Hi All,

Hope everyone is well. It’s been six hectic months since the release of  Revolution 2020, including a lot of travel around the country. I am thankful to all of you for the wonderful response. 

Today I spoke at the FICCI Frames 2012, an entertainment industry conference organized every year in Mumbai. I am glad they gave writers a chance to speak there. 

My speech there was somewhat industry specific, but it was themed on about something close to me – change. Hence, thought I’d post it here.

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First of all I’d like to thank the FICCI frames organizers for giving me and other writers a chance to talk in a conference on the entertainment and film industry.

Writers are not supposed to talk. Traditionally, writers in the film industry work silently, even though they pretty much decide every word that is spoken on screen. Every film tells a story. Without a story, you cannot make a film. You can replace actors with animations, you can skip the music, you may not erect huge sets – but you must have a story. For something so critical, it is befuddling why the role of writers here has been less than many other departments.

Of course, it is a star driven industry. I don’t believe for a second when people say that the ‘story is the star’ in the movie, even as a writer. No, I am saying that stars are important, directors are important, marketing is important, the producer is important – but the story and screenplay, and thus the creator of the story are important people too. I am no activist, but more as someone who likes to analyze things I have tried to understand the problem. Why don’t writers get visibility, compensation and the same attention as say – music directors, who are known and rightly so. But why not also writers?

I see two main reasons for the same.

One, the single biggest reason, is the audience pardoning bad stories. Our Indian audiences love our films. They are crazy about Bollywood and their stars. And in this allure, they pardon a lot of sins. This isn’t very different from how Indians looked at their politicians. Charisma was everything. Of course, a certain minimum was expected, but that was quite a low standard. As long as the stars looked good, could create a few laughs or thrills, the songs and dance were nice to listen to and watch – people would give a thumbs up to a movie. In fact, the Bollywood story became nothing to write home about – it was not meant to touch people, just keep them hooked or engaged for the duration of the movie. The movie ends, and as train passengers, the audience would simply say goodbye and leave the characters behind.

‘Fully filmy story man,’ is how people describe our films. Every now and then, a movie would come that would touch the core of our being. Something that made us think and feel – even after the end credits rolled. We enjoyed that experience, but that was so rare that it couldn’t be expected in every movie. ‘Keep your brains at home’, ‘It’s a Hindi movie, what else do you expect?’, ‘just time pass’ are all phrases we have heard. When the audience cared about the heroine’s figure and the hero’s punch more than the narrative, the makers cared little about writers. A story and screenwriter were engaged like a bare minimum and thus few shined in the department.

The second reason is a unique aspect of Indian culture, which is the exploitation and abuse of power, by those who can. It is considered acceptable in our value system that the more powerful will get a bigger share, irrespective of whether they deserve it or not. From a traffic cop to a minister, we have seen examples of people exploiting their position to gain an unfair advantage. So if a writer deserved a slice of the pizza, but the producer distributed it, the writer had to do with scraps. “This is how it happens in Bollywood,’ was drilled down people’s throats.  Writers became used to less money. However, the few times their work was noted, producers and directors pounced on another thing – credit. Whatever was good in the story, the producers and directors thumped their chests and took credit for it. Why? Because they could. They had power and thus they did it. In the end, the film writer could never make a brand for himself,. He had noone to appeal to and had no choice but to lump it.

Hence, a manifestation of some typically Indian habits, audience indifference and power exploitation, found its way in Bollywood, and hurt the writers.

But we know all this.

 The question is how do we change it. How do we change audience preferences, and the power order established over generations. Well, I have always believed, people change when they want to change. People change when they believe change will do them some good, make them a better person or give them a better life.  Well, good stories do enrich our lives. Stories that touch us do make us feel happy and alive. And slowly, the audience is realizing this.

