Eid and Premiere...

Dear Shahid Ji,

We would like to congratulate you on Premier of your film Doosra Kinara. It is great effort, and a very successful one, is evident from the end product. Seeing the movie today I felt "aap ne hum draskao ki pyas bada di hai".

After seeing the trailer of your TALENT we will eagerly wait for full length feature film from you. Special mention for the dialogues, lyrics and music of Doosra Kinara. They were all super.

Bravo to Mr. Apoorva for providing such a great music ... which I think is integral part of any good movie. Editing was very sleek and so was camerawork and direction.

Though, as always with any good product/movie, there were some area which needs improvement.

Congrats once again to you and your team and looking forward to seeing many more excellent peace of work from your factory.

Always Laughter,
-AD

ps: Its 3 am and I just got home after having the Premier and hanging out with the team in Decatur area. I found this email from AD who attended the event. It made my night. Incidently I had auditioned AD several times but finally gave that role to Ahmad. I am surprised to recieve this email from him - He is a good man with a big heart.....

Nikle Jala ke Apna Ghar...

Hum bhi Kabhi Aabad the
Aise Kahan Barbaad the?
Be-Fikr the Azaad the
Masroor the Dil-Shaad the

Who Chaal Aisi Chal Gyaa
Hum Bujh Gaye Dil Jal Gaya
Nikle Jalaa ke Apna Ghar
Main aur Meri Awaargi….

Phirte hain kab se dar badar
Ab Is Nagar, Ab US Nagar
Ek Doosre ke Humsfar …
Main aur Meri Awaargi….

(Javed Akhtar - Tarkash)

Doosra Kinara To Premier...

Folks,
We are ready to start a new journey of telling stories and informating people. A journey of standing up for the underdog, a journey to bring out nothing but the truth ....a journey to laugh, cry, celebrate the uniqueness and similarity of human race...

Doosra Kinara will have the World Premier here in Atlanta on Saturday October 13, 2007 at White Hall of Emory University...Be there!

http://atlantadunia.com/dunia/default.asp

Someone asked “ aur tum apne rab ki kin kin nematon se inkaar karoge?”……God, I am going to be so nervous on this Eid day...

My First ghazal to a 12 year old kiddo....

Tawalat-e-shabe-gham badhati rahogi?
Mujeh kab talak aazmati rahogi?

Abhi to nahi baad marne ke mere…
Tum Aansoo Hamesha Bahaati Rahogi

Kabhi Gham Banegaa Husul-e-Tabassum
Kahaan Tak Bhala Muskurati Rahogi?

Guzar Jayegi ye Jawaani ki Sarhad…
Baharon ke Tum Geet Gaati Rahogi!

Sajenge Mere baad Palkon Pe Moti
Ye Zehmat Hamesha Uthathi Rahogi

Safeh-e-Hasti se Hum Uth Gaye phir
Naa Aayenge – Wapas Bulati Rahogi!

Hai Shahid Ke Sheron main Darde Zamana
Inhen Tum Sadaa Gungunati Rahogi!
(C) Shahid Sayed

I can explain.

Well, I too was a kiddo and was studying in class VIII at that time. The subject of my ghazal was of my age and was a visitor from a “neighboring” country.

She was cute - very cute with expressive eyes and lambi palken and beautiful hands which were always used to be covered with chudiyan. She was a die-hard fan of Imran Khan. For me, apna "Haryana Hurricane" was a superman as India had made it to the World Cup finals with some amazing cricketing display by Kapil Dev.

I remember my first argument with her was on the very same topic: Who is the greatest? Kapil or Imran. One time during an argument I got so irritated that I tore apart the picture of Imran Khan she was carrying....

Next day we were playing cricket and she was watching it from the neighbor’s house. I asked my friend ke " yaar easy ball dal na".... well, the next ball was easy and I treated it appropriately for a six. The ball landed near her so I went to get it. Upon my return I was given out as we had a rule that whoever hits a six would be out. I did lose my innings but had won her attention and something else....

From then onwards for about a month she became a center of my attention. Before that episode, mother’s face used to be last face I'd see before leaving for school and it would be mom that is the first person I see upon my return. No one noticed how this girl got inserted in between mom and me and how I used to rush back from school hoping to see her. I used to find her at 3:30 - 4:00 pm waiting for me by my neighbor’s door...

Month flew in the air and she was going back. I could not skip school on the day she was leaving. I was returning from school and saw the horse buggy in front of our building my heart sank. I could not go with neighbors to see her off, as there was no room in "ghoda gaadi" for an additional person. I did not get a chance to see her alone for the last time, to say something ....to say good bye...... She saw me and waved. She was looking pale and stressed.......

