Hema Malini's tweets on Pratyusha Banerjee's suicide has not gone down too well with writer-columnist Shobhaa De and she has slammed the actress for her 'insensitive' statement.
Pratyusha Banerjee's death brought tears in the eyes of millions across the globe. The 24 year old TV star who rose to fame with her Anandi act from Balika Vadhu committed suicide last Friday at her Goregaon residence. While the industry was mourning her death and friends came out in support of Pratyusha and called for an interrogation of boyfriend Rahul Raj Singh, Bollywood actress Hema Malini had tweeted about the tragedy.
Talking about suicides, Hema Malini said that 'the world admires a fighter, not a loser.' This statement did not go down well with Shobhaa De. The writer-columnist in her latest article on NDTV lambasted Hema Malini for her statement and labelled it as 'insensitive' and 'irresponsible'.
Claiming that the tweet has left her 'disappointed', Shobhaa is shocked with what Hema ji has written. Not liking how Hema called Pratyusha a loser because she gave up on her life for the problems in her life, Shobhaa De hit out at the veteran actress. She also mentions how 'star kids are often the hardest hit', referring to her daughter Esha Deol. she also went on saying how some of the star-kids get overshadowed by the stupendous success of their parents, much like the case was with Esha.
"No, Hema. This young person was not a loser. It is cruel to call her that. She was just unable to cope with her overburdened life. Like many other persons - young and old. That doesn't make them 'losers'," she wrote in her article. She also vents out her anger with a message for Hema Malini. "Pratyusha died a fighter. She fought till she had the strength to keep fighting. The world will not write her off. She was no loser. Do take your harsh words back, Hema. As a mother, I implore you."
In the wake of Pratyusha's suicide, Hema Malini had tweeted:
One must learn to overcome all odds & emerge successful,not succumb under pressure & give up easily.The world admires a fighter not a loser — Hema Malini (@dreamgirlhema) April 4, 2016 All these senseless suicides which achieve nothg! Life is God's gift for us to live not for us to take at will. We have no right to do that. Hema Malini (@dreamgirlhema) April 4, 2016
Though things might seem to be fine between eminent writer Shobhaa De and versatile Bollywood actress Sonam Kapoor, there was a time when their war-of-words had taken a really nasty turn.
Back in Sonam Kapoor's early days in the industry, the Kapoor girl appeared on the cover of Vogue as the top amongst India's 50-best dressed women. While fans and the industry went gaga over the cover, Shobhaa De had a rather unsavoury opinion on the picture. Shobhaa took to Twitter to say, "Sonam just doesn't cut it in the sex appeal stakes."
However, not the one to take unkind opinions lightly, Sonam retorted saying, "for a 60-something porn writer, I am sure she (Shobhaa) knows what she's talking about."
Ouch! That must have hurt. But, not that hard as Shobhaa again took to Twitter after watching Sonam Kapoor's film – I Hate Luv Storys. De wrote, "I hate dumb stories." And this time too, Sonam wasn't ready to let it go. She wrote, "Guys pls don't take Shobhaaa De seriously. She's a fossil who's getting no action and going through menopause."
Not just this, when Shobhaa De took potshots at Deepika Padukone on being called Maxim's Sexiest Woman Alive, the writer wrote, "Deepika P is the 'sexiest woman on earth? Are they kidding me? She would not win a Miss Dombivali contest. I mean, look at her closely. Go on: jawline? Too wide. Eyes? Bulging. Hairline? Untidy. Speech? Verni."
Sonam, who is not a very-good-friend of Deepika Padukone, had jumped into the conversation and said, "If she (Shobhaa) thinks Deepika is ordinary then she sure needs to wear glasses. Her eyesight is failing her."
I was going to take notes as I read and post on the whole thing, but it was getting awfully long, so this is on the first four chapters. I was trying to read it as if I were new to the story, and it just a new science fiction/fantasy story in a new setting.
Chapter 1 Reincarnation
Summary: Worldbuilding and character expectations, both of our protaganist and everyone else. Hints that not everyone agreed with the offical story back then. Names planted for later. Why is Jiang Cheng described as 'little'? Event thirteen years prior probably going to be important since that is when our protaganist died.
Chapter 2The intractable
He's back.
Proud, but also kind, and as he figures out what the wish he needs to grant is says 'you've got the wrong person'. Wants to gaze in reverence on the face of the man who brought him back. Intelligent and quick. He comes off as someone who doesn't kill lightly, and doesn't like being forced into this situation.