The audience today is cluttered with content. 200 TV channels, noisy social networks, the Internet, smartphones, print media, radio – everyone is being bombarded in every direction by content. It is natural that people will develop a certain numbness to it. A fashionable actress was a big draw earlier, but if I see pictures of ten of them in a day, it is difficult to be so excited about it. More than anything, so much content means the content isn’t created with much thought. Recycling, clichés, formulas are being tried everywhere – from fashion weeks to reality TVs to even movies. The audience is in stupor. The easy ways to catch attention – a striking visual, a catchy beat – doesn’t seem to work as well. People now want more. They want entertainers to touch their core – one of the few things that can touch your core is a good story.  Films that have worked – Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara, Dirty Picture, and currently Kahani show that the audience likes content too.  Yes they were star vehicles, but content is inching ahead.  LSD, Shor in the city, Stanley ka Dabba are some recent pure content successes. The day is not far where people won’t pay for movies without content. Just as more and more Indians are asking for more accountable politicians, similarly, we are going to see a demand for content. This means writers will have to be brought on the boardroom table.

The second part, changing the power equation is a little harder. Of course, as a few writers deliver consistent hits, their power will rise. Then they too can demand their fair share. This is the argument many would make. However, this is not how a fair community is organized. Whether a writer is powerful or not, he or she should get his or her due. In fact, everyone in the unit should. A set of values, ethics has to come to our film industry. If it doesn’t, a lot of talent will shy away. Only established guys and their protégés will function, and while they may grow – the industry as a whole will grow much slower than it could in a true and fair meritocracy. In Hollywood, they faced this same problem in the 1950s, issue of credit – used to cause a lot of concern there. Soon, norms were set. For example, they would stipulate, credit number 4 will belong to the writer, in the same font and size as that of the director. It isn’t up to the whim of the producer. The author of the story cannot be changed – it is the fundamental copyright law. You can buy a painting. You cannot say you painted it.  The producer or director cannot put their name on a story they haven’t written, even if they have paid for it. Such norms have helped reduce conflict in Hollywood, ensured fair play and brought them a whole bunch of content.

Literature and Bollywood complement each other. Literature can use the fame provided by Bollywood. Bollywood can use the content created by Literature. The audience is starting to demand it. Bollywood needs to adapt it to grow to its potential – not just to make money – but to be a great industry where there is both commercial and creative growth.

I hope, the changes I talk about come soon, for they have to come eventually anyway. Let us all in our capacity, act as catalysts and support this change, rather than resist or thwart it.

For life and films should not be just measured in how much money they made, but how many people they touched. It isn’t about money, it is about being great. And trust me, writers will help you get there.

Thank you.

Dear All,

I have never really reacted to a piece written by someone else before. However, the  “Why I left India (again)”,  (do read this to make sense of what follows) made me want to share my own thoughts.

The well-written article talks about an NRI (non resident Indian), who returned to his country and then found enough reason to leave again. The reasons he cites, probably genuine, seem to revolve around the inability to fit in with certain aspects of the Indian way of life – be it the treatment of servants, the poverty or the traffic rules. In a commendable, bold manner the writer claims he did not like the person he had become in India. Thus implying that in India, we become part of a terrible system and become terrible ourselves. Finally, he and his wife returned back to the USA, where they now live in California.

So why am I reacting to it? Well, I am doing so because I am also a returned NRI. I lived in Hong Kong for 11 years, worked for American investment banks until I finally returned to India in 2008.  Given this, many NRIs often ask me what is it like to return to India. I am usually too busy writing books or columns and never get a chance to share my relocation experience much.  The article above talks about one guy’s relocation (that didn’t work out). I felt I could provide a different perspective, especially to those thinking of moving back to the country.

Please note, I am not offended by the article. I am glad he wrote it. This is something many NRIs feel. Certain foreign media houses love to carry stories about the ‘poor little pathetic India’ stereotype or the ‘real muck beneath the shining India’ stories anyway. After all, everyone has the right to write, express and feel whatever they want.

I am not going to counter argue the points raised in the article. I will simply share some of my own experiences in the situations mentioned in the article. I must also add I don’t  want to come across extolling my virtues. However, it is important people who have read the above piece to get another side of the story as well. So here goes:

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We moved to Mumbai in 2008.  Both my wife and I worked in banking jobs then, and domestic help was imperative given our 3 year old twin boys. We had an older helper who had been with us for a while. She joined us and brought along her young 18-year-old daughter.

