Saturday, January 25, 2020

A View Of Hindi Cinema Film Studies Essay

A View Of Hindi Cinema Film Studies Essay Hindi Cinema refers to the prolific Hindi language film industry that operates mainly from Bombay, India. Characterised by music, melodrama, dance routines and extravagant production values, it is both a source of aggravation and wonder for its patrons. With enthusiastic audiences and box office success stories from all over the English speaking world, the escapist entertainment of Hindi Cinema has become a spectacle to reckon with. However, Hindi cinema seems to fall into a self induced rut ever so often. And similar to it, the film journalism in India tends to lie in a pathetic condition. With the media that thrives more on gossip and paparazzi culture, objective and analytical film journalism is something that is seen very sparsely in India. In this regard, the author Anil Saari and his posthumously published book, Hindi Cinema An Insiders View, stand out. The poet, theatre artist and journalist, Anil Saari, was Hindi cinemas most enthusiastic patron more than 3 decades ago. The book which is a compilation of his essays from the 70s to 2005(the year he died), can be seen as a tribute to one of Hindi Cinemas most enthusiastic advocate. The introduction by filmmaker and critic Partha Chatterjee enumerates Anil Saaris panache for identifying social-cultural trends within Hindi cinema. The 36 individual essays have been divided in into four different sections titled The Aesthetic Foundations of the Hindi Formula Film, Themes and Variations of Indian Cinema, Perspectives on Indian Cinema and The Makers of Popular Cinema. A personal favourite is the essay titled, What went wrong with Bhansalis Devdas?. Apart from being an extremely well written piece, the lucid arguments back the valid criticism of the movie. Without questioning Sanjay Leela Bhansalis prerogative of a brilliant director, Saari argues that Bhansalis rendition of Sarat Chandras Devdas is an anxious attempt to capture poetry on film. Saari says that Bhansalis effort to create poetry on celluloid resulted in the movie where every single moment in the film is a great emotion of high emotion, grand gestures, extraordinary feelings. Saari states that Bhansalis effort to convert every single second of the movie into a great moment resulted in the bland nature of the film. Saari also questions the need for the large scale exorbitance of the film. It is against the backdrop of the simple, everydayness of human behavior that a great film sets its dramatic surprises, narrative twists, and its heart wrenching moments. With that said, Saaris again expresses the need for a simpler and realistic portrayal of the real world in cinema. With this essay, one can observe Saaris genuine perceptiveness to the aesthetics and intricacies of film making. The other two note worthy essays The Dynamics of Tradition and Modernity in Hindi Cinema and The Compelling World of Hindi Films, overlap immensely in terms of the arguments put forward. In The Compelling World of Hindi Films, Saari speaks of how Hindi Cinema is successful in escaping the realities of poverty and the boredom of routine life. Unintentionally it affirms to status quo of the politically powerful and richer classes. His arguments are mostly echoed during the times of post-independence, where Saari understood the power of cinema as a tool in building an emerging economy. His arguments draw inspiration from the success of Bertolt Brechts plays in Europe. Perhaps, Saari hoped that Hindi cinema would produce its own version of Brecht, whose awareness of lifes struggles and politics would permeate through to the masses. Similar arguments are put forward in the essay, The Dynamics of Tradition and Modernity in Hindi Cinema. Saaris reiterates the need for the entertainment and socio-economic realities to compliment each other. In the essay he talks about how, The Indian psyche lies in the shadow of a long, callous history of economic disparities; a psyche that tries to preserve itself and its shell of bones from the wretched sea of poverty that exists all around it. The dividing line is so thin and fragile that consciousness can only lead each man to conceive of himself as an oasis in the desert. Upon deliberation, the reason for Saaris strong stance on cinema mirroring reality can be found by studying his personal background. Anil Saaris father, Arjun Arora, was the co-founder of the Communist Party of India (CPI), in Uttar Pradesh (India), and also a proactive trade union leader. Perhaps it is this this exposure to the ideology that leads him to gain in insight into the struggles and realities of the common Indian citizen of that time. It is this approach of Saaris that sets him apart from mot film journalists of is time. The biggest learning points from the essay, The Compelling World of Hindi Cinema. Hindi cinema has always challenged for being conservative and parochial, so the arguments in this essay are refreshing. Saaris arguments make one realize how even though films from the 1950s/1960s never tried altering the established social norms, it did endavour to fire the imagination of the Indian public in a subtle manner. Saari mentions how Shree 420 was successful as it blended the traditional Buddhist ideals of renunciation and sensuality and in its own inelegant way, it taught a million young Indians how to accept their natural attraction for the other sex. It is this different approach of that makes readers realize that even with all its conservatism, Hindi cinema did make an effort to introduce modern ideas in a surreptitious manner. In the essay, Can Parallel Cinema Survive, Saari appreciates and criticizes the work of parallel film makers. Saari says that the biggest grouse of the parallel films is that it failed to engage and reach out to their own target audiences. So while he is extremely appreciative of the works by Satyajit Ray, Mrinal Sen, Ritwick Ghatak and Adoor Gopalakrishnan, he remains discontent as most of their films gained recognition internationally and failed to draw the audiences within their own countries. In the final chapter, Saari makes interesting comments about screen idols, right from the Troika to Mani Ratnam. It is in this section that one observes Saaris great love for the work of Guru Dutt. In all, there is great deal of information and insight available in Saaris book. Although, at times, it can seem slightly academic in nature, it never fails to provide an analytical point of view to its readers. Saaris essays are extremely perceptive and provide great understanding into the various trends within Bollywood. However, since some of the essays have been written decades ago, the contents and arguments of various essays are outdated and can be challenged. While it is understood that the book is a compilation of Saaris various essays, the random selection of essays have no link to one and other. While some essays such as Rags to Riches and Black Money as mainstay of Hindi Cinema could be given a miss, better categorization of essays could perhaps have given the book a better structure. Another drawback of the book is the title itself. Even though the book is titled Hindi Cinema, three of the four sections of the books contain essays pertaining to Indian Cinema where a great deal has been mentioned about South Indian Cinema, which does not classify within the bracket of Hindi Cinema. In addition, apart from being a regular film journalist, it is vague as to what categorizes Saari as an insider in Hindi Cinema. In conclusion, Anil Saaris book not only reflects on his style of writing but his passion for the art of film making. His holistic approach in films is not just confided to their content but also their aesthetics, financing and exhibition. Saaris style of appreciation and criticism without malice enhances his credibility of his critique. The essays are exceptionally informative as they are all linked to the issues of politics and history within that time. By capturing the various forms of narrative cinema, parallel cinema and popular cinema, the book is a holistic guide to Hindi Cinema over time.