I walked behind the ghoda gaadi as far as traffic allowed me, then I found a bus station and stood on its railing to get last glimpse of her. The waving of her hands...those hands with Chudiyan, the rainbow colors of which I will never forget...

I wrote this ghazal a few months or weeks after that day. I added a new name behind my name and called it my takhallus (Pen name). I wrote my first ghazal as Shahid Tanveer. An Urdu newspaper published my first ghazal. My school principal posted at our school bulletin board. I remember all the adulation that came with this work of art. In those days saying ghazal was a sign of intelligence, intellect and sharafat.

However, a girl who made me write my first poetry is not even aware of this ghazal - no body in my family knows of its origins. I never met her again. Never heard of again... she became part of my imagination and will remain so.

Soon after that, Life’s 1000 lbs gorilla showed up to fight and I obliged. It’s been so many years now. The fighting has ended in a ceasefire and I think, barring a couple of deep scars I did not do that bad either. Now, I am free to pursue her, to find out more about her, to talk to her one more time. But I think she must be a married woman with grown up kids and a loving hubbby...

I am not even sure if she is still alive or dead. I don’t know whether those suicide bombings campaigns of "right wingers" of her country shredded her body into pieces. I don’t know if she survived the bombing campaigns from F-16s that have been going on recently in that part of the world.

When my friends from the "right side of the aisle" express a desire to "wipe out those terrorists", "nuke them into oblivion" and "kick some Muslim butts", my mind brings back those pictures from the past. I shudder at the possibility of a nuke dropping on her city evaporating her, those beautiful eyes, hands and those rainbow color chudiyan....

My mind shuts off beyond this point......

I hope you survived all the madness in this world and that you are alive today. I wish you a full life and I pray that happiness remains your constant companion Tanveer,---wherever you are…..

BTW I did apologize to her the next day for tearing apart Imran Khan's picture and gave her a 25 paise ki cadbury by saying " sorry haan...galti ho gayee!"....

This is how it is in the life lane...

Tawalat - Length, Shab-e-Gham - Night of sorrow, Husule-Tabassum - result of smiles
Zehmat - inconvenience, Saf-e-Hasti - Life

...and then comes along a woman!

...and just when you feel disheartened with the "state of affairs" in men / women relations, comes along a woman who sets the record straight. Check this story out. Trust me, it is better than Laila-Majnu, Shireen-Farhaad and all other jebronis...

Where are the Writers/Directors from Bombay to tell this great story to the love less world?

http://www.indianexpress.com/story/215323.html

(This story brought to you by our Friend "Indescribe"who has a link in the link bar.Thanks Bud)

Jung ke Faisle...

Jung Ke Faisle Maidan main Kahan Hote hain?
Jab Talak Haafze Baaki hain Alam Baki Hai.....

There are some images from the Iraqi genocide that will haunt me forever. This is one of them. I always used to look back at history and wonder how the hell those folks in the past allowed atrocities on fellow human being to happen? What Germans were doing when Holocaust happened? What were Mongols doing at the time of Chengez Khan's invasion and occupations of foreign lands? Why no one stood up against religious bigots who continued killing innocents in the name of religion? What people of those times were doing?

Now I know........ I am one of them......

ps: What are the chances of this innocent living a "normal" life after this particualr moment? What are the prospect of her becoming a contributing member of the world family? Would she be able to feel pain ever again? Would she know what humanity and love is all about? What was her fault? Why other people's children crying for candy and games whereas she is crying by the corpse of her parents? Would she be able to forget all this and lead a normal and healthy life?

And most importantly would she be able to forgive us, the bystanders for destroying her life before she even understood what it means?

I doubt it as Nida Fazli says "Jab talak Haafze Baaki hain Alam Baki hai....."

(Haafze: Memories, Alam: Flag/Pain)

Abeer - Fragnance of Flower

I wrote about Abeer, an Iraqi teenager who was raped and burned by US soliders six months ago.

Well, that innocent kiddo and her horrible story moved a Hollywood director to make a film and it is called " Redacted". Brian DePalma ( Scarface, The black Dahlia) says he made this film as he believes that only pictures can stop the war. Redacted was shown in Venice film festival last week and it should be out very soon.

Surprisingly Google search is not bringing as many articles as I had hope for, as Brian DePalma is no small fry when it comes to getting media attention to whatever he does. TIME ran a story two days ago but I can not find it now.

"The film's title refers to how, according to De Palma, mainstream American newspapers and television channels are failing to tell the true story of the war by keeping the most graphic images of the conflict away from public opinion.