I was particular that the young girl does not become a full time maid. She was to help her mother, but essentially help play with the kids and not do hard domestic chores. I saw potential in her, and enrolled her for a basic computer course. This meant she needed to go out of the house everyday. Almost everyone in the house protested. My mother and in-laws, both from a somewhat older school of thought,  didn’t seem too enthused. They felt I was the classic NRI idiot, returned from abroad and now trying to push his modern reform agenda. Even the girl’s mother (our elder maid) didn’t seem that excited but approved it. The girl however was excited and over the moon. They only taught her data entry, but there was a Maharashtra government certificate at the end of it. She started to perform well at the course and soon her mother warmed up to me as well.

Then, the proverbial disaster struck. The girl had a boyfriend from her native place near Bangalore. He came to Mumbai and eloped with her. This was done while she went to her computer classes. Apparently the girl’s mother had opposed the guy for an year. Hence, the girl only saw this as a way out.

Of course, hell broke loose. Everyone in the building mocked me, for sending my servant to computer classes. We didn’t find out about the elopement for two days, and everyone in the house had sleepless nights as we went to various police stations.

Finally, we found out the girl had married the boy. She never spoke to me, but sent me a message that she felt ashamed to have let me down. I was told by my family not to interfere in how servants are managed.

Around the same time, we also had a driver. He was extremely good at his job, and soon the family began to trust him. He used to come to South Mumbai (where we lived) from far sub-urbs and dreamt about moving closer (to a slum, of course). After an year of work, he asked me for around fifteen thousand bucks, to pay the deposit for his new place. I asked several questions to establish veracity, and he gave me reasonable answers.

I gave him the money. He disappeared. I found out later he had moved to Dubai, as he found a job there. Again, my family lashed out on me, given my stupidity.

Hence, you can see that I wasn’t exactly off to a great start in India. Much like the gentleman who wrote that article, I also was told “all of them are thieves” and to “keep them in their place.”

Unfortunately, or fortunately, that is not the person  I am. I cannot assume a person is a thief as default. To me, a person helping me in the house is giving me enormous service. To treat them badly is unthinkable. I hate abuse of power to the core, and yes, many Indians abuse their domestic helpers without even realizing it.

Anyway, the idiot me continued with my welfare approach to domestic help. We moved to Bandra in a year, and our driver then, used to live in South Mumbai. I didn’t want him to quit. However, his commute using public transport would be hard. He asked for a bike. I bought him one. He didn’t run away with it. It’s been over a year. He still hasn’t run away with it.

We had another set of two maids. One of them is another young girl, around 20 years old from a village in Ratnagiri. I told her she has to learn something. She chose English and found a set of classes near the house. Everyone opposed me again. I told her to go ahead anyway. She has joined classes. She has not run away. This morning she said to me in slow but perfect English “Bhaiya, would you like your breakfast”, smiled and I felt it was worth it.

In my house, nobody is allowed to call the maids servants. We call them helpers, the kids call them ‘didis’. There is no question of separate cutlery. They eat what we eat, and are paid enough that they can afford good clothes, soap and shampoo that the hygiene standards are at par with us.

I also found the helpers quite bored in the afternoons. That is when the dissent, negative gossip and nonsense starts. I installed a small TV and Tata sky in their room. My elder folks flipped again. They told me they will ‘sit on my heads’. I ignored them and their barbs. My helpers run my life. I am grateful to them. A TV costs nothing these days, but dramatically improves their quality of life. It also gives me more privacy.

This summer, I even installed a small AC in their room. I didn’t tell anyone at home (for more barbs would have come). I just did it. It’s hot and humid in Mumbai, and they have a tiny room.

My elder maid has kids in Bangalore. Every summer, we call them to our house to live with us. They play with my kids, with their toys. When we go to Bangalore, my kids spend a day in her house. They haven’t fallen sick because of it.  Whenever she wants leave, if it is reasonable, we send her home. Every week, both maids have a day off. Every Diwali, we give them a bonus and a raise, given the high inflation rates. This year, I had a new book which did well, hence the bonus will be bigger.

When a cookery show wanted to feature me in my kitchen (Secret Kitchen), I insisted my maids are featured on the show, as they do my cooking.  Both of them dressed up on the day of the shoot. The episode has one dish cooked entirely by my maids.

Day after tomorrow, on Diwali day, all of us will go see Ra.One together at a Multiplex. My driver will also get tickets for his family to watch it near his house. Altogether, 17 of us will watch the movie. That is what is fun about India. I am fortunate I am able to make a difference to these people’s lives – without it costing me that much.