Friday, January 17, 2020

Avila Auto Parts

a. The two methods of reporting in the parent company’s currency are different due to usage of different rates of exchange. Under the first method, the spot rates are to be used. Spot rates are the rates at which the transaction is carried out. This is normally a difficult approach and companies use the date on which the balance sheet and income statement is prepared. The spot is taken to be the rate of the balance sheet and other financial statements. The other method uses average rate of exchange of the period of reporting. In our case, using the two methods, we will have significant differences in the reported profits and losses. If we use the spot rate of balance sheet publication, the currency conversion factor will be 12000 pesos per dollar, whereas if we use average rate, the conversion will be done at 10,000 pesos per dollar. There will be a difference of 20 percent in the reporting. On the other hand, if the rate today has been less than the exchange rate at the beginning, the current reported figures would have been lower than those reported under first method. We should ideally use the method of spot rate at which payments are made. If it is not possible, the average rate would be better and consistent. Average can be taken for monthly figures or weekly rates to make it more accurate and representative of the realistic picture. As the income statement shows, the profits for the year were 25,000 million pesos in the local country. If it is translated to the parent company’s reporting currency using the spot rate of income statement, that is 12,000 pesos = $1, we will have net profits of $2,083,333. If we use the average rate of the period, that is (8,000+12,000)/2 = 10,000 pesos per $1, we will have net profits of $2,500,000 or $2. 5 million. Under both the methods of reporting the same profits/income of the company to its parent company, the profits are quite different simply due to the currency difference and exchange rate variation over the period. The difference in profits reported is more than $0. 4 million or roughly 20 percent which may change the decisions taken at headquarters. Taking into consideration the differences in the exchange rates and conversion risk, the company should decide on a measure to select the rate of exchange to use for its reporting during the entire life of the organization. They should consistently use whatever they have decided to use over their entire life. b. Functional currency is the one in which the operational cash is generated and is normally the currency of the country where the operations are going on. If the currency of the operating country is not stable, it can not be considered as functional currency. The stability of currency means that the rate of inflation over three year period should be less than 100 percent. As in the given case, the rate of inflation is 50 percent, (from 8,000 ps per dollar to 12,000 ps per dollar), the functional currency will be peso as the operational cash flows are generated in pesos and the inflation is within the limits. If the inflation over the past two years reaches 150 %, the functional currency will be changed to the reporting currency of the parent company, which in our case is dollar. . Economic exposure for Avila can be seen by the given conversion rates and their variability over such a short period of time. Economic exposure is the effect of foreign currency rate changes to the cash flows and other measures of operational performance. The exposure for any company is affected by the industry it is operating in and the stability of the currency of its operating country and the parent company. If there is excess demand of pesos, it will push th e rates of pesos higher and vice versa. If the rate gets higher, that is there will be less pesos in a dollar, the performance in the parent company’s report will be better than the situation when the exchange rate gets low. The two reporting methods will lead to significant differences in reported profits and losses to the parent company, from the operations in some other country. 