Cops, You Magical Creatures!

Over the last few years of my stay in Hyderabad, I have covered various localities and numerous roads. The traffic is bad sometimes, gives the rash drivers and sometimes the oddly demarcated roads. There are some terribly senseless traffic signals(The one near Pedammagudi temple for instance), and some breaks in road dividers that take away the whole point of having dividers in the first place(A break every 10 mts).
And of course, there's the bad policing.

Cops mostly sit in their cars, vroom around their beat areas, and signal at any stationary vehicle to move so as to not block traffic, or because it's late in the night. The cops manning signals and crossings are mostly on the phone, or chatting up his senior on the bike. The cops at the checkposts(Like the ones near Hi-Tech city area) are mostly invisible, or reading newspapers, or drying their laundry, or on the phone.

Sometimes it really makes me wonder. Who briefs these guys? What is their duty? Why is it that suddenly sometimes, for an hour or too, maybe on a weeknight, they are very active. What is their logic when they stop vehicles and check papers and licenses. Especially 2 wheelers. If I intend to recce an area, and have some antisocial activity in mind, won't i do it better from the safety of a car with tinted glasses? Especially in a up scale area? Where a loitering cycle-wala will look out of place? Maybe I'm wrong and the cops know more. Maybe. I just hope they do.

Another common scene is seeing 1 cop at each crossing even at the peak hours of traffic flow. Struggling with the surge of vehicles, his whistle overshadowed by honking cars(Damn! Why do people honk even when there's no place to go?), the cop usually just stands there, letting the traffic deal with itself. Looking all smug and tired, the cop would usually pick out his phone and stat calling someone(Hopefully for some help).
But then come a day! A twist! The Chief Minister's Convoy.

In last 3 years, I have seen changes at the top executive post of this state, and I have seen them disturb my peace very often. Well, of course, the Big Man has to travel. In his convoy of 10-12 cars. Of course I understand. And he has to block the traffic for ages before he arrives. Security reasons. I understand. Today's world. Tough. Dangerous.
What I don't get is a simple fact. How, and where from, do we deploy '1-cop-per-15-meters' both sides of the road, for 5-6 hours which encompass the CMs travel time? Where do these cops, (mind-it) super efficient they are in handling chaotic traffic, where do they go once the CM is gone? Are they special group, who barricade CMs paths? Only called into action wherever the CM goes? Or they are just everyday cops, who show up and work well, when the CM comes? If the last case is true, Mr. CM, please follow me everywhere I go!

Paan Singh Tomar - A Review

Just came home after watching this movie.

Yes, it is great.
The director kind of continues from where must have left of during his days on the 'Bandit Queen' crew. The vistas of Chambal ki ghati come out very similar to how it showed up in the older film.
Irrfan again packs a punch in his portrayal of a common man, though in this case, this common man is not just anybody of the street.
A son of chambal, a military man, who joins the military sports team just because there is no limit on the food ration for 'sports people'. He's not scared to say the right thing, and actually snubs his superiors calling them good-for-nothing. Punished and sent to the Military Physical Training facility, he gives up his pet event, the 5000 mts race 2 months before a Defense sports meet, because he empathizes with his coach. He takes up Steeplechase instead, a event he had never heard of before in his life. And wins the event in the 13th National Games, setting a national record. Cut to the Asian games, where he is handed spikes moments before the event, that he takes off halfway through his first lap, and eventually loses the race. His heroics though win him adulation and fans, one of whom even gets their picture taken. When he is not allowed to join his batallion during the 65 war, he tell his superior 'take away all my awards and let me go to war', such is his dedication to protecting the nation, his Dharti Maa. He convers this rage to efforts, and wins the gold in the International Defense Sports meet, competing with kids half his age. But this is just as long as the good times go.
A family feud for (what else but) land makes him quit his Military job, and return to become a agriculturalist in his village. But life in the Bihaarr is not peaceful, as  the family feud takes ugly turns, and after pleading help from the District Collector and the cops, and see his crops cut up, his son beaten up, and his mother eaten to death, Subedaar Paan Singh decides to take up the gun. As he reminds us many a times in the movie, "Bihaarr me sirf Baagi hote hai" and "Baagi koi khud se nahi banta". He builds a gang, mostly members of his own extended family, raises money by kidnapping, trains his crew, and kills his enemies. Emotions run high in many of the scenes, and it is in these scenes, like the once in which Paan Singh kills his elder cousin, that we see the tormented man he has become. As the movie ended it left me with a lot of thoughts.
When does one cross the line between sanity and insanity? Something that a person wouldn't even imagine ever in his life suddenly becomes his choice for way of life.
How a person goes from not caring a bit about a sport to a world class sportsman to a gun carrying bandit, hiding the angst of never fighting for his country and the bitterness of leaving a sport behind that gave him a name.
What's right? What's wrong? Who defines? Do the decisions stand the test of time?

But I digress.

The film is brilliant in its making. There are small details that are taken care of. The usage of music is great. And the dialogues, wow the dialogues. "Beehad mein to baaghi rehte hain, Parliament mein daaku."

Go watch this film to see a meaningful hindi film in a long time.