Yes, the traffic bugs us. It bugs my wife more. She has often told people to stop before the zebra crossing. Her public social crusade sometimes embarrasses the hell out of me. We know it won’t change the country.  However, us being there means another example of how things can be different. Because of me, another friend has bought his driver a bike. Someone else bought movie tickets for their maid. It is still a trickle. Most of India still doesn’t treat servants well. However, it is fun to be part of the trickle. It is nice to imagine that one day this trickle of positive change will become a flood. And that you, in your own little way, had something to do with it.

And this is the most exciting part of coming back to India. To be the ambassador of change in your own world. You don’t have to be a celebrity, authority or a powerful person to effect change. You just have to change yourself, and set an example for others. Slowly, people will see the right path.

Of course, you can also quit. You can take the ‘you bloody Indians’ approach people have taken against my country for decades.  I won’t judge you. I really won’t. I really wish the person who wrote the article above is happy in the USA. I love America, it is a wonderful country that understands creativity, talent, freedom and equality. It has drawbacks, but I look at their positives more. I wish India will adopt many of those positive qualities one day. But until that happens, I don’t wish to quit. I love India too much to quit. I want to be here, till the last servant is mistreated and the last person breaks traffic rules. I want to be here, not to be perfect, but to try my best to not succumb to all that is negative in my country. I want to fight it, for simply fighting it feels good to me.

Meanwhile, on Diwali day, my maids are going to pack paranthas and Mithai for the entire crew so we are not hungry during the Ra.One show. We are going to wear new clothes, watch the movie and have our lunchß. In the evening, we will light diyas in the house, burst crackers with the kids and pray to God. I feel lucky to be in India, for I have spent many Diwalis abroad and no matter how many high-class NRI parties you go to, it just doesn’t feel the same as the Diwali back home. Home, yes, that is what India is to Indians – and will always be – home.

Happy Diwali everyone. And wherever you are, stay happy and stay positive.

Love,

Me.

I cannot remember the last time I wrote a personal blog entry. There was a time, not so long ago; I used to do this regularly.  Twitter spoils us. You can get away with posting one line, and have everyone see it immediately. However, Twitter doesn’t allow elaboration of thoughts, or the feelings behind them. Mostly it is ok, but every now and then, I feel the need to share more with my readers. This happens especially before a book launch. It is the time when I am most vulnerable emotionally, and expressing myself helps.

So, here were go again. Another book releases in less than twenty days. Revolution 2020, something I have lived with for the last two years, is finally going to be out there in the world on October 8^th 2011. Countless opinions shall follow, and the book will finally find its place in the world. I remember the how nervous I had felt right before the release of 2 States, my last book in October 2009. I had gone to ISKCON temple in Mumbai the night before and blogged about it later. I do not feel as much nervousness, at least as yet. Maybe I have matured, maybe I am confident about Revolution 2020, and maybe I am just numb. I need to get away for a while, and will share more about that in a moment.

A lot has changed for me in the two years since the last book. More than anything, I think the readership is wider and broader than it ever was before. This is for the following reasons:

1. My last book 2 States, became the most widely read of all my works. For the first time, I saw housewives and senior citizens pick up my book in large numbers, perhaps connecting to the universal theme of marriage and parental approval.
2. After 2 States, 3 Idiots, an adaptation of Five Point Someone, came out in December 2009. The movie did extraordinarily well, and reached places where none of my books had reached. Almost anywhere in India I travelled, I found a new set of readers for my books, who had picked them up after watching 3 Idiots.
3. In 2009, I started doing columns for English and Hindi newspapers. Every two weeks since then, I have had a chance to share my thoughts about the nation with a totally different set of readers – the people who read editorial pages, but not necessarily my books. Both TOI and Dainik Bhaskar have readership in crores, and it will be interesting to see if my column readers pick up Revolution 2020.
4. In the last two years, Twitter and Facebook exploded as well. Millions of readers now connect with me through these two sites and they are a source of constant support for me.