3. Hedging can be a good option to protect the company against any unforeseen changes in the exchange rates. The company can make hedging I a number of ways to make itself protected against foreign exchange risk. Four positions are possible to provide such a protection using simple forward contracts and options. a. Long forward Under long forward position, the company at the operating country can take a long forward position to fix exchange rate (today) for a future date of transaction. Taking a long position means that the investor is agreeing to buy the underlying asset, at a specified price, agreed by both parties, on some future date. The contract has to be executed irrespective of what the conversion rate will be. Unlike options, none of the parties has the option to execute the contract or revoke it, but it is mandatory for both of them to carry it out. b. Short forward Short forward position can act equally well at the parent company’s location. The parent company at the parent country can go to short forward position so that it can sell dollars to pesos at a rate specified today. Using both the positions they can hedge the overall loss and can be certain about the expected gains. Options provide a type of insurance against any unforeseen changes in exchange rate. The buyer of call option and the seller of put option, both have the right to exercise the option or to waste it. The maximum loss in wasting the option is restricted to the price of the option. In this way, the company can set a floor to its loss and can gain as much as it can. c. Long Call Long call allows the parent company to buy a right to buy at a specified rate at some future point in time. If the rate increases, the company will have the option to buy at a lower rate than the market going rate, if it goes down, the loss will be restricted to the price of the option and the gains can be as much as the rate goes down. . Short Put Short Put will allow the company at the operating country to enter into a position to sell a right to sell at a set rate. The working for this will be exactly in the opposite manner as the long call position. 4. Financial architecture affects the overall cost for the company. If the inflation is high and the interest rates are high for a high risk firm , the cost of obtaining financing from banks and other Financial Institutions (FIs) will be high. Equity financing or market financing will require a higher rate of return, but the firm may shift the payments to some future period. As for bank financing or debt financing, it will have to make payments to the lending institution within the given timeframe. The firms may choose to go for a certain debt to equity ratio to gain advantage of optimal capital structure to optimize their costs of capital or WACC (Weighted Average Cost of Capital). 5. Euro currency is the use of currency in some other country. This in our case refers to storage, saving of pesos in the parent country where the currency in use is dollars. This will provide the company benefits in terms of advantage in domestic interest rate regulations and other barriers to free flow of cash. Firms participate in the euro currency markets to gain the benefits from exchange rate inefficiencies and under or over valuation of some currencies. If the investments are in the parent company’s currency and the operations are in the local currency of country where operations are being carried out, the exchange rate plays a vital role when calculating returns on investments for the company’s investments and funding by the parent company. If the domestic currency rises in operating country, the rate of return required should be higher than normal to overcome the exchange differences and vice versa. To overcome this difference and the problems due to fluctuating exchange rates, companies enter euro-currency markets where they can keep their money in parent company’s currency and convert it to functional currency as and when needed. This provides them the opportunity to maintain the required base in terms of parent company’s currency. 6. Other alternatives to run a firm’s fund-flow mechanism are to use various swaps in the form of interest rate swaps or foreign currency swaps. MNCs can go for unbundling of their costs at headquarters to affiliate companies of subsidiaries. In this way they can divide their costs to subsidiaries. Multinationals can go for transfer pricing mechanisms to avoid taxes on their overall operations. This can be done by pricing their internally traded goods for the purpose of moving profits to low tax nations. This will provide them an overall higher profitability. Companies can also create re-invoicing centers to avoid exchange rate fluctuations. The invoice currency will be the one used rather than the operating currency. This will reduce their exposure to currency and exchange rate risk. This will increase communication costs and to some extent create an overhead whereby the overall time delays and costs will be increased. MNCs can also transfer funds to their parent companies as dividends if the local conditions and regulatory framework is favorable. The major benefits of using different mechanisms can be obtained because of differences in the tax mechanisms and tax systems in different countries. Firms, by simply moving their profits from high tax region to a low tax region can save on their overall taxes provided the costs of moving are not high enough to make it unprofitable.

