Page 3 & Bangalore

I happened to see the latest flick in town ‘Page 3’by Madhur Bhandarkar, on a Monday evening between my frantic travels. I wanted to watch this movie for Madhur Bhandarakar, as his earlier film ‘Chandni Bar’ had really hit me, and then for Konkana Sen, as I adored her in ‘Mr. & Mrs. Iyer’. Since ‘Page 3’had both of them it came in my ‘must see’ list, probably that is the reason why I made all the efforts to see it on a weekday also.



First impression, the movie was good, very realistic like earlier Madhur Bhandarkar movies, but that is what it was. Very realistic depictions of the wannabe rich and famous in the society, why I say wannabe is because I believe the real rich and famous do not need to get into these gimmicks. All the effort people put in to be just noticed and the levels they would go down to just appear in some random pages on the newspaper. But the most astonishing part is that most of the readers actually like to read all the filth about these people. This is more evident by the fact that there are more and more TV and radio channels that are not only surviving but thriving on these ‘not at all important’ pieces of news (if I may call it news). All the fake relationships, all the fake faces and all the fake parties….where have this culture come from, if the obvious answer is ‘the west’, I beg to differ. I have often tried to understand the ‘why’ behind all these behaviors and psychology behind being the socialite, but I have not been successful.



Interestingly last couple of months I traveled across a few major cities in India, and happened to read the Page 3 of Delhi Times, Bombay Times and obviously because I live in Bangalore, I read Bangalore Times everyday. I have never lived in Bombay, always visited this city, used to live in Delhi more than 2 and a half years back, but still whenever I read / browse the ‘Page 3’ there, I can recognize the people who appear on Page 3, either they have something to their credit or have been socialites all their lives at least.. But in Bangalore, everyday there are some new faces or bare backs appear, and there is no credibility associated with those names, and never heard those names in any other context. Is Bangalore still trying to find its own ‘Page 3’socialites, or is it just trying to emulate the bigger cities, and publish something / anything and be there in their league? :-)