The visual spectacle is unfortunately an intrinsic part of Christopher Nolan’s TIRED and TESTY formula that we have seen through Inception and Interstellar. Think of him as a bad mix of film makers Rohit Shetty, Gene Roddenberry, Mani Ratnam, and classic surprise-ending storyteller O’Henry.
It is not without American propaganda value, but the documentary presents a rare window into the enigmatic and ruthless persona that is Vladimir Putin. Khodorkovsky, as typical a rags-to-riches story as you can get, fights and manipulates his way to control Russia’s then-largest oil company Yukos before he turns 35.
Mallya got you high with his beer and ‘model’ staffed airline; Modi with his overvalued gems and Roy with his Ponzi patriotism. If Kingfisher and Nirav Modi were about recreating international standard Indian lifestyle brands, Sahara was an insidious cult where Roy presided and patronised over unsuspecting micro-investors.
It was not Italy alone that cradled the Renaissance. Belgian, Dutch, and German masters have come up with earlier and even better works. For every Leonardo, Raphael, Michelangelo, Botticelli, there is a Van Eyck, Memling, and Van der Wyden.
Social media is sought to be portrayed as some Godzilla which has suddenly landed on the scene. I ask, how would the stone age man have reacted to a newspaper or a 19th century woman to the television? It is not that Goebbels was unable to dish out powerful propaganda in the absence of the Internet.
Chopin was perhaps the most interesting of the three. Born in Warsaw to a French father and Polish mother, he was a teenage prodigy, who based himself in Paris. Shy and ridden with TB, he never quite felt like an insider in Paris. When he landed in the city, he found it muddy and infested with venereal disease.
There is no absolute truth. There are many.
Grey Truths explores life, news, and opinions beyond the obvious. Detail, depth, and nuance are of the essence.
This blog is an attempt to find balance in a world defined by black truths, white lies, prejudices, and closed extremist positions.
Context, connections, and perspective separate truth from lies and one truth from another.
Truths converge and diverge like drops of rain. Some have longer shelf lives. Others have nine lives.
Ultimately the truth(s) lie(s) in your eyes.
Happy reading!
A communications professional for nearly two decades, I have studied accountancy, management, and journalism. But more than anything else, I am a student of and for life.
Rebel against left and right-wing extremism, kite-flying, pretentiousness, and determinism. Fan of dry humour.
I run regularly. It is a form of meditation. I enjoy reading and watching eclectic content. But second only to observing people and nature.
Writing poetry and cooking are occasional indulgences.
Sridhar Chari
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