In light of the above developments, it would be interesting to see the initial response to Revolution 2020. I try to not think about the magnitude of expectations, and for that reason I think it would be a good idea to get away for a while.  Hence, even though the book launch is right around the corner, starting tomorrow I shall be in Thailand for a yoga retreat for a week. I will be somewhat disconnected from India and I think that will help settle my mind right before the launch. The program is supposed to be quite tough, as you don’t really eat much the entire week (a glass of juice per day is what I have been told!). Thus, in the middle of all these high profile fasts in the country, I’d be getting away to do my own, and mostly for my own sake.

On the personal front, my twin boys have grown up. They are seven years old now. They were born just two months after my first book came out. Thus, in some ways they reflect my age as an author – still quite young, and hopefully, a long way to go. It is fun to be at home and watch them grow up, even though they disturb me every now and then from my writing. But as Krish says in 2 States – ‘what is life without being disturbed by the right people?’

Anusha is busy at work. She is Chief Operating Officer at her bank, which as you can guess from the title, is quite a big deal. People often call her superwoman. She has maintained her career, brought up twins well and handled a crazy husband. I think she is quite a role model for Indian women.

Apart from books, I spend my time doing talks, which have grown tremendously over the last two years. It is from these talks that Revolution 2020 was born. The talks help me stay connected to India. At the same time, they make my schedule hectic. In the last one year alone, I visited 55 cities.

Hence, I have become terrible at replying to calls, messages and keeping in touch. One of my goals after Revolution 2020 is to simplify life, be more selective in what I choose to do, and make more time for family, friends and myself.

For now however, I have to bring my new baby to the world. Revolution 2020 carries fantastic feedback from the people who have read it, so frankly I am not too worried. To keep things simple, I would do the initial launches only in Mumbai and Delhi, and then get to other cities in a few weeks. I will post details on the same later. This time the title of the book doesn’t reveal so much about the story, but I think that will add to the fun of reading it. I can’t wait for your feedback.

I hope the book launches go well. After all that, in December, I have also promised my family that I will take them on a nice long vacation, especially after the book launch madness, and a part of me is looking forward to that as well.

Thank you once again for your constant support through the years – in almost everything I have attempted to do. I always say: my personal goals in life are already met. I now live for people who have made me – you, my readers.

With that, I better go pack for my 7-day escape before the madness.

Don’t be serious, be sincere.

Love,

Chetan

Dear All,

Winning the World Cup made us so happy. Why? This week’s column, a tribute to Team India.

If you prefer to read it on the TOI website, the link is here.

Regards,

Chetan

Welcome to Republic India-Excellent

Yes,we did it! It took us 28 years but when we finally did win the Cup,we won it in massive style.We won at home,chasing the highest ever total of a World Cup final, recovered after the loss of two big batsmen,and with a stunning six as the victory shot.It is not possible,at the current moment,to praise the team enough.Their victory will give a lifetime of bragging rights and inspire an entire generation.

Equally stunning were the celebrations that followed right after the win.Even though it was close to midnight,within minutes,millions took to the streets.In something India has never witnessed before,there were impromptu victory processions,happy traffic jams,ecstatic people on the roads and a street party to which,literally,everyone was invited.

Why did we feel so great What makes this win so special And is there a bigger impact of the win that we can carry into our own lives After all,as some may say,this is just a game.It has no tangible impact on ordinary Indians lives.Yet,there is no denying the mood-elevating effects of winning the biggest trophy of our biggest game.It is like a booster dose of self-esteem and hope administered to the entire nation.

To understand why this win is so big,it is important to understand the context in which this has come.This trophy comes at a time when the only remarkable news coming out of India was the scams,including a big one in sports.The only remarkable people were the corrupt politicians and their cronies.Many of these people roam free and are even celebrated by Indian society.This is India – connections,the clique of powerful people who scratch each others backs and give each other mutual access to their power to enhance it.This is the way people rise in India who you know is more important than what you know.How you trade your power for another persons power is the core skill that will make you rise in life.

In the middle of all this,our men in blue brought home the World Cup.It was not a competition of connections.It didnt matter who your father was,which minister was your best friend or how much money you had in the bank.Only one thing mattered excellence.For the only way to win this Cup was to play better than everyone else,in match after match.And we played better than anyone else.