Thursday, January 9, 2020

All Quiet On The Western Front - 1398 Words

Erich Maria Remarque – was a famous German author, who created many novels, but his best-known and most representative novel is called  «All Quiet On the Western Front ». The novel All Quiet On the Western Front is about the First World War. It claimed millions of lives and cripped bodies and destinies of even more people. First World War also destroyed such powerful countries such as the Russian, Ottoman, German and Austro - Hungarian Empire. Knowledge of europeans, created over many hundreds of years we destroyed. Life had to be rebuilt. People`s minds were infected horror of war. Through the whole story comes the theme of war as a terrible mistake mankind. It brings death, pain, blood, sweeping away in its path state and the nation. Its victims are simply people for whom the war is unnatural, but by the will of a handful of patients mentally and physically tyrants they are involved in the lethal effect called war. In human war erased all the social, there is only ani mal fear, causing the fight to preserve his life. Eriq Maria Remarque was also a soldier during World War I, and wrote â€Å"All Quite On the Western Front† from the on behalf of Paul Brumer, a 19th years old german boy, who believed to his school teacher and went with his classmates as a volunteers. In this paper I would disscuss the transformaion of main hero and his friends, and change in their opinion about the war. Remarque starts his book with overview of main heroes. There are 8 of them: Kropp,Show MoreRelatedAll Quiet of the Western Front756 Words   |  3 PagesPlot Summary: All Quiet on the Western Front Written by Erich Maria Remarque, All Quiet on the Western Front is the tale of a young man by the name of Paul. Paul who is nineteen years old gathers several of his friends from school and together they voluntarily join the army fighting for the Axis alliance. Before they are sent off into actual battle, they are faced with the brutal training camp. Along with this they face the cruelty of the life of a soldier. This made them question the reason forRead MoreAll Quiet on the Western Front700 Words   |  3 PagesThe greatest war novel of all time, All Quiet on the Western Front, by Erich Maria Remarque, is a novel that depicted the hardships of a group of teenagers who enlisted in the German Army during World War 1. Enlisting right out of high school forced the teens to experience things they had never thought of. From the life of a soilder on the front line to troubles with home life, war had managed to once again destroy a group of teenagers. Throughout the novel, we saw the men of the Second CompanyRead MoreAll Quiet On The Western Front1797 Words   |  8 PagesTitle: All Quiet on the Western Front Creator: Erich Maria Remarque Date of Publication: 1929 Class: War Novel Anecdotal Information about Author: -Erich Maria Remarque was conceived on 22 June 1898 into a working people family in the German city of Osnabrà ¼ck to Peter Franz Remark (b. 14 June 1867, Kaiserswerth) and Anna Maria (nà ©e Stallknecht; conceived 21 November 1871, Katernberg). -During World War I, Remarque was recruited into the armed force at 18 years old. On 12 June 1917, heRead MoreAll Quiet on the Western Front943 Words   |  4 Pages The book All Quiet on the Western Front, by Erich Maria Remarque, is about a group of 19 year old young men who are changed by the ways of war. There is paul: the main character; Tjaden: a tall, skinny locksmith, also the biggest eater; Albert Kropp: a lance-corporal and the clearest thinker; Muller: studious, intelligent, and likes school; Leer: has a preference for the girls from the prostitution houses and has a beard; Haie Westhus: a peat-digger, and big in size; Deterring: a peasant, he alwaysRead MoreAll Quiet On The Western Front2393 Words   |  10 PagesAll Quiet on the Western Front: Book Review Erich Maria Remarque, author of All Quiet on the Western Front, actually fought in WWI (Remarque 297). Because of this, he was able to write this book with accurate depictions of the war. He writes how being in combat can really take a toll on a person and affect them in a negative way. He also writes of the pain and suffering that the soldiers must cope with that comes along with living in constant fear and danger. When looking at the title of theRead MoreAll Quiet On The Western Front2085 Words   |  9 PagesThis essay will consider the different effects created by Erich Maria Remarque in his novel All Quiet on the Western Front. As a writer, Remarque unknowingly left his novel open to readers with completely different perspectives, and to various forms of criticism. This undoubtedly meant that every single reader had been affected by the novel in many different ways which unfortunately for Remarque may have been an effect that he never intended. This essay is divided into 5 main sections. Firstly itRead MoreAll Quiet On The Western Front1089 Words   |  5 Pages In Erich Maria Remarque’s novel, All Quiet on the Western Front, human nature is the only abstract periphery between belligerent barbarism and justifiable violence. Through the insipid bombardments that rained shells over the Germans’ heads and noxious implementation of mustard gas, Remarque dexterously misleads the reader into believing that he fights in an apathetic war where all remnants of human nature and identity have been destroyed with the introduction of trench warfare. Through Paul Baumer’sRead MoreAll Quiet On The Western Front1509 Words   |  7 Pagesâ€Å"He fell in October 1918, on a day that was so quiet and still on the whole front, that the army report confined itself to a single sentence: All quiet on the Western Front† (Remarque 296). Paul Baumer, the narrator of All Quiet on the Western Front, enlisted into the German army at a young age of nineteen with a group of friends from school. Kantorek, Paul’s teacher, â€Å"gave us long lectures until the whole of our class went, under his shepherding, to the District Commandant and volunteered† (RemarqueRead MoreAll Quiet On The Western Front1129 Words   |  5 PagesIn Erich Maria Remarque’s All Quiet on the Western Front, soldiers at the front have a better idea than civilians of the true n ature of war because they have experienced the war while civilians have only read about it or listened to government propaganda. Remarque is trying to tell us that only those who experience the war can understand how awful war truly is. In All Quiet on the Western Front, the main character Paul goes back to his home, the people he meets still think that the Germans are winningRead MoreAll Quiet On The Western Front1790 Words   |  8 Pagessmell of cigar smoke, gunpowder, and dirt that filled the air. There was no nationalism; all Paul wanted was survival. World War I was supposed to be about nationalism and the propaganda forced upon the soldiers to feel superiority over other countries, but Paul helps to prove otherwise, as his story tells what is was like to be at the front, and how tough it was to be a soldier. â€Å"All Quiet on the Western Front† portrays war as it was actually experienced, replacing the romantic picture of glory and

