Day 37 - 10 Ka Dum

For the next few days you will hear and read a lot of shit about me, a lot of it. Keep on reading it…but don’t react to it. I don’t. Like sometimes when you are traveling in a fast car and you find a dog chasing your car…barking away. You don’t stop the car and start reacting to the dog…u don’t…there’s no point. I don’t wish to react. I don’t have the time for it. Besides, I don’t understand the language of dogs, except for my two - Myson and Myjaan.

Unfortunately in our industry the developing trend is not to celebrate others success…every time another person is successful there will be someone trying to pull him down. You don’t increase your own efforts to become successful but try to always decrease someone else’s success…that’s the mantra of the industry. A man is good they say but they say it in the past tense. A lot of people out there talk highly but only once a person’s gone…Dead! These people whoever they are - are just doing their job - only what they know to do best.
I chose to remain silent. I do not have the time to spend reacting. But even silence speaks. Silence makes more noise than thunder. …’Bandar Sher ko chidhata hai….’ Sirf aawaaz kar sakta hai... Kabhi Sher ko maar sakta hai? He can’t do anything. But when the Lion roars, a whole pack of monkeys fall from trees!

So keep on reading…read all the negatives…read till they get tired of writing. Everyone goes through this…but not for long. I say just look good feel good and do good, that’s it. I love you all.

Day 36 - 10 Ka Dum

I believe that most awkward situations in life can be sorted out with a little sense of humor. Humor has been an integral part of our Indian Cinema and our audiences love humor. All great comedians in our cinema have come from poverty…Johnny Walker was a bus conductor; Mehmood saab belonged to a family of talented but very poor people… Johnny Lever worked at a factory…even our Rajpal Yadav comes from a lower middle class family from Saharanpur, U.P. It’s a fact that poor and middle class people have a greater sense of appreciation of humor than the rich and successful people.

Perhaps it is the helpless situations in life of the common people that gives them their sense of humor that in return helps them fight the unequal war of survival… They learn to laugh off hardship and difficulties. But like people, there are various types of humor...Some have a lot of malice. For them humor is just a façade to express their bitterness. Real humor never causes harm to anyone. Some people say bitter things and then offer excuses that it was said it in humor...as a joke!
Cowards always manage to find covers, masks and facades…

Black humor is a familiar concept in the West and some real funny films have been made around the situations of death and funerals. For us however, it’s an alien concept and Indian audiences do not like it much but Kundan Shah did make very funny film – “jaane bhi do yaaron”… Our own Kishore Kumar had a terrific sense of humor. Charlie Chaplin immortalized the mime in the silent era. He was truly a genius and has been copied the most all over the world yet none reached his sublimity and height. I think it’s easier to make audiences cry than make them laugh. Comedy is serious business. A very serious filmmaker like Gurudutt always had some humorous scenes in his profound cinema.

I believe humor with malice towards none is as essential as oxygen!

Day 35 - 10 Ka Dum

My interaction with contestants on and off screen reveals that most of them are fun loving, simple people and winning prizes has been an additional bonus for them. I am glad that some very needy people have won considerable amounts, which is bound to make a difference to their lives. Top on my agenda has always been the education of children. These little children who are the future of our country. Through the show I get a clear picture of an emerging, vibrant India. Another thing is that most of the people who got eliminated in the first round itself, bear no grudge and they take it very sportingly. It’s all about attitude and love this non defeatist attitude. Some contestants bring gifts for me. I wish to discourage this trend… I am overwhelmed with their love and I can feel its vibrations, which has nothing to do with gifts. I feel their love just by them being there with me. When I decided to anchor the show, it was to thank my fans and meet real people… but it looks like that my debt of love has now increased manifold. I am now conscious of their enormous love. I often wonder how well I connect with common people and meeting them has been an experience. I think if you are simple and spontaneous, you connect well. It’s already strange how effortlessly contestants reveal their private fears and dreams. I find it difficult to be so open…even now but I am trying. Trying my best to reach out and spread the magic of love…