Such global recognition is rare for India,but this win showed the way to another,more glorious,Indian path to success : India-excellent.The India-excellent way to success is still hazy,but the young generation is getting a whiff of it.And it smells a lot better than the stale odour of success generated by India-connections.In fact,young India loves the perfume of excellence.That is why the youth came out onto the streets at midnight for the players,but they wont for any politician.The success that comes from excellence feels good its like a fresh and juicy apple.The success from connections tastes like reconstituted fruit.From a distance they may look the same,but for the person achieving it,the feeling is worlds apart.You cant kiss a bribe the same way as Dhoni kissed the trophy.You cant celebrate an unfairly earned telecom license the way Team India did after the match.Your ill-gotten gains may win you some fake friends,but India-connections is just not the same flavour as India-excellent.India-excellent is cool,India-connections is not.

With this win,youngsters today can see two paths.As they grow up,they will have the choice of two roads.India-connections is a well-travelled road.It may be easier,but ultimately less rewarding.The India-excellent road that Dhoni and co have paved for us is the harder one.However,it is more meaningful and more rewarding.

The clash of these two Indias will dominate the next two decades.Right now,India-connections has the upper hand.In the finals,tickets were essentially reserved for the India-connections.If you didnt have the right contacts,you couldnt get a ticket.This,ironically,for a contest that celebrates excellence.But i dare India-connections to contain Indiaexcellent.It wont be able to.Lurking beneath the tiny,creamy layer of India-connections is a talent pool so vast that it can transform our nation.One persons success can ignite the winning spark in millions of hearts.And Dhonis men havent just provided the spark,they have lit a fire.As a tribute to our team,let us resolve to win,and win using the path of India-excellent.After all,if we can be great at cricket,we can be great at anything.Let this trophy be the start of many Indian victories.Thank you,Team India,for making so many of us so happy.

9 April 2011 Update: The government agrees to most of Anna’s conditions, and agrees to modify the lokpal bill accordingly. Yes, the people of India did it. Scared at the rising popular support, the government gave in. This will have far reaching implications for India, not only because of  a strong Lokpal, but also that people in India have tasted their power. From now on, the aam aadmi will not think of himself as powerless.

Since the government has agreed to the bill, the ‘Mera Neta Chor Hai’ campaign also ends. I can’t thank you guys enough for your support. Together, we will make a better India, one step at a time.

Regards,

Chetan

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(The original Mera Neta Chor Hai Post is given below).

Dear All,

The time has come for us to show our corrupt leaders what people power really means. Anna Hazare’s fast is the starting point for corruption reforms in this country. Please note, the politicians will never make good anti-corruption laws on their own. They won’t pass a law that checks their power. People will have to fight to get them. Innumerable articles, requests, appeals have been given to these politicians. They don’t listen. They don’t respond. I have personally spent most of last year writing columns on corruption and the need for real laws. For instance, we have the CBI, our premier investigative agency, which ultimately reports to politicians. How can they investigate the people who appoint them? It is like asking your maid to prosecute you.

We need an independent authority against corruption, which is what the Jan Lokpal bill is all about. Passing this bill is as important as our Independence movement was.

We must however, keep broadening the base of this movement. Some of you may ask, what can I do? Do I keep a fast? Do I join groups on Facebook? Do I come on the streets?  Well, all these actions have their place. However, we must make sure this campaign reaches the grassroots, and doesn’t say confined, say, to the English-speaking, online world. I suggest one more option that might help.

To aid in spreading this, I’d like you to write something on your forearm, and display it wherever you go.  Using a pen, write in thick lettering, “Mera Neta Chor Hai” and wear it everywhere – in college, office, shopping malls and buses. Post a pic of it on your Facebook profile. Let people ask you why you have written it, and then explain it to them. From the neighbourhood aunty to the auto driver, everyone must know what is going on. And yes, this is inspired from Deewar, the hit Amitabh movie from the past.

This statement will also shame our politicians. For when youth of this country move around writing this on themselves, they will be forced to act. It will give impetus to the already active Anna Hazare campaign.

It’s that simple. Write “Mera Neta Chor Hai” on your forearm, post a pic on the net and tell everyone about it. Please also forward it to everyone you know who may care for their country.

Our country is founded on overthrowing the opressors. We have another oppressor now, the evil empire of corrupt politicians that have somehow taken charge of this otherwise great nation.

Remember  “Mera Neta Chor Hai”, until they pass the Jan LokPal bill.

Regards,

Chetan