Hi Folks,

Just concluded my whirlwind tour of India. While there is good news to report on my project, will make it public when a couple of legal formalities are completed. But what was outstanding and infectious was the media mood and the general mood in Delhi and Mumbai.

I can safely conclude that there is more excitement in the air, on the television and in places like Prithvi, Mocha, etc, than all of NY and LA put together. Of course not all that is good news. Like the city of Gurgaon, which has great apartment complexes, wondeful malls and NO AUTO and NO PUBLIC transportation (moral of the story, agar sabzi tarkari leni hain to mall jaon), television in India is getting ahead of itself, in that it is buzzing but the basic infrasturcture is missing.

Most programs and certainly reality programs suffer from a "filmi" obsession complex. Also we as a group in the film industry suffer from a "unnecessary respect for the elders" obsession complex. So if Shabana and Mahesh Bhatt are called to judge a contest, then it is the right of the participants to question their judgement and IT IS NOT DISRESPECTFUL to do that, if the so called "elders, albeit merely because they were born a few years before us," like Mahesh et all, cannot handle someone questioning their authority and decide to walk off, then taht is also their right, what is an absymal "low" is that news channels reporting on this 24 hrs a day and 24 times per hour. Also why do we have TV celebrities being participants? we have a nation of a billion plus, surely there can't be a dearth of participants.

Saw Nadira's opening play at Prithvi. Was great to see the buzz there in that complex. Now why did they stop Irish Coffee!!! Sure there were the genuine supporters of theater which made me feel very positive of the state of the affairs in Mumbai, from a creative perspective. There were very few "pseudos" in the crowd, probably more are found in plays here in the US. Go PRithvi, you will provide actors for my next 10 films....if I get to write them.....plus the paan outside of Prithvi was great.

Was good to run into PFC's like Suchita in Delhi. Go PFC!!! Go Suchita, enjoyed the discussion a lot more than having chai or blowing smoke (oh well I don't smoke) with some kurta clad "anti capitalist," who anyway other than talking, does nothing meaningful in life. Go PFC's who are not afraid to be called by their name and identity on PFC!!!

Again back to the point of "drama," what was the need for SRK to apologize to Manoj...goes to prove that Bollywood cannot handle a joke on themselves and tend to take themselves a little too seriously.

So why do TV news channels in India repeat the same piece of news every five minutes??? And who gives a rat's behind whether some guy named Gary is set to coach India, surely there has to be more newsworthy news, as opposed to having 465 types of discussions on a balding, mid 40's South African, who anyway does not like the country or travelling in it.

So it is actually a pleasure seeing a Ghar Ek Sapna, sure it is a soap, but at least the accent is Bihari and the story,desi.

And talking about travelling, Jet Airways and Jet Lite are way better than any United or Southwest flight that I have taken. Kingfisher is like a new age "I am different filmmaker form Bollywood," filmmaker ........... a pouting woman is a pre requisite for good service/film.

But the buzz in places like Mocha, Juhu, on what the new and old "new" age audiences want, over Kheema Pau, is so encouraging to first time film producers/scriptwriters like me, makes me want to shift shop to Mumbai yesterday.

Of course we know why Aaja Nachle flopped.....call it over exposure, EVEN PRIOR to the film release........picture this. I get up in the morning in Delhi and put on the telley and we have Madhuri in an interview....I shower and show up at Palam for my flight to Mumbai a couple of hours later......and we have Madhuri doing a re run of the same interview......then I get aboard my flight, show up in Mumbai, check into the hotel, put on the tv and we have..........Madhuri doing a re re run of the same interview.....then I do some property shopping, head out to meet friends, come back to the hotel after dinner and we have Madhuri doing a re re re (etc) run of the same interview........even if you had missed her all this while....you won't after a 24 hours stint...where we saw her 48 times.......I just skipped that channel for the rest of my stay there.

And on property, my fascination with Yaari Road came to a sudden end, due to overpriced properties and shabbily maintianed houses...suddenly JP Road and Versova are the new "black."

But wait, flop filmmakers like RGV live on JP Road, does that mean if I end up there I will also be ....? Ok now I am getting superstitious and no I should not say negative things about.....ok now I am getting diplomatic...welcome to Bollywood...welcome to the unreal world.

Now despite Sanjay "the noble, cause I make cash entries to AB in my books but don't pay them in reality" Gupta---I am actually looking forward to his Dus Kahaniyan....no, not because it is different, it is not, they are "Bollywood" shorts, just the whole package deal makes it fun.

All in all a fun, exciting, happening trip. Now look forward to returning in Mid Jan

Sincerely,

Vivek "first we had inspiration from the west in films, then in TV, then again in TV, then again in TV, then again..."Kumar