IPL - A Triumph over Regionalism?

When the Indian Premier League was launched in 2008, skeptics could have viewed it as a hazard that would further inflame India’s regional divisions. Instead, it’s doing the opposite…

The third edition of the Indian Premier League 2010 has been a tremendous success. The IPL brand value has doubled itself to $4.13 billion in a year. In due time, it is set to dethrone the greater gods of the sporting world, such as the English Premier League, in brand valuations. The league’s official Web site—www.iplt20.com—is a work of art. Every piece of action is cleverly embedded into the Video Scorecard and can be viewed for free with a lag of not more than a few seconds. The sky is the limit, it seems, for this desi concoction of sports and glamour.

The success of IPL is no surprise, given the popularity of cricket in India. What could not have been fathomed was how well fans, who are used to cheering for India, are adapting to this regional contest. Traditionally, Indians are steeped into regionalism due to pronounced linguistic and cultural differences. Such chauvinistic bents have been brought into the spotlight by the recent issues raised by the Shiv Sena and Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNC) in Mumbai.

So when the IPL was launched in 2008, skeptics could have viewed it as a hazard that would further inflame such regional divisions.

But what has transpired is far from that. Every IPL team is a corporate entity. The lack of government jurisdiction on these franchises meant that mandatory local recruitment was off the table. The team owners got a pick of players from all over the country and the world. So the agenda of regionalism that has been the driving force for every political unit in every state was not in play beyond the support from the city and state of the franchise.

Chennai, a strictly Tamil-only establishment, has a captain who may not be able to utter a single word of it. Dhoni and Suresh Raina, another player of the Chennai Super Kings, would very well be the quintessential North Indians ripe for the “We don’t speak Hindi” harassment if they got off a train at the Chennai station as commoners. But as far as the IPL goes, they are on their way to superstardom in the land of Rajni. The Punjab bowling attack is filled with an ensemble entourage of bowlers like Irfan Pathan, Rajesh Powar and Sreesanth, whose Punjabi vocabulary may be limited to what is said in Yash Chopra movies. The Kolkata Knight Riders skipper, Sourav Ganguly, is the only worthy representative of the immense Bengali pride in a team filled with non-Bengalis. Nonetheless, the Eden Garden crowd vehemently backs the team with deafening uproar. Besides the Delhi duo Sehwag and Gambhir, Tamil Nadu stumper Dinesh Karthik has been the driving force behind the Delhi Daredevils’ performance.

Rohit Sharma is another anomaly worth mentioning. He was born in Nagpur, has a North Indian lineage, is a Mumbai resident and is an integral part of the Hyderabad-based Deccan Chargers. Manish Pandey and Virat Kohli are welcome additions to the already outsider-friendly city of Bangalore. The Rajasthan Royals have no players from Rajasthan! The team is a picture of national integration, with players from Goa, Maharashtra, Himachal Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Haryana, Gujarat and Chandigarh.

Beyond the master blaster, Sachin Tendulkar, who has a truly national following no matter which IPL team he is playing against, the Mumbai juggernaut is powered by performers like Ambati Rayadu and Saurabh Tiwary. The latter would probably have suffered the wrath of the Shiv Sena or the MNS if he had aspired to be a rail employee instead of a Mumbai Indian cricketer.

The IPL is a microcosm of the Indian economy that is nurturing talent from the big cities and small hamlets around the country. The missing element in India’s success story, though, is the creation of opportunities for non-locals in all parts of the country in every walk of life. So it is nice to see a forum where every Indian, no matter what region he comes from, is appreciated for the runs scored for the local team. On the other hand, the individuals getting such opportunities need to strive for the team that they play for, embrace the local culture and put their pound of flesh for the betterment of the local communities. As optimistic and steep as that sounds, we have seen that happening in major league sports in the United States, and the capitalistic IPL venture proves it can be done. If the right lessons are learned from it, we can finally claim triumph over the formidable hurdle of regionalism to unite our great nation of India.

Ishqiya: Overrated but enjoyable

I went to watch Ishqiya after having seen every review in the business call it the best thing since sliced bread. The fact that Omkara was from the same production house raised my expectations still further. Was it worth the kudos? Well yes and no.

Lets look at the better aspects of the movie first. Three great performances make this movie happen. First up Arshad Warsi plays a slimy thief, Babban who shields his softer self by a crude garish mannerism. And he does this to the T. If it were not for his histrionics and witty one liners in the Bhopali accent, the film would not have been watchable. He lights up the proceedings in a way only Arshad Warsi can. And you are completely devoid of any nostalgia about his Munnabhai Mumbaiya character. Naseeruddin Shah plays Khaloojaan, a character at least 15 years younger than his actual age with amazing believability. He is a criminal with a Shayraana Mijaaz or with a childlike romanticism. The character's gullibility is reminiscent of his role in "Jaane Bhi Do Yaaro". Vidya Balan plays Krishna, a widowed village girl/woman who uses her sexuality to get her ways. Now did Vidya Balan and sexuality come in the same sentence? They can now after this complete surprise of a performance. She looks like a million dollars and delivers a performance still more precious.

The music of the movie fits into the landscape and tone perfectly. It is never an impediment to the flow of the movie. The dialogues are rustic and remind us of Omkara. The term "Ch****** Sulphate" is definitely part of the mainstream lingo after this movie. The background score is efficient and veers towards the Kill Bill style trumpet once in a while, which comes across as an ode to the Quentin Tarantino brand than anything else. The cinematography and other technical details are good. Abhishek Chaubey does well in his first time directorial venture. Every frame seems to be thought out and well executed. The references to local UP politics is kept subtly intriguing, consciously not overtaking into the main storyline.

So what lets this movie down? I would say, the basic premise of the movie is simplistic. Krishna's motives do not seem to completely justify the means or the extremities involved. The ending leaves the viewer confused as to what happens to the main characters. The biggest drawback of the movie is the fact that the audience does not feel for and is not moved by any of the characters. The movie is worth a watch, but it does not find a place in the Home DVD collection. It does not have any reason for someone to watch it again, unless you are a die hard Vidya Balan fan. All in all go watch Ishqiya. It is definitely worth a $ 8 ticket. I give it 3 outta 5 stars.