The bully swiped all 'his' cultivation stuff. The bully is later found dead in a corridor - indoors?
“Right after subduing the walking corpses, we were rushing to the east courtyard, and the dead body was lying there in the corridor.” To me 'corridor' signals an indoors passage. Which indicates the arm was indoors.
- with a spirit lure flag on him and the arm having drained him. Could the arm have been in the stuff Mo Z swiped from Mo Xuanyu? and Xuanyu was competent enough to keep it under control until his bully of a cousin swiped his stuff, meddled with it, and threw in the spirit lure flag into the mix? No one in the text seems to think this is a possibility, but given the attention to the bully's misdeeds and reading this as a mystery, that authorial attention is often a cluebat that this happening is important.
General impressions of protaganist are that he's a decent guy, doesn't want the juniors to wind up dead, but is trying to help indirectly and quietly rather than be obvious and have attention drawn to what he is doing. After all, his last living memory was of everyone hunting him down and a very bad death. He does appear to have some knowledge of what he was doing after his demise and certainly doesn't wake up as if he just experienced dying. Capable of thinking fast enough to convey information without giving away his deep knowledge of the situation. Interesting that the spirits in the fierce corpses are terrified of him. Also interesting is how easy he finds
... keep reading on reddit ➡
Night after night, the 24x7 newscycle confirms our worst inferences about the murky goings on in Bollywood. The ugly underbelly of Mumbai’s movie industry has been exposed — and everybody appears nanga under the harsh glare of scrutiny.
The precious golden aura that film stars basked in has been replaced by a dark layer of grime. Everybody is squirming. Even those whose names aren’t out there so far. Bollywood appears more like Gotham, with evil people lurking in the shadows, terrorising a cowering populace. Who is there to fight the rot that threatens to destroy the system, devour several reputations and derail the monolith known as Bollywood?
Some of the names being tossed around and declared ‘finished’ by the trade are the same ones who have been dragged into the ongoing Rhea Chakraborty investigation. No surprises there. Even if the biggest and brightest of the lot is supposed to be in deep shock at the dramatic turn of events. His friends are said to be worried about his fragile state of mind and insist his low mood has much more to do with a sudden realisation that he has emerged as the most disliked person in Bollywood. Of all people, he was the one celeb who banked on his immense popularity within and outside the film industry. Overnight, he has been declared persona non grata. And woken up to the sad, well-concealed truth that far from being liked and adored, he is actively detested. That too by the very people who cultivated him over the years and wanted to be a part of his coterie.
Today, the image game has gone for a toss — just like that. Carefully constructed narratives around several big names have been deconstructed, dissected and dumped, with all the revelations emerging in dramatic bursts from an outspoken lady sitting inside her chalet in Himachal, and issuing daily challenges to her colleagues. Kangana Ranaut is a one-woman tornado — watch out Bollywood. She can flatten just about anybody in her path with lethal precision. The more important point is this: How much of what she is saying is an accurate representation of ground realities in the film industry? Is she the only gutsy film personality around who is determined to expose the twisted, dark world of Bollywood, having seen its worst side herself?
The thing about Bollywood is its schizophrenic personality. For all the awful stories one is hearing these days, involving drugs, underage girls, violence, suicides, even murder, there is the flip side, too, w
... keep reading on reddit ➡
Full article/source (Pasting the bit that's related to our current discussions since it's a long article)
With the tragic death of Sushant Singh Rajput, it is this can of worms that has been opened. And the stink it has raised can no longer be ignored. This was long overdue and it is a pity that Bollywood needed a tragedy this large to begin a deep cleansing exercise.
The most significant fall out of Sushant Singh Rajput's death is that for the first time in decades, Bollywood is like a headless chicken with a lot of lost folks sulking and seething in utter confusion, wondering where they failed in perpetuating their power. There are no leaders, no spokespersons - it's a free fall. And a free for all. Nobody is speaking in the same voice, and it appears the script has been changed when no one was looking! Is anyone on the same page? Going by the evasions and defensive comebacks from the very people who believed they were invincible till a month ago, Bollywood is confronted with its own ugly face and an absence of leadership. The bubble seems to have burst finally, and all those pompous and arrogant personalities who pushed 'lesser beings' around while propping up their pets, are left scratching their heads and wondering where they tripped up.
The rise and growing popularity of OTT platforms during the pandemic is acting like a great equalizer by democratizing the process of entertainment like never before - case in point being talented actors like Sushmita Sen and Chandrachur Singh coming into their own and winning fans in a taut, well-made drugs-and-crime series called Aarya. Or that little gem titled Axone which provides a rare, honest and sensitive glimpse into the world of young professionals from the North East of India, trying to hack it in Delhi.