"When I went out to find the pictures, I said (to the media) give me the pictures you can't publish," he said, adding that because of legal dangers he too had to "edit" the material.

"Everything that is in the movie is based on something I found that actually happened. But once I had put it in the script I would get a note from a lawyer saying you can't use that because it's real and we may get sued," De Palma said.

"So I was forced to fictionalize things that were actually real."

The film, shot in Jordan with a little known cast, ends with a series of photographs of Iraqi civilians killed and their faces blacked out for legal reasons." - AOL article dated 8/31/07

Artistes are considered to be the mirror of any society. Society and its leaders can take any course of action but an artist always chooses the path of truth and justice - otherwise he / she is a bania and does need to be called an artist.

ps: The picture above is NOT from the film but a real one. So those boots that you see are real and so are those tears, the cry and the blood. The question is where is her mother? I suspect she was dead by the time this picture was taken, as every mother would fight tooth and nail with any opposition to get to her daughter in that situation....

This is how it is a in War Zone....

Miss Teen USA 2007

Mullah Luis sent me this link with the following message: Is any president ever going to do something about how stupid this country is becoming?

Q: 1 in every 5 Americans can not locate US on the World map. Why do you think that is?

Check out the answer......



Tommorrow Mullah is going to give a sermon on this issue and would end it by saying " you mark my words man, in a few years this girl is going to be a millionaire!!"

Me think if we had allocated 1/5 of the war budget on education for world's children, we could have developed a human race far superior to anyone that showed up before us .....(and that includes Iraqi children also!)

Disclaimer...

Every time I write this blog, about a half a dozen claimants respond to me saying that I am writing about them etc etc. While it is flattering for a writer to know that readers identify with his thoughts and words, please exercise some caution – as that may not be the case.

I was born and brought in a free country; and now living in an “almost” free society, so if I want to express my feelings to someone they would hear directly from me…

Khulta kiyoon kisi pe mere dil ka maamla ?
Sheron ke Intekhaab ne Ruswaa kiya mujhe - Ghalib

Happy Reading...

Yun Hua....

Tum ye kaise juda ho gaye?

Har taraf, har jagah ho gaye!

Jaane wale gaye hain kahan?

Chaand, suraj, ghata ho gaye!

Be-Wafa to na woh hain na hum

Yun hua.....Bas Judaa ho Gaye !!

---- Nida Fazli

Thakur....

Casual Fridays are really casual at work. Most of the white collar America spends a good amount of time on Friday discussing plans for the weekend. Today “ Front Page News” was our stop for lunch; and we had fun talking about the filmy charaters we used to play as children.

I believe that finding out what games we played or who impressed us most as children, can really help unravel a few layers of our personalities. Most of the team including Mullah had played Superman or Batman or a John Wayne. I was the only one who had no clue of what filmy roles I enacted in my childhood. So I called A, my oldest friend west of Atlantic Ocean and inquired whether we enacted any filmy roles when we were children?

A: Yeah we sure did…
Me: What film was that?
A: Sholay…
Me: Really, Oh man…. and what character I used to play?
A: You used to play Thakur…
Me: What? Thakur… Do you guys realize you wasted some top-notch talent man? Did it not occur to you that I was a Hero material, why didn’t you let me play an Amitabh or Dharm for God's sake?
A: You did play Jay a few times but your role of choice was always Thakur…

Maa says “ Poot ke pair paalne main”….in my case even though paalna was a little filmy, but it sure gives a glimpse of what kind of a child I must have been. I chose to play a handicap Thakiur instead of a Hero who gets girl at the end…….hmmm!

I must have been < 8 years old when Sholay was released (for the mathematician in you, “<” means less then, it could be anywhere between 1 – 8!! Ha!), I wonder what prompted me to pick an old Thakur instead of dashing Veeru? Why did Thakur capture a young impressionable child’s imagination? Was it Sanjeev Kumar’s finest acting or Javed Saab’s dialogues, or I was just an old jebroni even when I was < 8 years old?….

I don’t know…

However, now I know why I always have this insatiable desire to oppose tyranny and injustice wherever I can find them…

“Shaid Khatron se khelne ka shaouk hai mujeh….says Thakur…

Peace….

Paagal...

There are two days that make me seriously emotional for various reasons. One is the Eid Day and the other is August 15. For me the drive back home after praying Eid namaz is always a roller coaster ride. I would like to skip Eid ka kissa but sure can share the other one.

I spend 364 days in a year trying to be a World citizen who does not believe in any man-made borders, walls and numerous instruments of discrimination that have been devised by our enlightened leaders , but August 15 makes me an Indian only.

