, can you imagine? But they'd probably be fine in 'firang' land, after all, 'firangis' are BAD, and do all these things, as long as we don't.

Anonymous said...

We should be grateful we have such selfless educators and protectors of culture in our country.....see how they've made Delhi such a nice, civilised and cultured place, so safe for women. Way to go, boys!

Cheers,

Quirky Indian
http://quirkyindian.wordpress.com

Anonymous said...

i agree with quite a bit here. not the western kichad bit, I'm all for to each his own. but there's something to be said of civility in public, and before we dismiss their words as stuff of the desperates, maybe we should at least understand their viewpoint as a fair reflection on the institution of marriage and physical relations ("relationship is just a name"; I wonder how many would agree -- i'd imagine many), and how views of it have evolved to where they're really not consistent with bharti culture any more. we may not agree with them, but not addressing parts of this will bite us here in India a couple of decades in the future.

as one of my friends said, in logon ko shaadi karne ki kya zaroorat hai? i'd love to know your thoughts on the question, also because i'll be waiting for someone to tell me i'm being impractical and old-fashioned. i can tell you my response will be that i'm just being more classy and more respectful. to myself, my boyfriend, those around me, and my country. hehe.

Banno said...

Quirky Indian, agree totally.

Anonymous, The points you raise are pertinent. I'd love to start off a discussion with you. Just feel uncomfortable doing so, with someone who is anonymous. So post back with some id, and let's talk about this. :)

Mizohican said...

Hahahahah! I wonder what the people they saw were doing "under" the relationship :) were there blankets in the beach or movie theatre? :D

I agree with them. We Indians are so morally corrupted! We shouldn't do all these things, or be influenced by western cultures like kissing, hugging, sex, kamasutra, khajuraho etc. All filthy foreign cultures!!!

Unknown said...

Banno my dear is this for real ?

Banno said...

Illusionaire, We are so uncomfortable with physical demonstrations of affection, even in front of our own family. Leave alone the public. Specially that between a man and a woman.

Eve's lungs, what do you think? The camera is not lying in this case :)

Anonymous said...

@ Banno

Very funny this was too.

I would say that in India, where everyone is making it their business to poke noses in others' lives, people not caring about what others think is a welcome change. No? But Kuldeep 23 and Sanjiv 23 plus (he must have been a kid when Jitendra advertised 30 plus!) clearly disagree. ;-)

They forget they did not exactly drop off a tree. Their parents were also 'doing these things'. Damn! There is a thought you could have planted in their minds.. Haha!

Arfi said...

I feel I must step up and defend Delhi. We are not provincial anymore. The city has caught up and you can do 'these things' in public there too. You just need to know where. :)

Wonder where these guys moved to now. And whats up with the ties ?

Banno said...

Shefaly, I don't think it's only Kuldeep and Sanjiv, in particular. I think it's a level of discomfort most Indians feel with sex. Specially, when other people are indulging, and one is not. :) And isn't their moral outrage another way of poking their nose into others' lives?

Arfi, good to know that. The ties were on, because they were in Mumbai for some internship (1 month or so, management related I think)

Anonymous said...

@ Banno

I had considered leaving this link here for your amusement but then thought, hmm, you really do not know me and will perhaps think of me badly if I did. But in the light of your response (this bit: "..Specially, when other people are indulging, and one is not.."), here it is:

http://tinyurl.com/5emoe4

I think your assessment may be accurate ;-)

Toonfactory said...

Ohhhh this was Ur work...I saw this on facebook a friend Gopal posted this video there..& I was wondering who was the mastermind behind this Video...Bravo Banno!!! I am so proud..LOL..Delhites and their double standards...
Just updated my blog...hope this post of mine be of some interest for you :)

Banno said...

Shefaly, Am always happy to receive links, and find new blogs. So, thanks.

Toonfactory, could you send me the link on facebook which your friend has posted?

Unmana said...

Hilarious - yet in a way, rather sad...

Toonfactory said...

http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=759840631&ref=ts#/posted.php?id=759840631&share_id=97321120603#s97321120603

dipali said...

The sad part is that country is full of these types, who can be outraged over anything and everything, and in a mob can be dangerous. Lovely hearing your voice:)

Banno said...

Unmana, yes, I know.

Toonfactory, thanks for the link.

Dipali, yes, aren't we seeing these mobs everywhere now, increasingly? Thanks, for the voice bit.

Spontaneous Mini said...

This was such fun going through.. Its hilarious esp. watching it in 2009.
I would have added my 2cents but is way hilarious for me to be objective.
Nice work, supercool.

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