With no access to multiplexes and cinema theatres, the writing is on the wall. Audiences have switched to a medium that is going to be the future. Digital is the way forward. There goes the pumped-up star system! And there go all those Kings, Badshahs, Nawabs and Bhais of Bollywood. Younger audiences really don't give a damn They prefer talent over tinsel.
Authenticity is all that matters - in life - and entertainment. So, please guys - get real. Get off your high horses. The world has changed when you weren't looking. Forget all the hogwash about 'filmi royalty' and 'first famil
... keep reading on reddit ➡I was hesitant to post this due to some harassment I got last time I did it, but decided to anyways cine many have messaged me about the next YA novel. Out of the Shadows is well worth a read if you enjoyed Reath from Into the Dark or Vernestra from A Test of Courage. It also stands on its own as a fun mystery/adventure story set between Rising Storm and wave three (of Phase One).
- Out of the Shadows strength is its characters. The main story itself was decently enjoyable; but the attention to character dynamics and writing them in different ways is what made the novel enjoyable for me. Ireland's prose is good for the most part.
- The shadow of the Battle of Valo definitely is still felt all these months later in Shadows. Not only for the Jedi and Republic, but the Nihil and galaxy at large also. Really hammers home the importance of that event to Phase One.
- Speaking of, Chancellor Soh still hasn't fully recovered from her injuries. Which makes me wonder if that might play into the next adult novel.
- Syl is most definitely the star of this novel. Ireland crafted a nuanced, easily believable non-Jedi character and I appreciate that. She has an arc in this book that I very much liked. I am looking forward to [hopefully] seeing her in future works. It is always great to see an LGBT main character in Star Wars; especially one as deftly written as Syl.
- Vernestra and Reath are also main characters. Vern somewhat has an arc teaching Imri. However for the most part they're just part of the story without much development; not that it makes them 'badly' written mind you. I am happy to see their inclusion.
- It's also revealed in this novel that Vern has a gift for navigating Hyperspace. And suffers visions when traveling through it sometimes. They actually teased this in an excerpt many weeks ago. It is almost like the Sky-Walkers (Ozyly-esehembo) the Chiss use before they grow up and lose the gift (expanded on in Zahn's canon novels).
- Reath doesn't really do too much in this book, but he's one of my favorite High Republic era characters so I was just happy to see him having some adventures.
- Nan from Into the Dark returns. She's kind of the "bad guy" (rather girl) of this book. She's written consistent with ITD and I liked her well enough in this. For a bulk of the novel she's basically Mari San Tekka's protector which doesn't give her much to do.
- Imri is a strong supporting character throughout Shadows; and has his own character arc
When people say Bollywood is a cruel place, I reply, “Yes, it is! The beast we call ‘Showbiz’, spares no one”. This hungry beast took one more victim last week, when 34-year-old Sushant Singh Rajput took his own life in Mumbai. I had once met him briefly at an awards function a few years ago.
He was there as the boyfriend of one of the ladies, who was being felicitated as a ‘Woman Achiever’. He arrived late, kept his head down throughout, and left early. I remember thinking to myself that this young man lacked hustling skills and was not at all socially adept. Or else, he would have worked the room full of influential producers and directors, and sweet-talked a few. But this young man was made of some other stuff. He had a sense of self and a sense of pride—the very attributes that may have contributed to the tragedy that left the nation shocked.
Forget Gangs of Wasseypur and think ‘Gangs of Bollywood’. The deeply incestuous world of movie-making in Mumbai works in such insidious ways that young actors hoping to make it big on the basis of their talent alone are given a harsh reality check by the Big Boys, who run the show on their own terms.
Unless these ‘outsiders’ agree to play ball and kowtow to their rules. Sushant may have been a bit too intense, too cerebral and too sensitive for this lot. His amazing trajectory in films speaks for itself. The directors who worked with him have mentioned the rigour he invested in each role during his seven short but impactful years in Bollywood. I have watched five of his 10 films, so I can say this confidently: as a nuanced and polished actor, Sushant was streets ahead of most of the current lot of propped up ‘stars’ favoured by the Big Boys. I watched M.S. Dhoni: The Untold Story twice within the span of a week, just to catch what I may have missed the first time. And to think that Sushant spent months training with Kiran More to perfect Dhoni’s famous ‘helicopter shot’ and get the cricket captain’s body language right. That is called admirable dedication to ones craft.