Wednesday, January 1, 2020

Deceitful Clytemnestra of Euripides Electra Essay

Deceitful Clytemnestra of Euripides Electra Agamemnon returns from Troy, a victorious general, bringing home spoils, riches and fame. He is murdered on the same day as he returns. Clytemnestra, his adulterous wife, has laid in wait for her husbands homecoming and kills him whilst he is being bathed after his long journey. During the Agamemnon, large proportions of the Queens words are justifications for her action, which is very much concerned with the sacrifice of Iphigenia to the gods, in order for the fleet to set sail for Troy. Aegisthus, the new husband of the Queen Clytemnestra, and partner in the conspiracy to murder the war hero, had reasons, which stemmed from the dispute between the Houses of Atreus and Thyestes. Was the†¦show more content†¦No blame is placed upon him by the people and they believe he slipped his neck in the strap of fate 217, only after which did his spirit become black, impure, unholy 218. The people of Mycenae, typically represented by the elders, and thus the Chorus have absolved him of blame in their minds. All their words about the leader are nothing but in praise of their king. They are nearly faint with longing for the return of their king, though we can also partly attribute this to a desire to be rid of Clytemnestra more than their wish to return to the rule of Agamemnon. They indeed emphasise the tyranny of the Queen (she commands, full of her high hopes...manoeuvres like a man 13). The sentry echoes the love for the King though (My king, Ill take your loving hand in mine 37), and the herald is similarly well disposed toward him, and he hasnt been under the yoke of Clytemnestra (he brings us light in the darkness...Agamemnon lord of men). The people absolve the King of blame over Iphigenia, and give him unconditional loyalty, but Clytemnestra rests it all upon his shoulders (girl of tears...here you are repaid 1554). She understands the grandeur of her action and the scale of it but believes that what we did was destiny 1692. Though, it is my belief that th e honourable King of Mycenae was commanded by the fates to kill his daughter, and it was by no means his will to carry