Instead if rejoicing the liberty and freedom that came as a result of the end of British occupation, I get emotional and reflect on those days of begging, fighting and getting killed for something which was ours to begin with. I think about freedom fighters, their families, their lovers and wives, kids and friends that never made it to the headline news. Every year I promise myself that next year will be better, as I would grow up to be a wiser man in control of my emotions…. Every year I fail…..

This August morning as usual on my way to work I was listening to National Public Radio which aired a small segment on India’s Independence Day celebration. This jebroni from California Public Radio was online talking about Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan and “Dama Dam Mast Qalandar”, freedom struggle, sacrifices, partition..…. one thing lead to another and soon I was in the middle of the same feelings which I was trying to avoid.

l reckon too many people sacrificed their lives, love, and days of their youth only to rotten in British jails, so that we can breadth in a free world. We all pay homage to the brand names of freedom struggle, and its cool, but what about those nameless jebronis who participated with whatever they had to offer. One story readily comes to mind.

Those were the days in early 40s when Simon Commission was in Lukhnow and we were protesting his visit. A large demonstration was planned with black banners and flags but authorities broke it and made arrests. The occupiers whisked away the entire Simon delegation to Lukhnow Garrison or Firangi Mahal and stopped folks from proceeding towards “Green Zone” of those days. There is always a Green Zone be it Lal Qila or well the “Green Zone”!

Luckhnowites were frustrated and angry as hundreds of them were arrested. Suddenly this paagal came up with an idea. He told the gatherings that since air is blowing towards Firangi Mahal, we can fly kites with our message on it, do a kite battle and cut it so that the kite falls right where the Englishmen have gathered. His idea was taken up immediately. In a few hours hundreds of kites were flown and landed right before the delegation. History does not tell us who this “confirmed paagal” was. ..But sure he too participated in the freedom struggle with whatever he had to offer….

Those were the days when mahobbaten were put on hold for mother-land, careers were jeopardized so that new generation can have good careers, child bearing was postponed so that we can have children in peace. The women of those days were brave, and used to encourage thier men to give up all luxuries for watan. Blood used to be red in those days.....

It is easy to forget those unsung heroes when GDP is growing at 8.5% per annum, when money is relatively easy and materialism seems to be the mantra. We are living the dreams that those freedom fighters saw, yet we have a long way to go...

I do not know how many times I played this song on my I pod today...

Ishwar Allah tere jahan main Nafrat kiyoon hai?
Jung hai kiyoon?
Tera Dil to Itna bada hai, Insaan ka dil
Tang hai kiyoon?

Qadam Qadam par Sarhad kiyyon hai?
Saari Zameen jab Teri Hai?
Suraj Ke Gird Phere Kart i hai
Phir bhi Kiyoon itni Andheri hai?

Is Duniya ke Daaman par Insaan ke Lahoo ka
Rang hai kiyoon?

Happy Independence Day ....

Dear Imran...

Dost ne poocha Tanhayee tumhen kiyoon itni piyari hai?
Tanha ho kar zindagi basr karne ki kaisi ye taiyyari hai?

Kiyoon tumhen armaan nahi iski bhi koi shakl bane?
Khubsoorat sa dil ho koi is ka, accha sa ek jism bane?
Chudi saje un hathon main, hath bhi mehndi wale hon?
Maathe pe chaand sa teeka, palkon pe kuch khwab saje
Ho Baaliyaan un kaano main jn main tumhara dil lage

Phone rakh kar jab main apni gallery main jaa baitha
Udaasi ne aa ghera mujhe aur dil mera bas doob gyaa
Dekh meri mayusi ko chalti hawaayen ruk si gayeen
Pedon se hi aah nikli, phool bhi kuch khamosh hue
Aasman bhi neeche utra aur dil pe mere chaa sa gyaa
Baitha raha main wahan kab tak, Jane kitna wakt gyaa?

Khushboo si aayee achanak, naam mera kisi ne liya
Dekha to who chai liye darwaaze par ruk si gayee thi
Paas mere who aa baithi aur hath mera yun thaam liya
Chudiyan saje hath the uske, hath bhi mehndi wale the
Chaand laga tha maathe pe, kaan bhi baali wale the
Palkon pe the khwaab saje, khwab bhi mere wale the

Boli, Janu, kiyun tun itna apne dil ko rulate ho ?
Main hoon saath tumhare phir kiyoon jaan jalate ho?
main ne khud ko tum par kitni baar lutayaa hai ?
Kitni raah taki tumhari tab jaa ke tumhen kahin paya hai
Meri chahat , meri ulfat pe kiyoon tum ko naaz nahi hai?
Main hi tumhen chahati hoon ye bhi koi raaz nahi hai.


