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Parmanu good intentions gone to waste (Movie review **)
By Subhash K Jha
“Parmanu: The Story Of Pokhran”, Starring John Abraham, Boman Irani, Anuja Sathe, Diana Penty; Directed by Abhishek Sharma; Rating: **(2 stars).
If good intentions made good cinema then every propaganda film by films division would be a classic. In the absence of a hefty grip and a budget to rev up the key sequences pertaining to the historical nucleur explosions “Parmanu: The Story Of Pokhran” ends up more as a fable of one man’s heroism than the saga of a nation that woke up to a nuclear dawn.
The facts are twisted into commercial shapes including a flash point button-on-the-fingertip climax where the film’s editor runs with breathless bravado from pillar to post trying to keep the audiences’ interest alive.
But all in vainm, Parmanu is like a promised havoc that never goes beyond a wound-up whimper, the film’s opening shows the bureaucrat-hero Ashwat Rana (John Abraham, starchy and imperturbable) grappling with a roomful of bored colleagues who are more interested in the samosas than Ashwat’s plans to nucleurize Apna Bharat Mahaan.
It’s an opening paying a direct homage to Shimit Amin’s “Chak De”.
Throughout John Abraham remains in character, implacably committed to the mission even if it means pissing off his wife (played by Anuja Sathe who was excellent just recently in Blackmail, what happened here???) and even if America gets on the wrong side.
“America” is imagined with outrageous tackiness, a bunch of Caucasians (probably tourists picked from Gateway Of India) sitting in front obsolete computers monitoring India’s nuclear movements, that’s Uncle Sam watching.
The computers and one antiquated celphone are just about the sum-total of period references that work in the film. The film gets its Mahabharat sinfully wrong, firstly, the serial by B. R. Chopra shown being aired in 1998 when the serial was on Doordarshan until 1990, names of the five Pandavas are used as code names for John and his four colleagues thrown at the vortex of the Pokhran deserts even if it means pissing off the entire government machinery.
With one man (Boman Irani) from the PM’s office supporting Ashwat Rana’s mission India’s nuclear prospects have nothing to fear.
With John Abraham playing the rebellious anti-establishment hero helbent on doing right no matter what the cost, the film reads more like a Hollywood cops thriller than a faithful chronicle of India’s nuclear makeover in the deserts of Pokhran.
While sections of the film get unbearably jingoistic, towards midpoint the plot gets absurdly ‘espionaged’.
An immoral spy (who is the film’s most interesting character) from Pakistan named Sajjan snoops into our hero’s hotel room in Pokhran, plants an eavesdropping device and gets Ashwat’s wife to suspect him of infidelity.
It all seems highly improbable and manipulated, by all means, honour the country with flag-waving films, but at least make sure that the film does not prove unworthy of its nationalistic aspirations.
–IANS
jha/ahm
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Dr. Abhishek Verma Dedicates a Shelter in Memory of His Mother, Veena Verma, at KGMU; Inaugurated by Daughter Nicolle Verma
World-renowned business tycoon Dr. Abhishek Verma has supported Foodman Vishal Singh’s Hunger-Free World mission. In memory of his mother, Late Veena Verma, who was a 3 term Rajya Sabha MP.
Dr. Verma dedicated a state-of-the-art free permanent shelter for the attendants of patients at KGMU Medical University, Lucknow, under the aegis of Vijay Shree Foundation. His daughter, Nicolle Verma, inaugurated the shelter.
During the event, Foodman Vishal Singh honored Nicolle Verma by presenting her with a memento. Mrs. Nidhi Sharma and Avantika Yadav, associated with the organization, welcomed her with garlands. Following this, Nicolle Verma distributed essential items to the attendants and also handed out fruits. She became emotional remembering her grandmother on her birth anniversary.
On this occasion, she also inaugurated the “Veena Verma Sevalaya” in memory of her grandmother, Veena Verma, to serve the attendants. She expressed, “I feel proud that my family is engaged in nation-building as well as social service. Today, in collaboration with Vijay Shree Foundation founder Foodman Vishal Singh Ji, I feel immensely proud to dedicate this shelter for the poor, helpless, and needy attendants of patients battling serious illnesses like cancer. I am honored to be associated with the Hunger-Free World Mission for humanity.”
Inspired by the continuous humanitarian service provided by Vijay Shree Foundation over the past 17 years, Nicolle Verma donated 10 lakh rupees to support the cause. The purpose of this donation is to ensure that services continue for the needy attendants of patients suffering from severe illnesses in hospitals, as facilitated by Foodman Vishal Singh.
It is noteworthy that Dr. Abhishek Verma’s family has a legacy of public and philanthropic service. They are helping millions to carry forward the values and service work of their parents. On the occasion of his mother’s birth anniversary, Dr. Abhishek Verma dedicated this state-of-the-art permanent shelter at Lucknow Medical College to serve the attendants of patients through the Vijay Shree Foundation.
Supporting Foodman Vishal Singh’s Hunger-Free World mission, Dr. Abhishek Verma assured that he would continually support keeping this flame of humanity alive. He also promised to assist in providing medicines to the helpless patients.
Continuing her grandmother’s legacy of service, Nicolle Verma personally served food to the needy patients and attendants. She said, “It is our good fortune to have received the joy of doing this noble work today through Foodman Vishal Singh. I have taken another step forward in carrying my family’s values and cooperation by joining hands with the Vijay Shree Foundation. My father taught me to serve and help the needy, and I feel happy when I bring a smile to someone’s face.”
On the birth anniversary of the late Veena Verma, the event organizer, Vijay Shree Foundation founder Foodman Vishal Singh, said, “We feel proud and happy that Dr. Abhishek Verma, a globally renowned business tycoon, has extended his support to uplift our country from the hunger index. Today, on his mother’s birth anniversary, he inaugurated a state-of-the-art permanent shelter at Lucknow Medical College, which will always be helpful for the needy attendants of patients. It is a pleasure for me and the organization to receive the affection of Mr. Verma.”
The event was attended by General Manager Verma Family Office Hemant Garg, Sonu Rajput, and the organization’s volunteers, including Sandeep Singh, Parmeshwar Ji, Prashant Rao Gautam, Balram Singh, Ramesh Chaudhary, Suman, Jeetu, Anil, Suraj, Vinay, Manish Bhadauria, Manas Mehrotra, Vivek, Apurv, Happy, and others.
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