Yes, all this was noted by Sushant’s growing legion of fans. It was also noted by the Big Boys who had shoved him out of major productions earlier. Undeterred, Sushant gave two hit movies made on comparatively smaller budgets (Kedarnath and Chhichhore), even as his personal life may have been coming apart. There was a great deal of chatter around the social ostracism he was being subjected to by this same lobby. It was said that
... keep reading on reddit ➡Interesting take on Shoba de and other journalists.
With the embargo lifted today on the second batch of High Republic novels, I thought I'd start out with RtCT. Note these thoughts are based on an ARC.
- Ram Jomaram actually had a pretty solid character arc. I also appreciated having a mechanic Jedi as an MC, as we don't get to see that role within the Jedi all too often. His struggle throughout the novel is mostly about realizing his role as a Jedi outside droids/electronics and leaving his comfort zone. When Valo comes under attack (mentioned in the synopsis already so not a spoiler), Ram is truly forced to reconcile his duties as a Jedi to the public.
- Lula Talisola is the other main character, who some might know from Older's comic series High Republic Adventures. I quite liked Lula in the opening arc of that series and this novel only reinforced my enjoyment of her character. We get to see more of her inner thoughts thanks to it being a novel versus comic; with a recurring theme of attachment being her struggle. Crashpoint actually addresses this topic a few times which was refreshing. Particularly >!Vernestra and Lula have a very poignant conversation about how Jedi and attachments !<which was well written for an MG audience.
- As for Older's writing style; I'm not much of a fan of his prose but I know others absolutely love it. His adult novel, Last Shot, was polarizing for this reason but I will say I thought it came off better in MG form. I wouldn't say it is "bad", just that it isn't for me. Like a food you just don't enjoy despite trying it numerous times. As is often said, "Different strokes for different folks."
- As mentioned early, with an HRA star being a main character there is of course references galore to Older's other work High Republic Adventures. Zeen is a supporting character in Crashpoint and I grew to like her more in this. As was already revealed months ago in promotional material, Ty Yorrick also makes appearance(s) and it had me all the more excited to see more of her in Rising Storm and Monster of Temple Peak. I love her already. >!Ram actually meets her in jail and it was hilarious. !<
- Ram's Force abilities are quite interesting. >!As isn't surprising given his mechanic background, he can intuitively "map" electronics (including droids, ships, etc.) through the Force. !<Those scenes were very interesting. SUPER BIG SPOILER IN NEXT TAG >!He even does this to a Drengir in the final act which surprised me and was highly fascinating.!&l
https://www.ndtv.com/opinion/shobhaa-de-on-kalank-i-agree-with-its-song-tabah-ho-gaye-2025795
Some nice little nuggets:
> But within minutes of watching Alia/Roop chasing colour-coordinated kites across village terraces, clad in the sort of lehenga a guest would wear to a society mehendi, I knew it was a kati patang we were in for - a movie that was blowing in the wind like a lost kite.
> Hadn't Sonakshi played a ditto role (dying, dying, dead) in another movie ("Lootera", 2013)? Then along came Varun Dhawan (lots of money saved here on costumes - he is bare-chested for the most part), playing the rakish lover boy, popping phallic-looking swords into a red-hot furnace. Sizzling! The chemistry between him and the swords, I mean. Sanjay Dutt loped in as a media tycoon - a man who wears sherwanis to bed and looks morose throughout.
Looks like the film is continuing to underperform and no amount of false positive reviews and PR can make this a blockbuster now.
Title might be confusing. I'm not currently writing a non-CYOA novel in second person, I'm just looking for discussion on the idea of it.
I've been working on writing out the lore for a world I'm doing a Dungeons & Dragons campaign in, though I've been toying with the idea of writing a novel in this world I've created. I mean, if I'm putting all this effort into making this world, might as well put it in a format I can share with more than just my players, right? I've been doing research, trying to find an approach to writing this world that clicks because, for whatever reason, the usual third-person past tense just doesn't feel right.
Just earlier today, a dumb idea popped into my head. What if I wrote it in the same way that I would describe the world to my players? Unlike my campaign, of course, it'd be a linear narrative without the reader/player having any choice in its direction. I seriously doubt it'd work even remotely, though I am pretty tempted to at least give it a shot for the sake of it.
I'm interested in hearing thoughts about this idea of writing a non-CYOA story in second-person. Anyone know of any stories out there that are actually written like this?
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