Kaise kahoon yaaron woh chai liye jo aayee thi ...
Woh mehbooba, Who Jaan meri, to Tanhayee thi!

PS: Dear Imran, thank you for that long phone call. Here is the response. Rest assured atleast this will NOT disappoint. It will also mean the same anytime, everytime, all the time!!!

Cheers...

(C) Shahid Sayed, 8-11-2007, Photo: Andy Wear

Rafiqi Reccommends...

Our In - house MBA, Rafiq Batcha realizing my “jaahiliyat” and a habit of sitting in the dark room like a photographer, watching “negatives” develop, keeps turning on the lights. This time he recommended these bulbs….oops books….

Tim Ferriss’s “The 4 hour work week”, is a must read for tomorrow’s leaders and a treasure for an entrepreneur’s library. It takes “outsourcing” to the extremes in order to save time, make money and live in a borderless World. When a modern day war can be outsourced, why not our personal engagements? It is a revolutionary work. (Unfortunately he does not recommend outsourcing mahobbaten and its paraphernalia…woh kambhakt khud hi karni hogi!!)

Alan Wiesman’s “The World without us” is an imaginative scientific curiosity and it looks at the world when we, all 6.2 billions of us would disappear. He travels all over the globe and makes some interesting observations. For example, he mentions about how the New York subways would flood coz there would be no one to pump the water out, and how the tall buildings would corrode and then fall. Nature will reclaim everything.

I think this book would not do well in Mumbai. Mumbai - wallahs see their version of “The world without us” every monsoon. When monsoon approaches they prepare for another 7/26, another round of flooding, another round of building collapses and another round of walking on the submerged roads in the middle of the night and not getting mugged. If Mr. Wiesman Had spoken to any Mumbaikar before writing this book, he would have dropped the idea, as anyone in Mumbai can tell you that “The World without us” is not that bad after all. Where else can you get a chance to meet people you would not otherwise, to hold their hands while soaking wet, and eat Chicken Biryani, Aloo Gobi and Masala Dosa depending on whether you are in Bhindi Bazar, Shivaji Park or Matunga respectively?..baad main garam chai bhi milti hai...

Seriously speaking, just think about it. ALL of us gone - Forever....nada! What it would be like? On some level, I feel so relieved and content with this thought, coz it would take away all those unscrupulous, greedy, scheming, satanic minds from dear earth. Which means no more aggressions, no more mental violence, no crimes against man and nature, no corruption, no scandals, no lies and manipulation, no rapes and murders. Only Peace…as was envisioned by the Original Author.

But this also means no more heart and its dilemmas. No more sweet bitter memories, no more shared laughers, no more glorified stupidities, no more heart to heart talks, no more kisses on the foreheads and no more hugs without expectations! A world without hearts can be a scary place brother! Hearts are like a safety deposit boxes in a bank where we keep depositing yaaden, wade and everything in between.

I think I have gone off on a tangent, so let me end this one. But before I go, please open the window of the room you are in, take a deep breadth, look outside and imagine…a world without us!

Wouldn’t it be cool?
Oh Yeah….

Peace….

IF...

Phir se.....

For the benefit of those that want to see the trailers again....this time they all are in one place....
Bas?

Barry Husain Obama....

Barrack Hussein Obama, US presidential candidate and a likely vice president in 08, would be celebrating his birthday tomorrow. His page on my space has received many messages addressing him as Mr. President.

I always believed and even wrote on my blog a few months ago, that followers all over the World wait for their leader to show up, and as soon as he arrives, they just follow him. (I must be smart!)

This also proves one more theory, and that is there is only one man and one woman in this World. He / she changes names and titles but when the world has done enough damage to itself he / she occurs.

This 46-year-old jebroni, has excellent qualifications and I wouldn’t be surprised if he delivers. Mullah is a fan of Obama simply coz he is a reader and has authored many books.

I hope Barry Husain Obama is that Leader that the World has been waiting for.

We will find out...

I love.....

I love women ....that love other women!

Saw this graffiti on a north bound fright train...hmmm

Ghida Fakhri needs your input....

Ghida Fakhri, Washington DC based news anchor for Aljazeera English News, and as per Mullah Luis, a "Front Page News" herself posted a video on you tube seeking input to improve programs on the channel. Here she is requesting input, and below are few of the actual responses. Hilarious!!

And they say Hollywood / Bollywood are starving for some comedy writers. A couple of guys do give the impression as if they are in Fallujah, Iraq. They are very much here, just don't know it....

The first dude in glasses is a boxer....he is cool...
Enjoy...