Of assassins, plots and drama……

One the most facinating subjects for me to read and watch are the assassination attempts and plots that have spanned over the years. Right from Abe Lincoln (and much before that) to Martin Luther King Jr, to John Lennon , to RFK and the most talked about and researched JFK assassination.

I happened to watch this movie called “Vantage Point” last night and it really set my grey cells in motion. I really liked the movie. So much thought must have gone into making the plot of this movie. I would call it intelligent - and sometimes I fear such movies might give ideas to the wrong lot of people. But that aside, the main thing that really impressed me was the way a critical 23 minutes before during and after the assassination attempt was depicted from 5 different points of view of the 5 key players - the main assassin, the president himself, the president’s security officer, a local police officer and a tourist. And the whole film keeps going back to the start to show what each person went through, ultimately culminating into the final episode – where all these key players come together at the same point in one form or another. Its one of those fast paced movies where ur on the edge of the seat and ur mind is going crazy trying to figure out how the hell it was pulled off!!!.  Pooof….!!

So anyway, like i was saying earlier, I don’t know what it is that facinates me about such acts of violence against these men. So many questions come ino my head – like who did it, why he did it, did he really do it or was there someone more sinister behind it. I know I’m not the only sucker for such stories, there are others who have gone much greater lengths to feed their curiosity about the circumstances and the reasons behind the committing of such an act. I’m just curious about the lives and personalities that were involved - Like what kind of a person would you have to be to do something like this?? Unlike movies, I think the real life assassins have a much more twisted personality – and thats what I want to know more about. 

Take the JFK assassination for example. That one is no less than the movie i just talked about. Even though there was a convicted killer – Lee Harvey Oswald – who was proved to be the shooter, there are still so many conspiracy theories that it still remains a mystery to many – whether he was actually the one who orchestrated the assassination or was he just a pawn in a much bigger plot. And come to think of it, the person who actually pulled off one of the most controversial assassinations of our time may have gotten away with it - while we’re still going nuts trying to figure it all out. Even the National Geographic Channel has a complete documentary researching all the possibilities – but there are still some doubts no one can clear out – and that makes the whole case so intriguing that it will revisited many a time in the future as well. 

But people like me get carried away sometimes. Maybe we just want to believe that there was more than meets the eye. Maybe the “drama” of it all is what intoxicates the mind so much that the more the plot thickens the better it gets. I guess i just cant get enough. The suspence is what spices it up.  

To continue further, on the other hand is the completely different assassination of John Lennon. The reason why Mark David Chapman killed him was so bizzare. He was apparently not happy with a comment made by Lennon about the Beatles - about them being more pupolar than Jesus. This didn’t go down well with Chapman and he considered it be blasphemy. He was also angry at Lennon because he preached in his song Imagine – “imagine no possessions”, but still had millions of dollars to live by. And then of course, having read and reread the “Catcher in the Rye” – Chapman was greatly influenced by the book’s take on the “phoniness” of the society – and thought Lennon to be a phony by that logic. Sometimes I wonder if anyone is safe from such “nut cases”.

Well i guess i’ve rambled enough on this for now, coz talking about it all has made me hungry for some more insight n research about these topics. Its like, once you get hitched you just get hitched!! 

Reel Reality

I was watching this movie called “The American President” yesterday, starring Micheal Douglas and Annette Bening. It was a romantic movie bout the president of America who happens to be a widower and its election time and he needs to retain his presidency – but then he falls in love with an environment lobbyist and starts courting her – about which his rival starts making a big fuss and starts questioning the president’s character n all n all. this is usually what gets the american junta all excited and they start pining for traditional american values (whatever those are!!).

So anyway, its the usual typical american flick – where the “hero” charms the “heroine” with his wit, sense of humour and his brains. Not to mention his looks and the fact that he happens to be the president of the most powerful country in the world – making him the most powerful man in the world for the moment.

But my brains were working on an altogether different tangent. I was thinking, well here’s a movie that celebrates the perfect personality of the US president. He’s like the role model for the whole country and maybe for some in the rest of the world too. Not just this movie – look at “Air Force One” for that matter. Harrisson Ford makes a great president too. He smart, intelligent, loves his country and even saves the day for everyone even when his family’s lives are on the line. With that kind of a president, who needs a body guard eh!! But thats not all i’m thinking.

This brought me to think bout the “REAL WORLD” presidents. So who gets inspired by who??? The REAL by the REEL or the REEL by the REAL???  I mean take George Bush…..I dont think he is the kind of person who can inspire people, though he could take a few pointers from these movies. Infact with his smalll squinty eyes – i think he’s more of an inspiration for a baby chimpanzee movie. And Bill Clinton, yeah i know i know – ur like he was ok and a decent president too except his lusty prancing arounds – which wouldn’t have been that big a deal had he not been the president of the US of A (exactly!!!!).

But then again i’m digressing. What i was really thinking was……about our very own indian presidents/prime ministers. Yes yes, i couldn’t help drawing out a picture of some of our classic leaders playing the lead in this movie instead of Micheal Douglas. Hehehehe………

But its hard to imagine that – coz i can’t seem to associate them in such a setting. I mean the first descriptive adjective i can think of to describe them is – “old” !!!! And then everything else just follows – like boring, slow, dull ……..blah blah blah………….though there is one exception. Its Mr Kalam. He’s one cool dude. I mean he may be senior by age – but u know he doesn’t gimme those “oldish” vibes. He’s the kinda guy that u can really connect with. I think the one indian leader that could have been in MD’s shoes could have been him.

Its not about the americanism here. Its more about the fact – that our presidents/prime ministers are just normal people with the same problems like everyone else. The only difference is they have the responsibility of looking into the problems of the nation as well (which is heavy, but all the more reason to lighten up) - but that doesn’t mean they should be serious and proper all the time. I mean, they have a life too right!!! I guess what i miss is the “connection” that one desires to have with the person leading their nation. A little bit of human touch can go a long way……all i wanna say to our leaders is – LOOSEN UP!!!      

But anyway, thats what i think – my grey cells tend to do a few somersaults over the wierdest topics - And come to think of it, if India had a candidate like Micheal Douglas/Harisson Ford running for prime minister - 50% of the population would already have been won over (at least in my world !!!) – as always – AINWAYEE!!!